US Airstrikes on Iraq: 25th Anniversary of Operation Desert Fox
US Airstrikes on Iraq: 25th Anniversary of Operation Desert Fox
Sputnik International
In December 1998, the United States and Great Britain conducted a tactical military operation, code-named Operation Desert Fox, against Iraq without the authorization of the UN Security Council. The stated goal of the operation was to deny Iraq the ability to produce and use weapons of mass destruction.
During Operation Desert Fox, a four-day bombing campaign against Iraq in 1998, there were also reports of civilian casualties. The campaign, led by General Wesley Clark, targeted Iraqi military installations and infrastructure.While the campaign was successful in damaging Iraqi military capabilities, it also resulted in civilian deaths and injuries.Some of the incidents included the bombing of a residential neighborhood in Baghdad, which killed civilians, and the bombing of a power plant near Basra, which disrupted electricity supplies and caused hardships for civilians. These incidents sparked criticism from human rights organizations and some governments, who called for an end to the bombing campaign and a greater emphasis on protecting civilian lives.The bombing began in the midst of a White House scandal, with Republicans questioning whether President Bill Clinton had bluntly ordered the bombing of Iraq to put off the impeachment debate.Take a look at the consequences of the four-day bombing campaign against Iraq in Sputnik's gallery:
In December 1998, the United States and United Britain conducted a tactical military operation codenamed “Operation Desert Fox” against Iraq without the authorization of the UN Security Council. The stated goal of the operation was to deny Iraq the ability to produce and use weapons of mass destruction.
During Operation Desert Fox, a four-day bombing campaign against Iraq in 1998, there were also reports of civilian casualties. The campaign, led by General Wesley Clark, targeted Iraqi military installations and infrastructure.
While the campaign was successful in damaging Iraqi military capabilities, it also resulted in civilian deaths and injuries.
Some of the incidents included the bombing of a residential neighborhood in Baghdad, which killed civilians, and the bombing of a power plant near Basra, which disrupted electricity supplies and caused hardships for civilians. These incidents sparked criticism from human rights organizations and some governments, who called for an end to the bombing campaign and a greater emphasis on protecting civilian lives.
The bombing began in the midst of a White House scandal, with Republicans questioning whether President Bill Clinton had bluntly ordered the bombing of Iraq to put off the impeachment debate.
Take a look at the consequences of the four-day bombing campaign against Iraq in Sputnik's gallery:
Traces of anti-aircraft fire light the sky in Baghdad, early morning December 17. US and British missiles pounded the Iraqi capital as punishment for Iraq's failure to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors. US President Bill Clinton called the air strikes "strong and sustained."
The sun sets over the flight deck of the USS Enterprise as crewmen prepare to launch the fourth wave of air strikes against Iraq on December 19, 1998 during Operation Desert Fox.
An Iraqi doctor checks an injured boy in a shelter at Baghdad's Saddam Medical Center after an air raid late on December 17. After the raid, at least five missiles fell on residential and administrative districts in the capital. A general hospital and a maternity hospital were reported to have been hit.
Photographers take pictures of US President Bill Clinton as he prepares to address the nation on December 16 from the White House in Washington, DC. Clinton's remarks came shortly after Baghdad was rocked by a series of violent explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire that lit up the night sky over the Iraqi capital.
This photo, released December 18 by the US Department of Defense and used in a Pentagon briefing, shows bomb damage to two hangars at the Al Sahra Airfield in Iraq.
Aviation ordnancemen on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) prepare to load an aircraft with various weapons in preparation for a second wave of attacks against Iraq.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton addresses a news briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, using a satellite image to show damage done to the headquarters of Iraqi military intelligence in the missile attack on Iraq.
Red tracers of Iraqi anti-aircraft fire light the sky over Baghdad on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the fourth wave of US missile attacks in Iraq.
An Iraqi man surveys the damage to his Baghdad neighborhood following overnight US and British airstrikes on the Iraqi capital.
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![Traces of anti-aircraft fire light the sky in Baghdad, early morning December 17. US and British missiles pounded the Iraqi capital as punishment for Iraq's failure to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors. US President Bill Clinton called the air strikes "strong and sustained." - Sputnik International](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0c/10/1115621000_0:0:873:600_600x0_80_0_1_415004d88d02c80f5454889caa308d70.jpg "Traces of anti-aircraft fire light the sky in Baghdad, early morning December 17. US and British missiles pounded the Iraqi capital as punishment for Iraq's failure to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors. US President Bill Clinton called the air strikes "strong and sustained."")
