Fifty RAF and US warplanes bombed three sites in southern Iraq today in response to increased efforts by Baghdad to shoot down allied pilots.
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Iraqi soldiers
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It was the largest allied strike against Iraq since February.
The strike was carried out by 20 RAF and USAF attack planes supported by about 30 electronic warfare and other aircraft, said a defence official.
The US planes were launched from the aircraft carrier Enterprisein the Persian Gulf and from land bases in the region.
The planes struck targets described by the defence official as a military communications centre, a surface-to-air missile launching site and a radar - all elements of Iraq integrated air defence network.
All three targets were in southern Iraq, where US and British planes have been enforcing a no-fly zone since shortly after the end of the 1991 Gulf War to protect Shi'ite rebels against attacks by government forces.
In recent months, Iraq, which considers the no-fly zones to be illegal, has stepped up efforts to shoot down the allied planes patrolling no-fly zones in both southern and northern Iraq.
On Tuesday, USAF jets bombed an air defence site in northern Iraq, north of the city of Mosul, and President Bush pledged to keep President Saddam Hussein's military ambitions in check.
AP