IRAQ - Gloats

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Iraq Gloats Over U.S. Attacks as 'Fruit of Crimes'

Updated: Tue, Sep 11 6:00 PM EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Iraqi state television on Tuesday hailed the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center as the "operation of the century" which the United States deserved because of its "crimes against humanity."

"The American cowboy is reaping the fruits of his crimes against humanity. It is a black day in the history of America, which is tasting the bitter defeat of its crimes and disregard for peoples' will to lead a free, decent life," it said in a commentary monitored by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

"The massive explosions in the centers of power in America, notably the Pentagon, are a painful slap in the face of U.S. politicians to stop their illegitimate hegemony and attempts to impose custodianship on peoples," it said.

"It was no coincidence that the World Trade Center was destroyed in suicide operations involving two planes that have broken through all U.S. security barriers to carry out the operation of the century and to express rejection of the reckless U.S. policy," it added.

"The collapse of U.S. centers of power is a collapse of the U.S. policy, which deviates from human values and stands by world Zionism at all international forums to continue to slaughter the Palestinian Arab people and implement U.S. plans to dominate the world under the cover of what is called the new order. These are the fruits of the new U.S. order," it said.

Iraq blames the United States and Britain for prolonging punitive United Nations sanctions imposed after Baghdad's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. A U.S.-led coalition drove Iraqi troops from the emirate in the 1991 Gulf War.

U.S. and British warplanes enforce two "no-fly" zones over Iraq to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attack by Baghdad's forces.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday it had lost contact with an unmanned U.S. reconnaissance plane over the southern no-fly zone, the second such incident in as many weeks.

Iraq said it had shot down both aircraft.

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2001


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