NATO's top military official said Tuesday the alliance is having trouble destroying mortars and rockets that Moammar Gadhafi's loyalists are firing at the besieged rebel city of Misrata, Libya. The city has been under attack for seven weeks, and the New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused the regime's forces of launching indiscriminate attacks on residential neighbourhoods.
Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, the chairman of the alliance's military committee, told reporters in Rome that even though NATO operations have done "quite significant damage" to the Libyan regime's heavy weaponry, what Gadhafi has left is "still considerable."
Asked if more NATO air power and bombing are needed, Di Paola said any "significantly additional" allied contribution would be welcome. Given NATO's mandate in Libya, which does not allow ground forces, "it's very difficult" to stop the regime's firepower on Misrata, he said. (read more)
No comments:
Post a Comment