Iraq alleges allied air strikes

The MoD confirmed that RAF pilots had been taking part in a routine coalition patrol with the US Air Force, when the incident occurred.

The incident occurred as Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein today celebrated his 64th birthday, marked by parades and dancing and singing.

Reports from the official Iraqi news agency claimed the allied air strike had hit civilian targets in Najaf province, whose capital city of the same name is 180 kilometers (1113 miles) south of Baghdad.

An unidentified military spokesman said: ‘‘While people were celebrating President Saddam Hussein’s birthday, the evil aggressors committed another crime to be added to the list of their crimes against our people.’’

US and British planes regularly patrol no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq.

The zones were set up in the early 1990s to protect Kurdish rebels in the north and Shiite rebels in the south from government forces.

The allied warplanes that patrol the southern zone operate from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well as from US aircraft carriers in the Gulf.

Iraq does not recognise the no-fly zones and has been challenging the allied planes since late 1998.