US warplanes Wednesday carried out a series of strikes against Iraq's air defense targets in southern Iraq, Pentagon spokesman David Lapan said.
"There were multiple strikes on artillery, air defenses, and surface-to-surface (systems) in the south," Lapan was quoted as saying by agencies reports.
The spokesman announced the strikes hours before a deadline set forth by President George W. Bush demanding Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his sons leave Iraq to avoid military conflicts.
US and British warplanes patrolling the so-called no-fly zones in Iraq carry out almost daily strikes against Iraqi targets sincethe beginning of last year.
(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2003)
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