Desert Fox Target Toll Climbs Past 75 Iraqi Sites
By Paul Stone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON -- U.S. and British air and naval forces have
attacked more than 75 Iraqi military targets after two nights of
bombing in Operation Desert Fox, Pentagon leaders said here.
As the Pentagon prepared Dec. 18 for possible additional
strikes, Defense Secretary William Cohen and Army Gen. Hugh
Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, updated Pentagon
reporters on the status of operations.
Shelton said Dec. 17 bombings, for the first time in Desert Fox,
involved both joint and combined operations. U.S Navy, Marine
Corps and Air Force assets, as well as those from Great Britain,
worked together in a coordinated strike effort, he said.
"We're very, very proud of our combined forces and very
satisfied with the results thus far," Cohen said. "Our forces
are intensely and intently focused on their jobs and doing
[them] well."
Cohen emphasized there have been no U.S. casualties to date, and
all aircraft and personnel have returned safely following their
missions. He also announced Desert Fox has now employed more
Tomahawk cruise missiles than were used in the 1991 Persian Gulf
War, though he declined to provide exact figures.
Shelton and Cohen said the second night's air strikes continued
to focus on weapons of mass destruction sites, security sites
and forces, integrated air defense and airfields, and Iraqi
leader Saddam Hussein's military command and control
infrastructure.
"We haven't destroyed his total capability, but we have
certainly reduced his assets," Shelton said.
Defense officials summarized the targets during the briefing: 27
surface-to-air missile sites, 18 command and control facilities,
19 sites housing security details for Hussein's weapons of mass
destruction program, 11 weapons of mass destruction industrial
and production facilities, eight Republican Guard facilities,
and five airfields.
Cohen said it's too early to assess the overall success rate,
but added he's satisfied with the results so far. He declined to
say whether more attacks are planned and re-emphasized that the
objective of Desert Fox is to degrade Iraq's military
capabillities, not to destabilize Hussein's regime.
Defense officials at the briefing said many attacks focused on
destroying or degrading targets in southern Iraq, such as
surface-to-air missile sites, airfields, and command and control
sites. This, they said, has helped create a safer corridor for
pilots to reach northern targets.
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