U.S., allies launch missile strikes on Libyan targets
By Borzou Daragahi and Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times
March 19, 2011, 8:02 p.m.
The U.S. takes the lead in the assault to cripple air-defense systems and armor in order to establish a no-fly zone to protect rebel-held areas. Kadafi vows to fight the 'flagrant military aggression.'
The USS Barry fires Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, as seen through night-vision goggles. (Nathanial Miller / U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Reporting from Tripoli, Libya, and Washington—
U.S., French and British forces blasted Libyan air defenses and armor, drawing intense volleys of tracer and antiaircraft fire over Tripoli early Sunday at the start of a campaign aimed at protecting rebel-held areas that will severely test Moammar Kadafi's powers of survival.
French fighter jets and U.S. and British warships, firing more than 110 cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea, struck multiple military targets. The assault cheered the rebels, who had seized control of large areas of Libya as they sought to build on months of discontent across the Arab world but in recent days found themselves retreating in the face of Kadafi's superior firepower.
Libyan officials accused international forces of hitting a hospital and other civilian targets. The armed forces said in a statement that 48 people had been killed in the strikes and 150 injured. Kadafi declared he was willing to die defending Libya, and in a statement broadcast hours after the attacks began, condemned what he called "flagrant military aggression." He vowed to strike civilian and military targets in the Mediterranean.
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By Borzou Daragahi and Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times
March 19, 2011, 8:02 p.m.
The U.S. takes the lead in the assault to cripple air-defense systems and armor in order to establish a no-fly zone to protect rebel-held areas. Kadafi vows to fight the 'flagrant military aggression.'
The USS Barry fires Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, as seen through night-vision goggles. (Nathanial Miller / U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Reporting from Tripoli, Libya, and Washington—
U.S., French and British forces blasted Libyan air defenses and armor, drawing intense volleys of tracer and antiaircraft fire over Tripoli early Sunday at the start of a campaign aimed at protecting rebel-held areas that will severely test Moammar Kadafi's powers of survival.
French fighter jets and U.S. and British warships, firing more than 110 cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea, struck multiple military targets. The assault cheered the rebels, who had seized control of large areas of Libya as they sought to build on months of discontent across the Arab world but in recent days found themselves retreating in the face of Kadafi's superior firepower.
Libyan officials accused international forces of hitting a hospital and other civilian targets. The armed forces said in a statement that 48 people had been killed in the strikes and 150 injured. Kadafi declared he was willing to die defending Libya, and in a statement broadcast hours after the attacks began, condemned what he called "flagrant military aggression." He vowed to strike civilian and military targets in the Mediterranean.
More ...