US plane attacks Iraqi air defence site

US warplanes bombed an air defence site in southern Iraq after coming under attack by a surface-to-air missile, US officials said today.

The US attack, which happened yesterday, was in a ‘‘no fly’’ zone that American and British aircraft monitor regularly over southern Iraq, said Marine Corps Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold.

A written statement issued by US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, said it was the second time in 12 days that Iraqi air defence forces had targeted a US plane monitoring the ‘‘no fly’’ zone.

The last time US aircraft attacked a target in southern Iraq was April 15.

Newbold said that yesterday a US pilot reported seeing a missile fired towards his aircraft.

Two hours later, a US plane fired unspecified precision-guided weapons at a piece of equipment that the Iraqis use to help track US and British aircraft.

Newbold said there was no information available yet on the effectiveness of the US response.

US and British warplanes have been monitoring ‘‘no fly’’ zones over southern and northern Iraq since shortly after the 1991 Gulf War in order to protect Kurdish and other minority and opposition groups there.

Iraq frequently tries to shoot down the allied planes. It considers the ‘‘no fly’’ zones to be illegitimate violations of its sovereignty.