WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military has dropped leaflets over southern Iraq in a promised psychological campaign to undercut support for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, U.S. officials told CNN on Thursday.

The propaganda is being dropped over southern Iraq, warning the rank-and-file Iraqi military not to target coalition warplanes. The wording notes a determined U.S. effort to attack the sources of such ground fire, and says "You could be next."

The leaflet mission occurred in the last several days, with one such drop coming under fire by Iraqi ground forces. Officials told CNN a plane carrying leaflets, flanked by jet fighters, came under fire during a flight over the southern no-fly zone of Iraq.

U.S. and coalition warplanes retaliated early Thursday with a raid on a location about 160 miles southeast of Baghdad, targeting Iraq's air defense sector headquarters and operations center near Tallil.

A Pentagon-supplied English translation of the leaflet says: "The destruction experienced by your colleagues in other air defense locations is a response to your continuing aggression toward planes of the coalition forces. No tracking or firing on these aircraft will be tolerated. You could be next."


Wow -- that PR is sure designed to persuade....I don't think!!

Sounds more like bullyragging than persuasion.

Wonder what they couldhave been thinking of?

A