Transcript Operation Desert Strike

Operation Desert
Strike
September 3, 1996
When
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In September 1996 during the Kurdish
Civil War. It involved a joint United States
Navy-United States Air Force strike against
air defense targets in southern Iraq
What
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Despite warnings from the United States, Iraq
moved 40,000 troops into northern Iraq, which
threatened the Kurdish population.
So the president ordered a strike on military
targets posing a threat to coalition aircraft in the
no-fly-zone.
On September 3 1996, a coordinated cruise
missile attack was launched against the Iraqi air
defense infrastructure, including surface-to-air
missile sites and command and control nodes in
southern Iraq.
Where
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The attacks were primarily aimed at
retaliation for the targeting of USAF
fighters in the Northern and Southern nofly zones, and were targeted at surface to
air missile sites and command, control,
and communication locations, with the
intention of degrading the Iraqi air
defense infrastructure.
What
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On August 31, 1996, elements of the Iraqi
Army attacked and captured the PUK-held
town of Irbil in the Kurdish autonomous
region of northern Iraq.
The August attack was a significant
escalation of an ongoing struggle between
PUK and KDP Kurdish factions for control
of the autonomous region.
What
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The Kurds' plight led to United Nations
resolutions and intensive international
calls for humanitarian assistance. The
United Nations established distribution
centers to provide food, medicine, and
humanitarian supplies, even as the Iraqi
regime continued to oppress and
disenfranchise its northern citizens
Aftermath
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It is debatable whether the attacks did or
did not have a substantial effect on Iraq's
northern campaign.
The PUK and its leader, Jalal Talabani,
retreated to the Iranian border, and
American forces evacuated 700 Iraqi
National Congress personnel and 6,000
pro-Western Kurds out of northern Iraq.
Questions
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What was the date of the attack?
Who was being invaded?
How many troops were deployed?
Where was the missile sent?