- WASHINGTON (AFP) - Armed
US Predator drones have fired missiles at Iraqi air defenses over southern
Iraq for the first time, opening a new dimension to the cat-and-mouse warfare,
US military officials said.
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- Air Force General Richard Myers disclosed that the unmanned
aircraft were being used for quick-response attacks on Iraqi air defenses
in the south, saying their missiles are effective against some targets.
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- "It's over the target area for long periods of time
and it can move between targets. That's the first advantage," he told
reporters.
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- "And then it can be present while aircraft are patrolling
and perhaps see with its sensors a reaction to the aircraft that are flying
over, surface-to-air missiles or anti-aircraft fire," he said.
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- "I mean, it's going to see it and be able to respond
immediately," he said.
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- A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said that Predators flying over the south are armed and have fired their
weapons.
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- The official, who said the program was classified, would
not say how many Predators are armed, how many times they've fired or when.
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- In Afghanistan, CIA-operated Predators armed with Hellfire
anti-tank missiles were used to hunt down suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda
leaders.
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- In Iraq, however, the drones are being used "in
an air defense role," the official said.
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- The air force has long used unarmed Predators as surveillance
platforms over southern Iraq, where a number have been shot down by Iraqi
gunners.
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- ABC News reported earlier this week that armed Predators
have fired twice in recent weeks -- one at a missile "on the rails"
and at an air defense radar dish.
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