§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the circumstances in which missiles landed on the Hail Adel residential district of Baghdad during the recent raids on Iraq. [65382]
§ Mr. George RobertsonNo missiles were fired by UK forces in the course of Operation Desert Fox. Questions relating to the circumstances of individual missile attacks are therefore a matter for the US authorities. Throughout Desert Fox the greatest care was taken to avoid any collateral damage and I am confident that any that did occur was limited.
However, the US authorities believe that a US cruise missile may have been shot down on the night of 16–17 December and landed in the Al Karradah area of Baghdad, which is immediately adjacent to the Hail Adel district. They assess that it did not cause any significant damage. The missile was not targeted on a residential area.