| Operation Desert Fox |
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Operation Desert Fox was the Military codename for a major three-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16 - December 18 , 1998 by the United States and United Kingdom . These strikes were ordered by the President Bill Clinton and were undertaken in response to Iraq's continued failure to comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions as well as their interference with United Nations Special Commission inspectors. It was a major flare-up in the Iraq Disarmament Crisis . The stated goal of the Cruise Missile and bombing attacks was to "degrade" Saddam Hussein's ability to produce Weapons Of Mass Destruction . Background convinced the U.S. intelligence community that their suspicions were correct about the facility’s chemical weapons role and that there was a risk of chemical agents getting into the hands of al Qaeda, whose interest in obtaining such weapons was clear." (Page 9) (PDF) The 9/11 Commission Report noted that a passage regarding this plant caused Richard A. Clarke "who for years had read intelligence reports on Iraqi-Sudanese cooperation on chemical weapons, to speculate to Berger that a large Iraqi presence at chemical facilities in Khartoum was 'probably a direct result of the Iraq–Al Qida agreement.'" (page 128) (PDF) "This language about al Qaeda's "understanding" with Iraq had been dropped, however, when a superseding indictment was filed in November 1998." [http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch4.htm] The Clinton Administration attacked the al-Shifa plant with cruise missiles on August 20 , 1998 . President Clinton announced a new policy toward Iraq of "regime change." On October 31 , 1998 the president signed into law H.R. 4655, the " Iraq Liberation Act ." [http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/libera.htm The new Act appropriated funds to Iraqi opposition groups in the hope of removing Saddam Hussein from power and replacing his regime with a democracy. The Act also said that "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize or otherwise speak to the use of United States Armed Forces," except in direct aid to an active Iraqi rebellion. REACTION In reaction to the attack, three of five permanent members of the UN Security Council ( Russia , France , and the People's Republic Of China ) called for lifting of the eight-year oil embargo on Iraq, recasting or disbanding UNSCOM , and firing its chairman, Australia n Diplomat Richard Butler . According to published reports, Saddam Hussein immediately sought revenge against the U.S. in a manner that would allow him to deny responsibility. They claim that Saddam sought to direct terrorist organizations to attack U.S. targets. .” The newspaper had direct quotes from Hijazi without specifying the source of the quotes. (Page 328) (PDF) On . {Link without Title} On January 31 1999 , Moscow newspaper '' Novosti '' claimed that "hundreds of Afghan Arabs are undergoing sabotage training in Southern Iraq and are preparing for armed actions on the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. They have declared as their goal a fight against the interests of the United States in the region." {Link without Title} No such attacks ever materialized. The 9/11 Commission report notes that after American missiles destroyed Iraqi intelligence headquarters in 1993 as punishment for a bungled assassination plot against George H.W. Bush , "no further intelligence came in about terrorist acts planned by Iraq." It also reported that the Commission's investigation had uncovered no "evidence indicating that Iraq cooperated with al Qaeda in developing or carrying out any attacks against the United States," and no evidence of any "collaborative operational relationship." [http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch2.htm EXTERNAL LINKS
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