WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 Kyodo U and B...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 Kyodo

U and British warplanes patrolling Iraq's southern no-fly region on Monday bombed an Iraqi anti-ship missile launcher the U military said dumfounds a threat to U.S. and coalition utensils in the Gulf.

The coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons to strike the launcher near Al Basrah, nearly 500 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, the U Central Command, which have charge ofs U.S. military operations in the chasm said in a statement issued in Tampa, Florida, where its headquarters is located.

''The coalition targeted the anti-ship missile launcher because it was a threat to coalition maritime forces operating in the North Arabian Gulf'' the statement said.

The U and Britain established no-fly baldrics in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Persian whirlpool War to protect Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the southern from attacks by Iraqi dominion troops.

Iraq insists the creation of the no-fly belts is a violation of its sovereignty.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo stranges International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group