Libya: Airstrikes reported in Tripoli, Sirte

Libyan rebels stand guard at a checkpoint outside Brega, March 27, 2011. Rebels fighters took back control of the city as they pushed westwards in pursuit of Qaddafi's forces. / Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

TRIPOLI, Libya - Several explosions and bursts of anti-aircraft fire were reported in the Libyan capital Sunday.

There were at least nine loud explosions in Tripoli after nightfall, and anti-aircraft fire was heard.

An Associated Press reporter in the capital said international forces were heavily bombarding the city that is Qaddafi's main support base.

Libyan State Television issued a news flash that civilian and military areas had been hit "by the crusader, colonialist aggressors."

State TV also reported that international airstrikes were targeting Muammar Qaddafi's hometown and stronghold of Sirte for the first time.

Foreign journalists in the city reported loud explosions and warplanes flying overheard.

Sirte is strategically located about halfway between the rebel-held east and the Qaddafi-controlled west along a key coastal highway. Rebels were advancing rapidly west on the highway Sunday toward Sirte after international airstrikes eased their way.

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Earlier today in Brussels, NATO announced it would assume command of all aerial operations - including ground attacks - in Libya, taking over from the U.S.-led force that has been conducting airstrikes against Qaddafi's forces.

Ambassadors on Sunday approved a plan to expand the previously-agreed mission to enforce the U.N. arms embargo and no-fly zone, by agreeing to protect civilians from attack by Qaddafi's ground forces, a diplomat said

The diplomat (who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media) said the transfer of authority may take several days.

In making the announcement, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, "Our goal is to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack from the Qaddafi regime. NATO will implement all aspects of the UN Resolution. Nothing more, nothing less."

Today's decision goes beyond enforcement of the arms embargo and no-fly zone, Rasmussen said: "We will be acting in close coordination with our international and regional partners to protect the people of Libya.

"We have directed NATO's top operational Commander to begin executing this operation with immediate effect," Rasmussen said.

Earlier Sunday, Libyan rebels seized back the oil refinery of Ras Lanouf, after taking control of Brega, another oil complex, on eastern Libya's coast yesterday, as they continued their push west toward Tripoli.

The Qaddafi regime on Saturday acknowledged the airstrikes had forced its troops to retreat and accused international forces of choosing sides.

"This is the objective of the coalition now, it is not to protect civilians because now they are directly fighting against the armed forces," Khaled Kaim, the deputy foreign minister, said in the capital, Tripoli. "They are trying to push the country to the brink of a civil war."

[desert8lizard]

obama is a moron.
obama is acting like a warmongering cowbod when the real world issue is japan.

leadership in America should have consulted with japan at the start to bring in the best minds & resources possible to contain the situation quickly.

obama is a good looking, talking suit - that's it.

obama is the worst mistake of president we've ever had.

shame on us for electing him.

hillary was the best choice but the libs are stupid.

i take it back: obama is either a moron, imbicile or an idiot. i'm not exactly sure.

[genbol]

Off hand I can give you several..Starting with Korea and the next 5 wars we found ourselves fighting.

[rwsmith29456]

You would have to be an idiot not to be able to translate "enforcing a no-fly zone" into "We're going to keep pressure on Qaddafi until he's gone."

[AOCGUY]

Again I would like to point out that these people we are supposedly helping just a year ago were celebrating the return of the Lockerbie bomber. Just because they don't like someone we don't like doesn't mean they like us nor does it mean that they want a western style government. This is a fools errand.

[stopoilcampaign]

Going after the Libyan troops is the fastest way to end this so they will abandon Qaddafi.Qaddafi has to be defeated to have any chance to inspire the Green movement in Iran to topple that totalitarian regime, replace it with at least some sort of democracy and avoid the pending nuclear terrorist acts and even possible nuclear war we are facing. Iran is also going to effectively take over Iraq also. The President's number one responsibility is to protect the American people and USA security. So for you Constitutional debaters and isolationists think about our children and their future. Think of the tens of millions of lives that would have been saved if the USA would have acted earlier to stop Hitler until waiting for Pearl Harbor.

[sing-with-raptures]

Hitler was great man and you are clueless and demented in your observation of the true nature of things, like that sky idiot below you without a point and a sound mind.

[genbol]

Odds are great that we will be on the ground before this is over

[fishguru00]

Hope and Change...

[Sky017]

The UN order is for a 'No-fly-zone AND all other measures necessary...'

Go read it.

[macira]

So what are the odds on which day in the future we will have US and Nato forces in Libya?