Nato aircraft destroyed the guard towers at Muammar Qadhafi's compound in Tripoli, a Nato official said on Saturday, then staged a rare daytime air strike on the Libyan capital, heightening pressure on him to quit.
"RAF Typhoons, along with other Nato aircraft, last night used precision-guided weapons to bring down guard towers along the walls of Colonel Qadhafi's Bab al-Aziziyah complex in the centre of Tripoli," Major General John Lorimer, chief British military spokesman, said in a statement.
"Last night's action sends a powerful message to the regime's leadership and to those involved in delivering Colonel Qadhafi's attacks on civilians that that they are no longer hidden away from the Libyan people behind high walls," he said.
"The massive compound has not just been his home, but is also a major military barracks and headquarters, and lies at the heart of his network of secret police and intelligence agencies," Lorimer said. "Previous Nato attacks have hit command and control and other military facilities within the complex."
Nato followed its fifth straight night of attacks with a daytime strike that produced smoke coming from the area of the Qadhafi compound. A big boom shook Tripoli at about 0800 GMT but it was unclear if it was caused by a bomb or missile.
A Nato military spokesman said the daylight raid targeted "a vehicle storage compound 600 to 800 metres (1,980-2,640 feet) to the east of Qadhafi's so called tent private area. It is not part of the main Qadhafi complex". Following the Friday night strikes, the Libyan state broadcaster said Nato raids also caused "human and material" damage near Mizda, to the south. Russia joined Western leaders on Friday in urging Qadhafi to step down and offered to mediate his departure, providing an important boost to Nato powers seeking to end his long rule.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.