West
bombs Libya, Gaddafi vows 'long drawn war'
Sunday March 20, 2011 10:29:49 PM,
IANS
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Tripoli:
A coalition of American, British and French forces bombed by air and
from the sea key targets in Libya in aid of rebels holding Benghazi,
as the country's long-time ruler, Muammer Gaddafi, vowed to stay on
and promised "a long drawn war".
Upto 64 people were killed in the western strikes, Libyan
authorities said, on the second day of the biggest military
intervention after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Repeated onslaughts by the American and French jets and US and
British warships targetted Libyan tanks and armoured vehicles close
to Benghazi, the country' second largest city and the epicentre of
mass revolt against Gaddafi that began last month.
The airstrikes and casualties let to chorus of protests from Russia,
China and India, with Moscow demanding an immediate dailogue to end
the "bloodshed".
Al Jazeera quoted eyewitness as saying that destroyed military
vehicles and at least a 14 dead fighters littered the road between
Benghazi and Ajdabiya.
In the western city of Misurata, which regime forces have sieged for
days, residents said snipers were positioned on rooftops in the
centre of town, making people too afraid to walk in the streets.
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said that a
UN-backed no-fly zone in Libya is "effectively in place".
Air attacks by coalition forces have taken out most of Libya's air
defence systems and some airfields, Mullen said in interview on
CNN's "State of the Union" programme.
"I would say the no-fly zone is effectively in place," Mullen told
CNN.
French jets launched the attack - named Operation Odyssey Dawn -
Saturday, hitting government tanks and armoured vehicles on the road
to Benghazi.
The French were joined by US and British ships which fired mores
than 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles at installations and key assets.
At least 20 sites were hit, officials said.
Meanwhile, a defiant Gaddafi said his country will fight on.
"We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits," Gaddafi said
in a phone call to Libyan state TV Sunday morning, the BBC reported.
He said Western forces had no right to attack Libya, which had done
nothing to them.
"We will fight inch by inch," he said. The UN Security Council has
approved the use of force to protect civilians.
Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam called the attack a "big mistake".
"Believe me, one day you will wake up and you will find out that you
were supporting the wrong people and you had made a big mistake in
supporting those people," he told Christiane Amanpour for ABC This
Week. "It's like the WMD (weapons of mass destruction) in Iraq. It's
another story."
The Libyan state TV said that the government is ready to arm one
million civilians to fight the coalition forces, DPA said.
The Indian foreign ministry in New Delhi said nothing should be done
that aggravates the worsening situation for the people of Libya,
where a revolt erupted in February against the four-decade rule of
Gaddafi.
"India views with grave concern the continuing violence, strife and
deteriorating humanitarian situation in Libya. It regrets the air
strikes that are taking place," a ministry statement said.
The head of the Arab League also criticised the bombardments.
"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a
no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not
the bombardment of more civilians," said Arab League Secretary
General Amr Moussa, the BBC reported.
The revolt in Libya started in February after the successful
toppling of long time rulers of Tunisia and Egypt.
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