US Airstrikes on Iraq: 25th Anniversary of Operation Desert Fox

Traces of anti-aircraft fire light the sky in Baghdad, early morning December 17. US and British missiles pounded the Iraqi capital as punishment for Iraq's failure to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors. US President Bill Clinton called the air strikes "strong and sustained."

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Traces of anti-aircraft fire light the sky in Baghdad, early morning December 17. US and British missiles pounded the Iraqi capital as punishment for Iraq's failure to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors. US President Bill Clinton called the air strikes "strong and sustained."

© AFP 2023 / US Navy

The sun sets over the flight deck of the USS Enterprise as crewmen prepare to launch the fourth wave of air strikes against Iraq on December 19, 1998 during Operation Desert Fox.

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The sun sets over the flight deck of the USS Enterprise as crewmen prepare to launch the fourth wave of air strikes against Iraq on December 19, 1998 during Operation Desert Fox.

© AFP 2023 / Karim Sahib

An Iraqi doctor checks an injured boy in a shelter at Baghdad's Saddam Medical Center after an air raid late on December 17. After the raid, at least five missiles fell on residential and administrative districts in the capital. A general hospital and a maternity hospital were reported to have been hit.

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An Iraqi doctor checks an injured boy in a shelter at Baghdad's Saddam Medical Center after an air raid late on December 17. After the raid, at least five missiles fell on residential and administrative districts in the capital. A general hospital and a maternity hospital were reported to have been hit.

© AFP 2023 / Tim Sloan

Photographers take pictures of US President Bill Clinton as he prepares to address the nation on December 16 from the White House in Washington, DC. Clinton's remarks came shortly after Baghdad was rocked by a series of violent explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire that lit up the night sky over the Iraqi capital.

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Photographers take pictures of US President Bill Clinton as he prepares to address the nation on December 16 from the White House in Washington, DC. Clinton's remarks came shortly after Baghdad was rocked by a series of violent explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire that lit up the night sky over the Iraqi capital.

© AFP 2023 / DOD

This photo, released December 18 by the US Department of Defense and used in a Pentagon briefing, shows bomb damage to two hangars at the Al Sahra Airfield in Iraq.

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This photo, released December 18 by the US Department of Defense and used in a Pentagon briefing, shows bomb damage to two hangars at the Al Sahra Airfield in Iraq.

© AFP 2023 / US Navy

Aviation ordnancemen on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) prepare to load an aircraft with various weapons in preparation for a second wave of attacks against Iraq.

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Aviation ordnancemen on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) prepare to load an aircraft with various weapons in preparation for a second wave of attacks against Iraq.

© AFP 2023 / Ramzi Haidar

An Iraqi woman helps her children step over the rubble left after overnight US and British airstrikes on Baghdad.

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An Iraqi woman helps her children step over the rubble left after overnight US and British airstrikes on Baghdad.

© AFP 2023 / Tim Sloan

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton addresses a news briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, using a satellite image to show damage done to the headquarters of Iraqi military intelligence in the missile attack on Iraq.

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US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton addresses a news briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, using a satellite image to show damage done to the headquarters of Iraqi military intelligence in the missile attack on Iraq.

© AP Photo / Peter Dejong

Red tracers of Iraqi anti-aircraft fire light the sky over Baghdad on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the fourth wave of US missile attacks in Iraq.

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Red tracers of Iraqi anti-aircraft fire light the sky over Baghdad on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the fourth wave of US missile attacks in Iraq.

© AFP 2023 / Karim Sahib

An Iraqi man surveys the damage to his Baghdad neighborhood following overnight US and British airstrikes on the Iraqi capital.

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An Iraqi man surveys the damage to his Baghdad neighborhood following overnight US and British airstrikes on the Iraqi capital.

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