Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Explosions and anti-aircraft fire thundered in the skies above Tripoli early Sunday, but it was not clear whether they resulted from another round of cruise missile attacks by allies determined to stop Moammar Gadhafi‘s offensive against Libyan opposition forces.
CNN’s Nic Robertson witnessed the development a few hours after nearly 1,000 people gathered at Gadhafi’s palace in the capital. The crowd chanted, waved flags and shot off fireworks in support of the government.
A defiant Gadhafi said Libya will fight back against undeserved “naked aggression.” His military claimed nearly 50 people, including, women, children and clerics, were killed in Saturday evening’s attacks.
American, French and British military forces, convinced that Gadhafi was not adhering to a United Nations-mandated cease-fire, hammered Libyan military positions with missiles and fighter jets in the first phase of an operation that will include enforcement of a no-fly zone.
Gadhafi responds to air strikes
Warplane falls from sky
Gallery: Civil war in LibyaAn eyewitness in Tripoli reported seeing signs of gunfire rising Sunday morning from the direction of nearby Mitiga Airport. The anti-Gadhafi activist said she heard “continuous gunshots” and at least two loud explosions. It was not clear if the airport was also being used as a military installation.
Related:
U.S.-led coalition forces have launched more than 100 Tomahawk missiles on key air defense sites across Libya as part of operations to protect the population from the forces of long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi.
U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney outlined what is being called “Operation Odyssey Dawn” several hours after he said the missiles started hitting more than 20 Libyan sites.
“The United States military has and will continue to use our unique capabilities to create the conditions from which we and our partners can best enforce the full measure of the U.N. mandate. Our mission right now is to shape the battle space in such a way that our partners may take the lead in execution,” he said.
He said Admiral Sam Locklear was leading the operations from the USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean Sea.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/US-Allies-Attack-Libya-118304704.html
Leave a Reply