France, Britain plan to step up use of attack helicopters in Libya
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
TRIPOLI, Libya -- France and Britain plan to deploy attack helicopters in Libya, French officials said Monday, a move that will allow greater accuracy in military action in the months-long conflict but will probably put their troops at higher risk.
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told reporters in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday that the helicopters would be used against Libyan military equipment while trying to avoid civilian casualties, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Longuet said British military officials were on "exactly the same wavelength" as the French.
NATO planes and ships have been striking cities and military installations in Libya since mid-March. Allied military officials have said they were worried that the situation in Libya would become a stalemate, with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi remaining in power in the west, rebels controlling the east, and a contested area in between. They have spoken in recent weeks of the need for escalation to help protect Libya civilians, and have called for Col. Gadhafi to step down.
Libyan officials have said NATO was picking sides in a civil war and complained that strikes on Col. Gadhafi's Tripoli compound were attempts to assassinate the leader of a sovereign country.
NATO warplanes repeatedly hit Tripoli early today in what appears to be the heaviest night of bombing of the Libyan capital since the start of the air campaign against Col. Gadhafi's forces. More than 20 NATO airstrikes in less than half an hour set off thunderous booms that rattled windows in the city.
Heavy plumes of smoke wafted from an area close to the sprawling Gadhafi compound, suggesting that was a target.
Libyan rebels got a boost on Monday, when Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. assistant secretary of state, Near Eastern affairs, visited the de facto capital of Benghazi, in eastern Libya. The State Department in a statement called the rebel-led Transitional National Council "a credible and legitimate interlocutor for the Libyan people," and said the United States believed Col. Gadhafi "must leave power and Libya."
Mr. Longuet told reporters that France would use Gazelle helicopters, The Associated Press reported. During fighting in rebel-held Misurata, Libyan military forces moved into crowded areas, making it difficult for NATO to target them without risking significant civilian casualties.
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told reporters in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday that the helicopters would be used against Libyan military equipment while trying to avoid civilian casualties, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Longuet said British military officials were on "exactly the same wavelength" as the French.
NATO planes and ships have been striking cities and military installations in Libya since mid-March. Allied military officials have said they were worried that the situation in Libya would become a stalemate, with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi remaining in power in the west, rebels controlling the east, and a contested area in between. They have spoken in recent weeks of the need for escalation to help protect Libya civilians, and have called for Col. Gadhafi to step down.
Libyan officials have said NATO was picking sides in a civil war and complained that strikes on Col. Gadhafi's Tripoli compound were attempts to assassinate the leader of a sovereign country.
NATO warplanes repeatedly hit Tripoli early today in what appears to be the heaviest night of bombing of the Libyan capital since the start of the air campaign against Col. Gadhafi's forces. More than 20 NATO airstrikes in less than half an hour set off thunderous booms that rattled windows in the city.
Heavy plumes of smoke wafted from an area close to the sprawling Gadhafi compound, suggesting that was a target.
Libyan rebels got a boost on Monday, when Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. assistant secretary of state, Near Eastern affairs, visited the de facto capital of Benghazi, in eastern Libya. The State Department in a statement called the rebel-led Transitional National Council "a credible and legitimate interlocutor for the Libyan people," and said the United States believed Col. Gadhafi "must leave power and Libya."
Mr. Longuet told reporters that France would use Gazelle helicopters, The Associated Press reported. During fighting in rebel-held Misurata, Libyan military forces moved into crowded areas, making it difficult for NATO to target them without risking significant civilian casualties.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11144/1148689-82.stm#ixzz1NF8h9Yms
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