Libyan govt troops pounded the besieged rebel-held city of Misrata overnight, undeterred by Western threats to step up military action against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. Mortar fire killed at least 3 rebels and wounded 17 in attacks on Tripoli Street on Thursday, rebel spokesmen said.
Libya’s third largest city, the only rebel stronghold in the west of the country, has been under a punishing siege by Gaddafi’s forces for seven weeks. Hundreds have died. Among those killed on Wednesday were British and American photojournalists and a Ukrainian doctor. Rebels say Gaddafi’s forces, including snipers, are deliberately attacking civilians, an accusation denied by Tripoli. Libyan state television said early on Thursday NATO forces had struck the Khallat al-Farjan area of the capital Tripoli, killing seven people and wounding 18 others. NATO forces later hit the town of Gharyan, south of Tripoli, killing or wounding several people, it said. The reports could not immediately be independently verified.
Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, commander of NATO’s Libya operations, said civilians should keep away from Gaddafi’s forces to avoid being hurt by NATO air attacks. That would allow NATO to strike with greater success, he said. Another NATO official told Reuters on Thursday: “We want to maintain and increase pressure on the frontline units but the biggest risk in doing that is civilian casualties. “More and more of Gaddafi’s military equipment is being used closer to civilian-populated areas and closer to buildings, which makes targeting obviously difficult.” Rebel fighters voiced frustration with an international military operation they see as too cautious. “NATO has been inefficient in Misrata. NATO has completely failed to change things on the ground,” rebel spokesman Abdelsalam said. France said it would send up to 10 military advisers to Libya. Britain plans to dispatch up to a dozen officers to help rebels improve organisation and communications, and Italy is considering sending a small military training team.
Tripoli denounced such moves and some commentators warned of “mission creep”, after assurances by Western leaders that they would not put “boots on the ground” in Libya. Russia said the sending of advisers exceeded the U.N. Security Council mandate to protect civilians. “We are not happy about the latest events in Libya, which are pulling the international community into a conflict on the ground. This may have unpredictable consequences,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
