TIMELINES: On Aug. 19 of what year did US Tomcats shoot down 2 Libyan planes in the Gulf of Sidra?

Friday, August 19, 2011

On Aug. 19 of what year did U.S. Tomcats shoot down two Libyan planes in the Gulf of Sidra?

THEN

On Aug. 19, 1981, two U.S. F-14 Tomcat fighter jets shoot down two Libyan, Soviet-made Sukhoi Su-22 attack aircraft off the coast of Libya in what would become known as the first Gulf of Sidra incident. The military engagement occurs during the Cold War when then U.S. President Ronald Regan is in the White House and Moammar Gadhafi is the leader of Libya. In the years leading up to the incident, Libya claims a 12-mile extension zone of its territorial waters prompting Regan to authorize U.S. naval operations in the Gulf of Sidra area. In response, the Libyan air force deploys bombers off the coast of Libya. On the morning of the incident, one of the Libyan Su-22s fires on one of the U.S. F-14s, and misses. The F-14s return fire in defense under their rules of engagement, striking both Libyan aircraft and forcing the pilots to eject from their planes, according to American reports.

NOW

Earlier this week, NATO reported the total number of air operations over Libya since taking control of enforcing the no-fly zone on March 31, has now reached 19,000 including 7,000 airstrikes. NATOs mandate under the U.N. Security Council resolutions is to protect the Libyan civilian population. Libyan rebels continue to make advances toward an embattled and defiant Gadhafi in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, recently told reporters in Tripoli, that there will be no talks toward a resolution to the conflict until NATO ends its airstrikes. Amnesty International recently called on NATO to investigate claims by Libyan officials that an airstrike last week killed as many as 85 civilians in a rural farming community near the Libyan city of Zlitan. !