There was no immediate word on casualties, and an Associated Press reporter who witnessed the strikes said they did not appear to hit any fighters.
On another front, a witness said Qaddafi loyalists have recaptured Zawiya, the city closest to Tripoli that had fallen into opposition hands. The witness, speaking to The Associated Press by phone, said Qaddafi's tanks and fighting vehicles were roaming the city 30 miles west of Tripoli and firing randomly at homes. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisal.
Qaddafi's regime has been using its air power advantage more each day to check a rebel advance west toward Tripoli on the main highway leading out of the opposition-controlled eastern half of the country. The heavy use of air power underlines the vulnerability of the rebel forces as they attempt to march in open terrain along the Mediterranean coast and could prompt world powers to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to deny Qaddafi that edge.
The United States and its NATO allies edged closer Monday to formulating a military response to the escalating violence in Libya as the alliance boosted surveillance flights over the country and the Obama administration signaled it might be willing to help arm Qaddafi's opponents. Europe, meanwhile, kick-started international efforts to impose a no-fly zone.
It still appeared unlikely that U.S. warplanes or missiles soon would deploy in Libya, which has been sliding toward civil war, but the continuing violence increased pressure on Washington to do something or at least spell out its plan.
The rebels are fighting to oust Qaddafi from power after more than 41 years, a goal in common with the protesters who managed to topple authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. However, the Libyan uprising has already proved much more violent, and could be much more drawn out.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/03/dtn-news-libya-uprising-libyan.html
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