Iraq - US clashe in Muthanna province

Iraq said that US and UK warplanes carried out 56 sorties over the provinces of Thi-Qar, Muthanna, Qadissiya, Wassit and Najaf on Saturday, 22 originating in Kuwait.

The Iraqi Air Defense Command spokesman said he believed that Iraqi anti-aircraft fire and missiles forced the planes to return to their bases.

Meanwhile, the US European Command said yesterday that Operation Northern Watch aircraft "dropped precision guided munitions (PGMs) at an element of the Iraqi integrated-air-defense-system (IADS)," after being fired on by Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery.