Iraq's Air defences hit

WASHINGTON - United States and British attack jets have changed tactics in response to Iraqi anti-aircraft fire and are striking methodically at air defences in "no-fly" zones of that country, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday.

"I directed it," Rumsfeld said. "I don't like the idea of our planes being shot at ... the idea that our planes go out and get shot at with impunity bothers me."

But Rumsfeld, responding to questions amid speculation that Washington might launch an invasion of Iraq to oust President Saddam Hussein, said he did not know how quickly Baghdad could repair command and control buildings and military airfields being attacked in northern and southern no-fly zones.

Marine Corps General Peter Pace, the vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that in recent weeks air strikes in response to Iraqi attempts to shoot down warplanes patrolling the zones since the 1991 Gulf War had been directed at targets such as buildings, command and control centres and military airfields instead of more difficult targets such as mobile radar systems.

- REUTERS

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