NATO warplanes have bombed southern Libyan capital of Tripoli as Britain calls for the destruction of the country’s infrastructure, Libyan state media says.
NATO targeted several regions in Libya on Saturday night, including the city of Aziziyah southwest of Tripoli, the Associated Press reported. Libyan state media says civilian and military sites were targeted in raids in the regions of Bir al-Ghanam and Njila as well. There were reports of casualties but no official details have yet been released. Libya has been the scene of fierce fighting between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and anti-regime revolutionaries since mid-February. The revolutionary forces seek an end to Gaddafi’s decades-long rule. The US and NATO forces have unleashed a punishing, UN-mandated aerial bombardment of Libya to pressure Gaddafi to give up power. Meanwhile, the head of Britain’s armed forces urged NATO to “up the ante” in Libya by widening its bombing campaigns to infrastructural targets. In an interview with Sunday Telegraph, British Chief of the Defense Staff General David Richards said the move would be within the confines of the UN resolution authorizing airstrikes in Libya if Gaddafi was killed. “The vice is closing on Gaddafi, but we need to increase the pressure further through more intense military action,” he said. “We now have to tighten the vice to demonstrate to Gaddafi that the game is up and he must go.” His comments come after Russia sharply criticized NATO’s operations in Libya, saying civilian targets were being hit in violation of UN regulations. On Friday, NATO warplanes dropped bombs on a civilian center in the key Libyan city of Brega, killing at least 16 people and wounding 40 others.
