Iraq's government-controlled newspapers on Friday condemned a U.S. air strike against an Iraqi air defense battery, calling it an act of aggression and cowardice.
U.S. warplanes bombed an Iraqi surface-to-air missile battery in two strikes Thursday. The Pentagon said the raids were provoked by Iraqis firing two missiles at a pair of U.S. planes near the northern oil-producing city of Mosul.The Iraqi news agency INA, monitored in Nicosia, said daily newspapers accused President Clinton of continuing "the aggressive policy of many previous administrations." It said Al-Thawra, the newspaper of the ruling Baath Party, accused Washington of "reckless and irresponsible behavior."
Another newspaper, the state-run Al-Iraq, called the attack "an act of cowardice." The strikes demonstrated U.S. arrogance as the only superpower following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newspaper said.
U.S. and allied planes have bombed Iraqi air defense installations numerous times since the end of the gulf war, but the Pentagon described Thursday's raid as among the most serious.