Battle for Libya: more countries join coalition forces

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

More countries joined the operation to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya Monday as the Arab League reaffirmed support

More back-up

Tripoli accuses both coalition forces, rebels of breaking ceasefire as Gathafi's troops are still pounding Misrata.

 

By Imed Lamloum - TRIPOLI

 for the measure, but Europe remained divided despite a UN appeal for unity.

Tripoli accused both coalition forces and the rebels of breaking a ceasefire, which it had announced late Sunday, but rebel sources said Gathafi's troops were still pounding their western enclave of Misrata, killing 11 people and wounding dozens.

Western forces had launched new air strikes on Libya overnight, flattening a building in leader Moamer Gathafi's Tripoli compound, about 50 metres (yards) from the tent where he generally meets guests, with a cruise missile.

Angry Libyan officials said the strike had endangered civilians, but Britain said on Monday it had aborted an air raid because of a civilian presence.

Operation Odyssey Dawn was launched Saturday to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973 aimed at stopping Gathafi's forces harming civilians as they battle an uprising.

Gathafi's troops retreated 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the insurgents' capital of Benghazi after fierce strafing by coalition aircraft destroyed much of their armour, but beat off a rebel advance on their new positions in Ajdabiya on Monday.

General Carter Ham, head of the US Africa Command, said that US forces had no mission to support a ground offensive by the rebels, but at the same time Gathafi's troops in the Benghazi area show "little will or capability to resume offensive operations."

"This was a barbaric bombing which could have hit hundreds of civilians gathered at the residence of Moamer Gathafi about 400 metres away from the building which was hit," Libyan spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told journalists taken to the site.

He slammed the "contradictions in Western discourses," saying: "Western countries say they want to protect civilians while they bomb the residence knowing there are civilians inside."

The United States and France denied coalition forces would target Gathafi, whose whereabouts were unknown Monday, as did the head of Britain's armed forces after Foreign Secretary William Hague had refused to rule it out.

A coalition official said the strike had destroyed Gathafi's "command and control capability," adding: "We continue to strike those targets which pose a direct threat to the Libyan people and to our ability to implement the no-fly zone" authorised by Resolution 1973.

Diplomats said the Security Council would meet in private Monday to consider a Libyan demand for an emergency session of the top UN body.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa meanwhile expressed full support for Resolution 1973, saying comments the previous day that the air strikes exceeded the UN mandate had been "misinterpreted."

"We are committed to the UNSC Resolution 1973, we have no objection to this decision, particularly as it does not call for an invasion of Libyan territory," he said after a meeting in Cairo with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Ban appealed for unity over implementing Resolution 1973.

"It is important that the international community speak with one voice to implement the second council resolution," he said, adding that "strong and decisive measures" had been possible only because of Arab League support for a no-fly zone.

Belgian and Spanish warplanes began patrolling Libyan skies Monday, Danish and French aircraft launched new missions, Italy helped to suppress air defences and Norwegian fighters left for Italian bases, respective official sources said.

However, Norway's defence minister said its aircraft would not take action as long as it was unclear which country was commanding the multinational force.

The NATO alliance is ready to back up the coalition intervening in Libya within "a few days," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.

France had resisted handing the baton to NATO, fearing a backlash from the Arab world if the alliance intervenes.

But with most European Union powers still staying out, the bloc headed for a clash over the campaign in Libya as it met on the issue Monday.

"It shouldn't be a war on Libya," said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, while Bulgaria labelled military intervention an "adventure" driven by oil interests.

Germany, which abstained on Resolution 1973, said the action in Libya justified Berlin's decision not to take part.

But ministers agreed to tighten political and economic screws on Gathafi, adopting a new slate of sanctions against his regime, and said the EU would mobilise its military and civil defence assets to protect a humanitarian mission in Libya if the UN requests it.

The United Arab Emirates said its involvement in Libya is limited to humanitarian assistance, after reports it would send warplanes to join Gulf neighbour Qatar in patrolling the no-fly zone.

Officials said US forces would be taking more of a back seat after the initial effort to destroy Libya's defences, with other countries enforcing the no-fly zone.

We will have a military role in the coalition. But we will not have the pre-eminent role," US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters.

"It is pretty clear that we agreed to use our unique capabilities and with the breadth of those capabilities at the front end of this process, then we expected in a matter of days to be able to turn over the primary responsibility to others."

Washington is keen not to be seen as leading the West's biggest intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, though Arab protests about the action against Gathafi, who is widely detested, have been muted.

Pentagon spokesman Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said the first strikes, involving B2 stealth bombers flown from the United States and more than 100 cruise missiles launched from ships offshore, had succeeded in "significantly degrading" Libyan air defences, and a no-fly zone was now effectively in place.

Britain's defence ministry said British forces had joined in the second round of attacks, launching cruise missiles from a submarine in the Mediterranean.

But military spokesman Major General John Lorimer said that British Tornado jets aborted an attack on Libyan air defence systems overnight because "information came to light that identified a number of civilians within the intended target area."

"This decision underlines the UK’s commitment to the protection of civilians," he said.

Tripoli reported 48 dead and 150 wounded in the first strikes but said nothing about any casualties from the second round.

Gathafi promised Sunday "a long, drawn-out war with no limits" in a speech broadcast on state television but without appearing on camera, and Ham said Monday Washington knew little about his whereabouts.

The weekend blitz caused oil prices to soar again.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, added $2.10 to $103.17 a barrel, while Brent North Sea crude for May gained $2.22 to $116.15 per barrel in London early afternoon trade.

Analysts said traders feared more damage to oil installations in Libya and unrest spreading to other parts of the oil-rich Middle East.

 

 

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