To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent of collateral damage inflicted during the recent bombing of Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [75982]

US and British aircraft act only in self-defence, in response to Iraqi aggression. They attack only legitimate military targets which pose a real threat to coalition forces and use only precision guided munitions wherever there is a danger of collateral damage. However, military action is never without risk and I deeply regret any civilian casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure. There would be no such risk if Saddam stopped threatening coalition forces. It is Saddam' s continued aggression which potentially puts innocent civilians in harm's way.