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Summary In Tripoli, western warplanes hit Libya for a fifth night on Thursday,but have so far failed to stop
In Tripoli, western warplanes hitLibyafor a fifth night on Thursday, but have so far failed to stop Muammar Gaddafis tanks shelling rebel-held towns or dislodge his amour from a strategic junction in the east. More anti-aircraft fire rings out over Tripoli, as Gaddafi supporters take to the streets in defiance of the West.Gaddafis tanks rolled back into Misratah under the cover of darkness and began shelling the area near the main hospital, residents and rebels said, resuming their attack after their guns were silenced in daylight hours by Western airstrikes. Government snipers in the city, Libyas third largest, were undeterred by the bombing raids though and had carried on firing indiscriminately throughout, residents said. A rebel spokesman said the snipers had killed 16 people. The US military said it had successfully established a no-fly zone over Libyas coastal areas and had moved on to attack Gaddafis tanks. The allies flew 175 sorties in 24 hours, with the U.S. flying 113 of those, a U.S. commander said. While the French Defence Minister said France had destroyed some 10 Libyan armored vehicles over three days.The Libyan government denies its army is conducting any offensive operations and says troops are only defending themselves when they come under attack. Libyan state television said Western planes had struck in Tripoli and in Jafar, southwest of the capital.Libyan government officials have accused Western powers of killing dozens of civilians, but have not shown reporters in the capital any evidence of such deaths. US military officials deny any civilians have been killed in airstrikes. As of Tuesday, the coalition had fired at least 162 sea-launched Tomahawk missiles priced at $1 million to $1.5 million apiece and dispatched B-2 stealth bombers, round-trip from Missouri to drop 2,000-pound bombs on Libyan sites.While the fighting raged, NATO again failed to agree to take over command of the military operations from the United States, chiefly because of objections from Turkey, diplomats said. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged Wednesday that there is no clear end to the international military enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya, and says no one was ever under any illusion that the assault would last just two or three weeks. He added that the US could turn over control of the operation as soon as Saturday, but could not say how the coalition operation might be resolved.
