Did we bomb Iraq during 12yrs of sanctions? Say it ain't so, please!

Below is a statement made on the website listed below that we bombed Iraq on almost a weekly basis during the sanctions (12 yrs). I find this hard to believe. Does anyone else know if this is true and if so why have I heard nothing about it? This is crazy; we did not do that, did we?

ivaw.net...
Many people do not know that the United States bombed Iraq on what was a virtually weekly basis during the 12 years of sanctions. These bombings occurred during Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch. Although many people were injured or killed during these bombings, the effects were relatively small compared to what is happening in Iraq right now.

[edit on 19-1-2005 by goose]

We were inforcing the no fly zone? What did you expect the planes to do patrolling the zone? Allow themselves to be illuminated by SAMS and the like :shk:

No of course not but I did not think it was neccessary to bomb on an almost weekly basis. With the knowledge of this how could Bush have went into Iraq (many have said this is true) and thought that we would be received and treated like heroes. How could Bush and our military leaders not have recognized that there would be growing resistance from our being there? I mean seriously think of all the hatred these people had built up after losing relatives and having so many wounded relatives and no one had the foresight to see the resistance coming.

They had no SAMS, this is a country that was trying to import playstation 2's so that they could salvage the contained cpu and you think they had surface to air missiles ?

Yeah the bombing has been going on for a really long while now.
There have been many operations over there.

Global Security has a list of the overt actions but that's not all there were:
www.globalsecurity.org...

Southern Watch Southwest Asia / Iraq 1991 17 Mar 2003
DESERT STRIKE 03 Sep 1996 04 Sep 1996
Phoenix Scorpion I Nov 1997
Phoenix Scorpion II Feb 1998
DESERT THUNDER Feb 1998 16 Dec 1998
DESERT VIPER Nov 1998
Phoenix Scorpion III Nov 1998
Phoenix Scorpion IV Dec 1998
DESERT FOX 16 Dec 1998 20 Dec 1998
Southern Focus Southwest Asia / Iraq Jun 2002 19 Mar 2003

BTW, here's a map of the no-fly zone they were 'violating'


That's the majority of their country that they were not allowed to fly in but the US and UK did fly there in their warplanes.

And now the Yellow area represents the No - Go Zone for Coalition troops.

Yep, the bombimg was pretty constant more so under Clinton than Bush until just before the war.Not too many Iraqis died that way though.Basically Radar stations were hit. To be fair to the US the escalation in bombing appears to have started once Blair came into power in the UK ,the other power policing the no fly zone.

What the average Iraqi really was upset about, and why coalition troops were never ever going to be treated as heroes except in the Kurdish north, was the effect of the UN sanctions which caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis in the years between GW1 and GW2 (especially women and children) who couldn't get medical provisions.

What is an irony is those that support the war claim these deaths as part of the number Saddam Hussein is responsible for and, since no WMD were ever found they are now the main excuse given for invasion.

[edit on 19-1-2005 by John bull 1]

Originally posted by LuisCypher
They had no SAMS, this is a country that was trying to import playstation 2's so that they could salvage the contained cpu and you think they had surface to air missiles ?

they why were pilots fired on and locked onto by radar weekly? even aircraft did it.

You mean why were Iraqi national defence tracking enemy aircraft flying in it's airspace ??

Does that question really need to be answered ??? Isn't it obvious ??

Do you think that every time any one uses radar that SAMS are locked on ???

It doesn't follow. You use the term locked on . It sounds aggressive. All it means is that the radar has lit up an aircraft on a sweep. It is not neccessarily an aggressive act.

The Iraqis were still allowed to fly in the center of Iraq. They did need radar for traffic control and air safety.

Um.....where the hell have you been?

Uh, yeah.....this is hardly a secret. Why do you think my unit was deployed in 95 as part of a normal rotation to an air base in Saudi Arabia?

Jesus, this is nothing new. Hell, it was one of my biggest arguements against Bush's claim that WMD were in Iraq. We spent twelve years bombing anything that even looked mobile. They didnt have squat left.

It was called enforcing the no-fly zone, something Saddam had tested on more than one occasion, but was sorely shown the error of his way.

But yes, we bombed them, we did it for 12 years, and it was a multinational task force. On our base, we had the saudi military, british air force, even the French were there too.

I say again, where have you been?

One think everybody is leaving out was the fact that the Iraqi's agreed to the No fly zones as part of thier cease fire.

Originally posted by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Um.....where the hell have you been?
But yes, we bombed them, we did it for 12 years, and it was a multinational task force. On our base, we had the saudi military, british air force, even the French were there too.
I say again, where have you been?

Well there was a periof of time in my life where I did not watched any news at all, or read a newspaper, or news magazine and I did not have the internet. This was totally by choice of course.I also did not go out very much. I enjoyed and wanted the isolation and still sometimes do this. I don't know why I do this type of escapism but I do. I am aware I am doing it when I do this most of the time. It was only after my area got the internet that I started being exposed to the news by reading other people's posts about a current events and started watching it again and reading more on current events. I know some people will never understand choosing to totally isolate oneself from the world but I can do it without even thinking about it, sometimes even now its months between my even going out in the yard or leaving the property. I'm not afraid but I just choose not to go outside. So anyway thats where I was at.

Originally posted by goose
Below is a statement made on the website listed below that we bombed Iraq on almost a weekly basis during the sanctions (12 yrs). I find this hard to believe. Does anyone else know if this is true and if so why have I heard nothing about it? This is crazy; we did not do that, did we?

What are you talking about? THe US did attack iraq during the sanctions. They'd attack radar locking missile batteries that were targeting the jets patroling the no fly zone. for a long while it got pretty intense. What were the pilots supposed to do, not respond? Maybe not fight until they were shot down, ejected, and then engage in hand to hand combat with the iraqis?

That's the majority of their country that they were not allowed to fly in but the US and UK did fly there in their warplanes.

Uhmm, if you notice thats a zone that protects the swamp arabs in the south and the kurds in the north from helicopter and jet attacks from the iraqis. After Gulf One the iraqis requested use of their helicopters to aid the retreat, and immeadiately used them to kill their own people. Thats why the no fly zone was set up.

[edit on 19-1-2005 by Nygdan]

I see many people talking as if we know everything that went on during the sanction period between 1991 and the latest Iraq war.

The majority of the information was not and IS NOT accessible to the public.

The only information coming out originated in:

1. Iraqi Ministry of Information
2. Pentagon

And perhaps a pittance picked up by freelance or local (gulf) reporters.

So, how can any of you claim that every single bombing happened in circunstance X or Y?

Everyone agrees that the entire intelligence was FLAWED for the INVASION of Iraq. (intentional or unintentional)

So you are telling me that the intelligence for the enforcing of No-fly zones was all accurate and stuff? You're telling they wouldn't bomb stuff in preparing for the eventuallity of an Invasion?

Or is anyone implying that IF civilian structures were hit by accident they would come up and report it? when they could simply deny it and then say to you as a form of pressure:
"What, your going to believe Iraqi Propaganda, a Dictatorship, versus a Democratic Country's intelligence?"

the Chinese Embassy DID get hit in Serbia, and Clinton DID bomb a civilian factory, (who was supposed to be some high value target)

During the Sanctions, a lot of people died, the estimates is 1 million children. The No-Fly zone campaign was enforced DAILY, that's a lot of missions on air. So its not exagerated to come up with a couple of thousands of casualties over such a long period of No Fly zone enforcing.

You guys have no idea what a fully armed plane flying above your head is?

Try thinking of that little incident of the F-16 that accidentally straffed a school (a bunch of bullets only), and the outrage you guys all had.
And then multiply that by 12 years and by a LOT of planes, with MUCH HEAVIER armament.

And yes, like one of the posters said, this is alsy why i even laughed at the idea that Iraq was a threat to anyone even Kuwait much less the US.

About the argument of Saddam Bad Guy Had to Go:

Perhaps that decision was for someone else to take.

I prefer a Dictator ruling my country to have a foreigner decide ANYTHING for me.

Or, would any of you Americans would like to have Chinese Soldiers patrolling the streets of NY, Chicago, Detriot, San Francisco to ENSURE US citizens are being treated fairly by the US government? LOL.

think about it. you want Truth at all cost? or just when its pleasant?

Truth is like a marriage, if you cheat 1 time, its null and void. There's no "Just this time".

so, all of you come join the Aum Shinrinkyo, the cult of Supreme Truth, i have some inscription coupons here LOL

*shuts up*

Truth is not like marriage it is more like Truth, and you should get a clue and seek the truth, it will set you free

goose: get some meds and don't drop out anymore. Read at least one newspaper a day, preferably one that has both sides given in their editorial page, and watch some evening news. And for God's sake read books. Don't look here for an education. This website is for banter.

Originally posted by kazi
goose: get some meds and don't drop out anymore. Read at least one newspaper a day, preferably one that has both sides given in their editorial page, and watch some evening news. And for God's sake read books. Don't look here for an education. This website is for banter.

I like isolation, sometimes thats just my way of dealing with things but I have not dropped out in a long time except for maybe a day or two. I choose to do it but it is my nature to be a loner most of the time so sometimes I do have to force myself to keep up with things. I do read newspapers and magazines and watch several news programs a day (Democracy Now is my favorite) but unfortunately due to a weak eye muscle that can't be fixed I can't read for long periods of time. I used to read sometimes up to two books a day when I was younger and had nothing to do which is probably why my eyesight is so shot now.

Goose, then by all means keep asking your questions, but don't believe everything you read here. You have your right wing nuts and your left wing nuts, some with a little bit of both. And you'll get to know the stoned-out slackers that think the answer to everything is to kill. You'll catch on.