Anti-aircraft fire, explosions in Tripoli
Posted March 22, 2011 11:42 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Canadian military is seeing action in Libya in the air, and possibly in the water. A U.S. navy official has confirmed that civilians are under attack by Libyan government forces.
After nightfall, a new explosions and anti-aircraft fire could be heard in Tripoli, signalling a fourth night of enforcing the no fly zone.
CNN is reporting a warehouse housing anti-aircraft guns was hit in the latest air strike.
One of Gadhafi’s sons may have been killed, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News on Tuesday. She cited unconfirmed reports and did not say which son she meant. She said the “evidence is not sufficient” to confirm this.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military said an Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle crashed in Libya earlier Tuesday, but it was not shot down. The Pentagon said it went down due to mechanical malfunction.
Both crewmembers were ejected from their fighter jet and sustained minor injuries, but are safe and reportedly in U.S. hands.
One crew member has been recovered and an operation is currently under way to recover the other one, “but we know he’s safe,” Ken Fidler, a spokesman for Africa Command, said.
The two were separated because they used parachutes to eject from the jet at high altitudes, ending up in different areas.
The aircraft, based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Italy’s Aviano Air Base in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn at the time of the incident.
Retired U.S. Major-General James Marks said that despite the mission’s definition of an air-only campaign, it would be naive for anyone to think that special operation forces are not on the ground.
On Tuesday, two CF-18 fighter jets flew in a bombing run targeting a Libyan airfield, but military spokesman Major-General Tom Lawson, said the attack was called off.
“The air crew returned not having dropped their weaponry. Upon arrival on the scene, in the target area, the air crew became aware of a risk they deemed as too high for collateral damage.”
Lawson he said it is possible civilians were in the area.
Pentagon officials said they are “considering all options” after getting word civilians under are attack by Gadhafi forces in the northwestern town of Misurata.
Gadhafi, meanwhile, made his first public appearance in a week, promising enthusiastic supporters at his residential compound in Tripoli, “In the short term, we’ll beat them, in the long term, we’ll beat them.”
Libyan state TV broadcast what it said was live coverage of Gadhafi’s less-than-five-minute statement. Standing on a balcony, he denounced the coalition bombing attacks on his forces.
“O great Libyan people, you have to live now, this time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living,” he said.
State TV said Gadhafi was speaking from his Bab Al-Aziziya residential compound, the same one hit by a cruise missile Sunday night. Reporters were not allowed to enter the compound as he spoke.
