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CNN Live Today
Iraq No-Fly Zone
Aired November 22, 2002 - 10:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Time to check in with Jamie McIntyre, who's standing by at the Pentagon.
He's got the latest word for us on some other activities there, military activities under way, in the no-fly zones in Iraq -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY CORRESPONDENT: While President Bush is mulling whether to invade Iraq, there is still a low-level war that's been going on on a constant basis. It's been a busy week in the no-fly zone, and another strike today in the south, U.S. and coalition planes striking a communications, an unmanned communication facility in southern Iraq. These are essentially like repeater stations, that are part of Iraq's communication network.
The provocation for this one a little bit different. According to the Pentagon, an Iraqi jet briefly violated the southern no-fly zone, flying below the 33rd parallel. That gave the United States the excuse, or the justification, for striking targets in the south.
As I said, it's been a pretty busy week, it started out on Sunday with the United States dropping more than 100,000 leaflets to Iraqi gunners telling them to back off. Almost as if in response, the next day on Monday, Iraq fired more than 50 times at U.S. and British planes patrolling the no-fly zones. As a response, the U.S. has been hitting targets all week, really. They hit two targets on the 18th, three on the 20th, they hit two on the 21st and, of course, they hit one today.
So it's been a week of strikes, a week of provocations, and that low-level exchange between the United States and Iraq continues.
Now this also comes as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has expressed increasing frustration with the fact that Iraq continues to fire at U.S. and British planes, and he said this week while traveling overseas that the U.S. would not allow Iraq to continue to fire at planes with impunity.
He said -- quote -- "We will respond" -- Leon.
HARRIS: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.
Thanks, Jamie. Have a good weekend. See you soon.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 22, 2002 - 10:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Time to check in with Jamie McIntyre, who's standing by at the Pentagon.
He's got the latest word for us on some other activities there, military activities under way, in the no-fly zones in Iraq -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY CORRESPONDENT: While President Bush is mulling whether to invade Iraq, there is still a low-level war that's been going on on a constant basis. It's been a busy week in the no-fly zone, and another strike today in the south, U.S. and coalition planes striking a communications, an unmanned communication facility in southern Iraq. These are essentially like repeater stations, that are part of Iraq's communication network.
The provocation for this one a little bit different. According to the Pentagon, an Iraqi jet briefly violated the southern no-fly zone, flying below the 33rd parallel. That gave the United States the excuse, or the justification, for striking targets in the south.
As I said, it's been a pretty busy week, it started out on Sunday with the United States dropping more than 100,000 leaflets to Iraqi gunners telling them to back off. Almost as if in response, the next day on Monday, Iraq fired more than 50 times at U.S. and British planes patrolling the no-fly zones. As a response, the U.S. has been hitting targets all week, really. They hit two targets on the 18th, three on the 20th, they hit two on the 21st and, of course, they hit one today.
So it's been a week of strikes, a week of provocations, and that low-level exchange between the United States and Iraq continues.
Now this also comes as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has expressed increasing frustration with the fact that Iraq continues to fire at U.S. and British planes, and he said this week while traveling overseas that the U.S. would not allow Iraq to continue to fire at planes with impunity.
He said -- quote -- "We will respond" -- Leon.
HARRIS: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.
Thanks, Jamie. Have a good weekend. See you soon.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
