Iraqi opposition sources said U.S. and British fighter-jets destroyed a vital
Iraqi army intelligence headquarters in the southern region.
The facility
struck on Sunday was located in Ashar south of Basra and contained advanced
radar and surveillance equipment that monitored air and ground traffic in
neighboring Iraq.
The sources said the Iraqi facility was struck by four air-to-ground
missiles.
The allied attack was said to have been the most significant since
February, when U.S. and British warplanes attacked Iraqi air defense network
near Baghdad. Sunday's attack was followed by another U.S. attack on Tuesday
that targeted an Iraqi radar site in the north. In all, the allies conducted
seven raids over the last three days, Middle East Newsline reported.
A U.S. military statement identified the radar site as being located
near Mosul. U.S. military sources said the nearly daily U.S. and British air
patrols of northern and southern Iraq have provided military planners with
updated information of Iraqi military assets in the regions. They said
allied forces are intimately familiar with the operations of Iraqi air
defense assets and what triggers their systems.