Operation Desert Strike
Overview
 
The 1996 cruise missile strikes on Iraq occurred in September 1996 during the Kurdish Civil War. On August 31, 1996, the Iraqi military launched its biggest offensive since 1991 against the city of Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...

. This attack stoked American fears that Saddam intended to launch a genocidal campaign against the Kurds similar to the campaigns of 1988
Al-Anfal Campaign
The al-Anfal Campaign , also known as Operation Anfal or simply Anfal, was a genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people in Northern Iraq, led by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and headed by Ali Hassan al-Majid in the final stages of Iran-Iraq War...

 and 1991
1991 uprisings in Iraq
The 1991 uprisings in Iraq were a series of anti-governmental rebellions in southern and northern Iraq during the aftermath of the Gulf War. The revolt was fueled by the perception that the power of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was vulnerable at the time; as well as by heavily fueled anger at...

. It also placed Saddam in clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 688
United Nations Security Council Resolution 688
United Nations Security Council Resolution 688, adopted on April 5, 1991, after receiving letters from the representatives of France, Iran and Turkey and expressing its concern over repression of the Iraqi people, including those in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Council condemned the repression and...

 forbidding repression of Iraq's ethnic minorities.

On September 3, ships from the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Battle Group, including the USS Laboon (DDG-58) and the USS Shiloh (CG-67)
USS Shiloh (CG-67)
USS Shiloh is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy, named in remembrance of the Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The vessel is commanded by Captain James T...

, in conjunction with B-52 bombers escorted by F-14D Tomcats from the USS Carl Vinson, launched 27 cruise missiles against Iraqi air defense targets in southern Iraq.
 
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