Coalition strike hits Gaddafi command centre

A missile attack by the coalition forces of US and Europe in Libya on Sunday night hit a military command centre of Col. Muammar Gaddafi while US defence officials said the strikes were effective in degrading the defence capability of the regime.

According to TV networks, Bab al-Azizia, a compound in the Libyan capital Tripoli that Gaddafi has used several times to address through television, was hit Sunday night, but no casualty was reported.

Briefing journalists at Pentagon in Washington on Operation Odyssey Dawn, Navy Vice Adm William Gortney said the coalition forces has launched 124 missiles (till Sunday night).

“We judge these strikes to have been very effective in significantly degrading the regime’s air defense capability to include their ability to launch many of their SA5s which are the long-range surface-to-air missiles, the SA3s and the SA2s.

He said there has been no new air activity by the regime and “we have detected no radar emission from any of the air defense sites targeted, and there has been a significant decrease in the use of all Libyan air surveillance radars, which most of those appear to be limited now only to the areas around Tripoli and Sirte.”

” We are not ruling out further such missile strikes against valid targets if and when the need arises,” Gortney said.

“In the past 24 hours we also conducted air strikes on military facilities and aircraft from an airfield at Ghardabiya, not far from Misrata,” he said.

“Full battle reports from these strikes are still coming in, but we judge these also to have been quite successful at the halting regime’s ground movement in this region.

“Benghazi [stronghold of rebel movement against Gaddafi] is not completely safe from attack, but it is certainly under less threat than it was yesterday. We believe his forces are under significant stress and suffering from both isolation and a good deal of confusion,” Gortney said.

In Tripoli, meanwhile, Gaddafi’s spokesperson Mussa Ibrahim called the strike “barbaric bombing” while Gortney said “We are not going after Gadhafi [Gaddafi].”

Meanwhile, the Arab League has condemned the latest strikes and said it would reconsider their approval for the attacks.

The international action in Libya followed after Gaddafi on Saturday sent a strong message to the West, asking it not to meddle in the internal affairs of his country, while his forces shot down a rebel plane over Benghazi, where the anti-Gaddafi rebels have put up a strong fight against the military ruler.

?Libya is not yours, Libya belongs to all Libyans,? Gaddafi said in the message to the West and the United Nations.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday reiterated his call on the Libyan Government to stop all hostilities against its own civilians and comply fully with last week’s Security Council resolution, saying any fresh declaration of a ceasefire by the country’s authorities must be tested.

UN said Libyan authorities in the capital, Tripoli, reportedly declared a ceasefire Sunday night in their battle with opposition forces who have led a popular uprising against the long-standing regime of Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Speaking to journalists in Egypt, Ban noted that this is at least the third time in 48 hours that senior Libyan officials have either declared a ceasefire or pledged to fully abide with last Thursday’s Council resolution.

“Now they have been continuing to attack the civilian population,” Ban said in response to questions, adding that their ceasefire claims must be verified and tested.

He stressed that the United Nations would “continue working urgently to bring an end to the fighting, find a political solution and provide humanitarian relief.”

Resolution 1973 authorizes UN Member States to take “all necessary measures” to protect civilians and the militaries of several countries have launched air raids against Libyan targets.

Popular protests across North Africa and the Middle East since the start of the year have already toppled long-standing regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

Pro-government forces have engaged in deadly clashes with unarmed demonstrators in several countries, but the fighting has been fiercest in Libya, and UN officials have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis as thousands of people attempt to flee the violence.