Western forces launch new strikes on Tripoli
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China.org.cn, March 22, 2011
Western-led forces launched the third wave of air strikes on Tripoli, Libyan capital, on Monday night and state Television said that several places had come under attack, Reuters reported.
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Loud explosions and heavy anti-aircraft gunfire were heard in the Libyan capital city of Tripoli at around 9:00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Monday as a new round of Western-led airstrikes started, a Xinhua reporter said.
Anti-aircraft artilleries were shot into the sky from the north and east parts of the city, while the anti-aircraft fire was also heard in south part of the city, which lasted for about ten minutes, Xinhua reported.
One military barrack 30 km west to Tripoli was bombed, a local source told Xinhua reporters Monday.
Another military compound near the broadcasting and TV station in the capital was also targeted in the military strikes, but casualties were not clear, according to Xinhua.
Libyan State TV said the new strikes also hit an oil pipeline in Shaab, a port city east of Tripoli.
"These attacks are not going to scare the Libyan people," a state television broadcast declared.
Western countries had no immediate confirmation that they had launched news strikes on Tripoli, Reuters reported.
Similar explosions rocked the capital on Sunday. And one missile attack destroyed an administrative building of the residence compound of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
"It was a barbaric bombing," said government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, adding that "This contradicts American and Western (statements) ... that it is not their target to attack this place."
Libyan authorities said that at least 64 Libyans had been killed and 150 others wounded by the missiles and bombs rained upon Libya over the weekend. But the intervening forces denied targeting civilians, Xinhua reported.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the coalition forces did not target Gaddafi. "The U.N. resolution is limited in its scope, it explicitly does not provide legal authority for action to bring about Gaddafi's removal from power by military means," he said to the parliament members.
"We will help fulfill the U.N. Security Council (resolution), it is for the Libyan people to determine their government and their destiny, but our view is clear, there is no decent future for Libya with Colonel Gaddafi remaining in power," said Cameron.
Government forces of Libya pulled back 100 km from the main opposition stronghold of Benghazi on Monday after a weekend of air attacks.
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