What Good Did It Do?

The air assault battered Iraq, but it hasn't wiped out the threat posed by Saddam's secret lethal arsenal

The start of it was chillingly familiar: the wail of sirens, the staccato blasts of antiaircraft fire, the tracers lighting up the night sky over Baghdad. Then came the crash of missiles in the distance, sending up an orange glow along the horizon. On just the first night of Operation Desert Fox, U.S. ships and bombers pounded Iraq with 280 American cruise missiles--almost as many as hit the country during the entire Gulf War in 1991. Night after night, waves of warplanes, including B-52s, F-14s, F-18s and British Tornadoes, joined in the attack. Even the B-1 bomber, a cold war relic...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!