Qadhafi forces still pound city of Misrata

Doctors said that 243 people have been killed and some 1,000 wounded in more than a month and a half of fighting between Muammar Qadhafi’s forces and rebels in Misrata. Most of those slain on Saturday were hit by snipers, they said.

April 02, 2011 09:02 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 03:53 am IST - Ajdabiya, Libya

A HELPING HAND: Fellow rebels of Libyan rebel Moftah Wanis el-Jazwi , who were killed during clashes with pro-Qadafhi forces, move his body to be sent to his home town for his funeral, at the hospital of Ajdabiya on Saturday. Photo: AP.

A HELPING HAND: Fellow rebels of Libyan rebel Moftah Wanis el-Jazwi , who were killed during clashes with pro-Qadafhi forces, move his body to be sent to his home town for his funeral, at the hospital of Ajdabiya on Saturday. Photo: AP.

Government forces killed six civilians in the city of Misrata on Saturday in an unrelenting campaign of shelling and sniper fire aimed at driving rebels from the main city they hold in western Libya, medical officials said.

Doctors said that 243 people have been killed and some 1,000 wounded in more than a month and a half of fighting between Muammar Qadhafi’s forces and rebels in Misrata. Most of those slain on Saturday were hit by snipers, they said.

One said government forces appeared to be trying to wound civilians.

“The weapons that the Qadhafi brigades use are not meant to prevent movement in the city, but to cause also deformation or paralysis so the suffering of the people endures all their lives,” the doctor told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

NATO said on Saturday that it was investigating Libyan rebel reports that a coalition warplane had struck a rebel position that was firing into the air near the eastern front line of the battle with Col. Qadhafi’s forces.

Rebels told The Associated Press that a group of opposition fighters was hit by an airstrike about 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of the town of Brega Friday night.

Mohammad Bedrise, a doctor in a nearby hospital, said three burned bodies had been brought in by men who said they had been hit after firing a heavy machine gun in the air in celebration. Idris Kadiki, a 38—year—old mechanical engineer, said he had seen an ambulance and three cars burning after an airstrike.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the coalition was looking into the reports.

The loosely organized rebel force had been acting in a more disciplined fashion in recent days. On Friday only former military officers and the lightly trained volunteers serving under them were allowed on the front lines. Some were recent arrivals, hoping to rally against forces loyal to the Libyan leader who have pushed rebels back about 100 miles (160 kilometers) this week.

The better organized fighters, unlike some of their predecessors, can tell the difference between incoming and outgoing fire. They know how to avoid sticking to the roads, a weakness in the untrained forces that Col. Qadhafi’s troops have exploited. And they know how to take orders.

The greater organization was a sign that military forces that split from the regime to join the rebellion were finally taking a greater role in the fight after weeks trying to organize. Fighters cheered on Friday as one of their top commanders - former Interior Minister Abdel—Fattah Younis - drove by in a convoy towards the front.

It was too early to say if the improvements will tip the fight in the rebels’ favour. They have been struggling to exploit the opportunity opened by international airstrikes hammering Col. Qadhafi’s forces since March 19.

In a sign the strikes may be eroding Col. Qadhafi’s resilience, his government is trying to hold talks with the U.S., Britain and France in hopes of ending the air campaign, said Abdul—Ati al—Obeidi, a former Libyan prime minister who has served as a Qadhafi envoy during the crisis. “We are trying to find a mutual solution,” he told Britain’s Channel 4 News on Friday.

British officials met with Mohammed Ismail, a Libyan government aide who happened to be in London visiting relatives, and told him Col. Qadhafi must quit, two people familiar with the issue said on Friday. The two demanded anonymity to discuss details.

The opposition said on Friday in Benghazi, its de facto capital, that it will agree to a cease—fire if Col. Qadhafi pulls his military forces out of cities and allows peaceful protests against his regime.

The rebel condition is that “the Qadhafi brigades and forces withdraw from inside and outside Libyan cities to give freedom to the Libyan people to choose,” said Mustafa Abdul—Jalil, head of the opposition’s interim governing council. “The world will see that they will choose freedom.”

Ukraine said it would dispatch a military ship to the Libyan capital to collect up to 600 Ukrainians, Americans, Britons, Russians, Belarussians and other foreigners, Ukrainian spokesman Aleksandr Dikusarov said. He said Libyan authorities had guaranteed the safety of the evacuation.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.