Western planes fire on Gadhafi artillery
Source: Agencies |
March 26, 2011, Saturday
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REBEL gunners fought artillery duels with Moammar Gadhafi's forces in eastern Libya yesterday while Western warplanes struck at heavy armor used by the government to crush the revolt.
In Washington, a military spokeswoman said the coalition fired 16 Tomahawk cruise missiles and flew 153 air sorties in the past 24 hours targeting Gadhafi's artillery, mechanized forces and command and control infrastructure.
Western governments hope that such raids, launched a week ago with the aim of protecting civilians, will also shift the balance of power on the battlefield in favor of the Arab world's most violently resisted popular revolt.
In Tripoli, residents reported another air raid just before dawn, hearing the roar of a plane, followed by a distant explosion and bursts of anti-aircraft gunfire.
Rebel forces massing for an attack on the strategically important town of Ajdabiyah fired steady bursts of artillery at army positions after Gadhafi's forces refused a cease-fire offer.
Meanwhile, the African Union said it was planning to facilitate talks to help end war in the oil producing country.
It was the first statement by the AU, which had rejected any form of foreign intervention in the Libya crisis, since the United Nations Security Council imposed a no-fly zone last week and began airstrikes on military targets.
In Brussels, a NATO official said planning for NATO's no-fly operation assumed a mission lasting 90 days, although this could be extended or shortened as required.
France said the war could drag on for weeks.
"I doubt that it will be days," Admiral Edouard Guillaud, the head of French armed forces, told France Info radio. "I think it will be weeks. I hope it will not take months."
Guillaud said a French plane destroyed an army artillery battery near the eastern frontline town of Ajdabiyah, 150 kilometers south of Benghazi. Ajdabiyah is strategically important for both sides as it commands the coastal highway to the west.
In London, the Ministry of Defence said British Tornado aircraft had also been active there, firing missiles overnight at Libyan military vehicles threatening civilians.
Rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said he expected Ajdabiyah to fall by today following the British and French strikes.
"This will weaken their forces and more importantly their morale," he said.
In Tripoli, officials and hospital workers said civilians, including women, were among those killed in the latest strikes on the Libyan capital.
A preacher addressing prayers at Tripoli's Ahmad Basha Mosque, and broadcast live by state run Shababiyah TV, urged Libyans "to confront this new crusader war."
In Washington, a military spokeswoman said the coalition fired 16 Tomahawk cruise missiles and flew 153 air sorties in the past 24 hours targeting Gadhafi's artillery, mechanized forces and command and control infrastructure.
Western governments hope that such raids, launched a week ago with the aim of protecting civilians, will also shift the balance of power on the battlefield in favor of the Arab world's most violently resisted popular revolt.
In Tripoli, residents reported another air raid just before dawn, hearing the roar of a plane, followed by a distant explosion and bursts of anti-aircraft gunfire.
Rebel forces massing for an attack on the strategically important town of Ajdabiyah fired steady bursts of artillery at army positions after Gadhafi's forces refused a cease-fire offer.
Meanwhile, the African Union said it was planning to facilitate talks to help end war in the oil producing country.
It was the first statement by the AU, which had rejected any form of foreign intervention in the Libya crisis, since the United Nations Security Council imposed a no-fly zone last week and began airstrikes on military targets.
In Brussels, a NATO official said planning for NATO's no-fly operation assumed a mission lasting 90 days, although this could be extended or shortened as required.
France said the war could drag on for weeks.
"I doubt that it will be days," Admiral Edouard Guillaud, the head of French armed forces, told France Info radio. "I think it will be weeks. I hope it will not take months."
Guillaud said a French plane destroyed an army artillery battery near the eastern frontline town of Ajdabiyah, 150 kilometers south of Benghazi. Ajdabiyah is strategically important for both sides as it commands the coastal highway to the west.
In London, the Ministry of Defence said British Tornado aircraft had also been active there, firing missiles overnight at Libyan military vehicles threatening civilians.
Rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said he expected Ajdabiyah to fall by today following the British and French strikes.
"This will weaken their forces and more importantly their morale," he said.
In Tripoli, officials and hospital workers said civilians, including women, were among those killed in the latest strikes on the Libyan capital.
A preacher addressing prayers at Tripoli's Ahmad Basha Mosque, and broadcast live by state run Shababiyah TV, urged Libyans "to confront this new crusader war."
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