DTN News - BATTLE FOR LIBYA: NATO Says Libya Airstrikes Cripple Gaddafi's Forces....NSI News Source Info # 1973(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 21, 2011: NATO's bombing campaign in Libya has crippled the government's ability to attack rebels fighting to topple Muammar Gaddafi and effectively forced the leader into hiding, the alliance said on Friday.
NATO took command of a U.N.-authorized mission nearly two months ago to stop Gaddafi's forces attacking civilians, and Western governments including the United States, Britain and France are under pressure to show results.
Ambassadors of the 28 NATO states who met this week are confident the mission is making "steady and tangible progress," said NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero, adding that the campaign had relieved pressure on rebel-held towns.
"NATO nations and partners agree we have taken the initiative. We have the momentum," she told a briefing in Brussels.
"Our mission remains unchanged -- we will prevent attacks and threats against civilians until the threat is removed. The evidence shows we are doing just that," she said, adding that NATO had helped relieve the siege on the port city of Misrata.
Three months into an uprising against Gaddafi's four-decade rule, rebels control the east and pockets in the west including Misrata. The conflict has reached a stalemate as rebel attempts to advance on Tripoli have stalled.
Tripoli calls the rebels criminals and al Qaeda militants and says NATO's bombing is armed aggression by Western nations bent on grabbing Libya's oil.
No comments:
Post a Comment