The United States, United Kingdom and France proclaimed the no-fly zones (NFZs) in Iraq after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south. France withdrew from the patrols in 1996.

The United States and Britain argue the patrols are authorized under U.N. Security Council Resolution 688 adopted April 5, 1991. The text "condemns the repression of the Iraqi civilian population in many parts of Iraq", but it doesn't specifically mention no-fly zones. The overflights could therefore be interpreted as being illegal with respect to international law. Regardless of the legal status, the northern no-fly zone is often credited for giving the parts of the Kurdish region of Iraq de-facto independence after the Gulf War.

The NFZs effectively ceased to exist with the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

Specific Operations

• Operation Northern Watch
• Operation Southern Watch
• Operation Desert Fox (1998)

External links

• http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/5508408.htm
• http://www.un.org/Docs/scres/1991/scres91.htm