March 6, 1999
Web posted at: 11:35 p.m. EST (0435 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. planes bombed five military targets in Iraq's northern "no-fly zone" Saturday, a U.S. military official said.

•Timeline •Maps •Where They Stand •Flashback 1991 •Forces in the Gulf •Bioweapons Explainer •Message Boards •UNSCOM Documents •Related Links

U.S. F-15 pilots released GBU-12 laser-guided bombs on five Iraqi artillery sites south of Saddam lake, in response to fire from Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery, said a U.S. military spokesman at the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey.

No further details were available, but an Iraqi military spokesman said that several people were injured in the attacks. Iraqi air defenses chased off the attacking aircraft, he said.

A spokesman for the allied forces patrolling Iraq told CNN that another incident was reported Saturday in Iraq's southern no-fly zone. He did not give details.

U.S. and British planes patrol Iraq's southern and northern airspace in no-fly zones set up to protect Iraqi ethnic groups from the country's central government.

The zones were established by France, Britain and the United States following the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Iraq does not recognize the no-fly zones, and has vowed to shoot down any planes it perceives as violating its airspace.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.