BRUSSELS: NATO said Saturday none of its warplanes conducted any air strikes on the Libyan town of Ajdabiya, after residents claimed a huge blast was probably caused by an alliance strike.
"We can confirm that there were no NATO strikes in the city of Ajdabiya," a NATO official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"We continue to engage government forces throughout the country. We have verified that the alleged air strike in Ajdabiya city was not the result" of a NATO strike, the official said.
NATO is also trying to verify reports that a helicopter bearing a rebel flag was flying towards the frontline around Ajdabiya despite a UN-mandated no-fly zone enforced by the 28-nation alliance, the official said.
"We are still trying to verify if there was any violation of the no-fly zone," the official said.
The official added that if any aircraft violates the no-fly zone, NATO surveillance planes send a message demanding that the pilot land immediately.
If the aircraft is still in the air, jets are scrambled to intercept the plane and can then shoot it down if the pilot refuses to land.
A helicopter can take off and land in a relatively short period of time, making it harder to intercept quickly, the official added.
NATO is operating under a UN mandate to conduct air strikes on ground forces threatening to harm the population and prevent aircraft from flying over Libya.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.