THE GULF WAR: The Battle Front : Prisoners in Iran

Iraqi pilots who have flown their planes to Iran in recent days are being TREATED AS PRISONERS OF WAR, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday. In an interview on NBC’s “Today” show, Dr. Kamal Kharrazi said of the pilots: “They can’t try (to leave) because the airplanes are seized and the pilots are kept inside Iran. They would be as prisoners of war.” The Pentagon says 90 Iraqi warplanes and civilian aircraft have flown to Iran in recent days. British military sources put the number at close to 100; the ambassador said he did not have numbers on how many Iraqi planes had flown into Iran. “It’s very complicated situation,” he said.