(Mission Creep?) Allies Target Qaddafi’s Ground Forces as Libyan Rebels Regroup

[tekisui]

Source: New York Times

TRIPOLI, Libya — American and European militaries intensified their barrage of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces by air and sea on Sunday, as the mission moved beyond taking away his ability to use Libyan airspace, to obliterating his hold on the ground as well, allied officials said.

(snip)

There was evidence, too, that the allies were striking more targets in and around Tripoli, the capital. More explosions could be seen or heard near the city center, where an international press corps was kept under tight security constraints. Recurring bursts of antiaircraft guns and a prolonged shower of tracers arced over the capital on Sunday night.

A day after a summit meeting in Paris set the military operation in motion, a vital Arab participant in the agreement expressed unhappiness with the way the strikes were unfolding. The former chairman of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, told Egyptian state media that he was calling for an emergency league meeting to discuss the situation in the Arab world, and particularly Libya.

“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," he said, referring to Libyan government claims that allied bombardment had killed dozens of civilians. But reporters seeking proof have been offered none to account for even part of that number. Around 10 p.m., an explosion thundered from Colonel Qaddafi’s personal compound in Tripoli, and a column of smoke rose above it, suggesting that the allied forces had struck either his residence there or the nearby barracks of his personal guards. A group of foreign journalists were bused to the compound early on Monday morning and shown a building partially destroyed by a bomb. But those who attended reported no evidence of casualties.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/world/africa/21libya.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

[EFerrari]

1. AJ reported 77 dead and about 1000 injured this morning. n/t

[joe_sixpack]

2. It's to protect our pilots

Do you want to see them shot down by soldiers on the ground with rifles?

[Ghost Dog]

3. The mission is to protect civilians.

Those ground forces have been ordered to attack civilians.

[thereismore]

4. I'd like to believe that. nt