World offers cash, defense means to Kadhafi foes

France and Britain agreed to step up military pressure on Moamer Kadhafi's regime after world powers meeting in Doha promised Libya's rebels cash and the means to defend themselves.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed on stepped up military pressure at a working dinner in Paris ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin beginning Thursday, a source in the French presidency said.

"All means must be made available" in the fight against Kadhafi, the source said, amid efforts by London and Paris to step up pressure on their NATO allies to help defeat his regime.

The diplomatic moves came amid rising friction within the alliance over a NATO air campaign in Libya that has so far failed to change the balance of power on the ground in Libya.

Britain moves Libya jets to ground attack role

 Britain said on Wednesday it was moving four Typhoon jets from policing the Libya no fly zone to ground attack roles after criticism from rebels that NATO forces were failing to protect Misrata.

"In agreement with NATO, the UK has today agreed to move four RAF Typhoons from an air defence role, policing the no-fly zone, to a ground attack role," said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement.

The move was aimed at "further bolstering NATO's ground attack capability," added the MoD.

Previously, the Typhoons, based at Gioia del Colle in southern Italy, had been policing the no-fly zone while the RAF's Tornado warplanes carried out attacks on Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's ground forces.

The move came after the top commander of Libyan rebel forces, Abdelfatah Yunis, accused NATO-led aircraft of doing nothing while loyalist forces bombarded civilians in Misrata, 214 kilometres (132 miles) east of Tripoli.

NATO "is letting the people of Misrata die every day", Yunis told reporters in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi late on Tuesday.

In response, NATO deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero insisted that "Misrata is our number one priority."

Rebels battle for control of Libyan oil town

Libyan rebels failed to secure control of the oil town of Brega from Moamer Kadhafi's forces, as the West shied away from supplying arms to their outgunned rag-tag army.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the rebels needed training more than guns but suggested other nations do that job, while his French counterpart Gerard Longuet said providing weapons was not part of the UN mandate.

Gates said the military mission did not call for deposing Kadhafi and suggested ultimately it would be economic and political pressure and Libya's people -- not coalition air strikes -- that would topple him.

Grilled by US lawmakers, the Pentagon chief described the rebels as a "disparate," improvised force that had a supply of small arms seized at regime depots but sorely lacked military leadership.

"What they really need is training, command and control and some coherent organization," Gates told the House Armed Services Committee in Washington.

"The truth is, in terms of providing that training, in terms of providing that assistance to them, frankly, there are many countries that can do that. That's not a unique capability of the United States and as far I'm concerned someone else should do that."

British Submarine Strikes On Libya Air Defense

A Royal Navy submarine has launched further missile strikes against Libyan air defence targets as part of cordinated coalition action in support of enforcing UN Resolution 1973.

In a statement, the Chief of the Defence Staff's Strategic Communications officer, Major General John Lorimer, said:

"British Armed Forces have again participated in a co-ordinated strike against Libyan air defence systems in support of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

"The UK launched guided Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles from a Trafalgar-Class submarine at air defence targets as part of the coalition plan to enforce the resolution.

Ground operation in Libya

The international coalition force is planning a ground operation in Libya that could start in late April, a high-ranking Russian intelligence service source said on Friday.

"Information coming via different channels shows that NATO countries, with the active participation of Britain and the United States, are developing a plan for a ground operation on Libyan territory," he said.

"From all indications, a ground operation will be launched if the alliance fails to force the Gaddafi regime to capitulate with air strikes and missile attacks."

If the events in Libya follow this scenario, the ground operation could start "in late April-early May," he added.

The UN Security Council imposed a no-fly zone over Libya on March 17, allowing "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Muammar Gaddafi's attacks on rebel-held towns.

NATO takes control on Libya no-fly zone

NATO has agreed to take control of enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya to thwart the forces of leader Moamer Kadhafi, as coalition air strikes targeted Tripoli for the sixth straight day.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that after lengthy negotiations the 28-member alliance reached a deal to enforce the no-fly zone.

"We are taking action as part of a broad international effort to protect civilians against the Kadhafi regime," he said.

Rasmussen said the NATO operation was limited to enforcing the no-fly zone, but a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity later in Washington, said that NATO reached a "political agreement" to also command all other operations aimed at protecting civilians -- meaning strikes against Kadhafi's ground forces.

The news came as anti-aircraft fire raked the Tripoli skies late Thursday, with at least three explosions shaking the capital and its eastern suburb of Tajura, AFP journalists reported.

At least one blast was heard from the centre of the city, while others came from Tajura, home to military bases, an AFP journalist reported.

Libyan state television said that "civilian and military sites in Tripoli and Tajura" had come under fire from "long-range missiles."

Pentagon Actions in Libya

By the fifth day of coalition task force operations supporting a no-fly zone in Libya and protecting Libyan civilians, the 13-nation alliance had flown more than 300 sorties in the North African country, Pentagon officials said yesterday.

By 3 p.m. EDT yesterday, the United States had flown 212 sorties, other coalition sorties totaled 124, and Tomahawk missile launches numbered 162, officials said.

Officials said the 336 sorties included 108 strike sorties, meaning they encountered opposition from Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1973 on March 17, demanding an end to violence against Libyan citizens and authorizing enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya.

Task Force Odyssey Dawn, including forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada and Arab states, immediately shifted from humanitarian and refugee evacuation missions under way since March 4 to military air operations enforcing the resolution.

Anti-Aircraft Fire Erupts Over Tripoli as More Nations Enforce No-Fly Zone

Anti-aircraft fire has erupted over the Libyan capital, Tripoli, with at least one explosion shaking the city as more Western nations joined a coalition enforcing a U.N.-authorized no-fly zone over Libya.

The anti-aircraft fire and explosion were heard in Tripoli after nightfall Monday. Libyan state television said the capital was under a new attack by coalition warplanes.

Earlier, the head of the U.S. military's Africa command said coalition warplanes carried out more patrols in Libyan airspace during the day, with seven nations participating in the mission alongside the United States.

Speaking from his headquarters in Germany, General Carter Ham said the other nations include Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy and Spain. He said the focus of the mission, which began with airstrikes on Saturday and Sunday, has now shifted to extending the no-fly zone from eastern Libya to cover Tripoli in the west.

British forces strike against Libya air defences: MoD

British forces on Sunday took part in a "co-ordinated strike against Libyan air defence systems", the country's military said.

"I can confirm that British armed forces have participated in another co-ordinated strike against Libyan air defence systems," Chief of Defence Staff's Strategic Communications Officer Major General John Lorimer said in a defence ministry (MoD) statement.

"For a second time, the UK has launched guided Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) from a Trafalgar Class submarine in the Mediterranean as part of a coordinated coalition plan to enforce the (UN) resolution," Lorimer added.

The attacks marked the second day of Britain's participation in an operation to enforce a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone over the north-African nation.

Britain said earlier Sunday its initial overnight air and sea strikes had been "very successful" and stressed it was doing everything it could to avoid civilian casualties.

Sunday's attack came hours after Tornado fighter jets, similar to those used to fire Storm Shadow cruise missiles at Libyan targets on Saturday, were seen taking off from Marham air base in east England.

The Trafalgar Class submarine was also involved in the first wave of attacks with US forces which saw more than 110 Tomahawk missiles fired at some 20 air defence targets.

Western, Arab warplanes converge on Italy for Libya mission

Western and Arab warplanes were converging on Italy's air bases Sunday to join the international campaign to cripple the ability of Moamer Kadhafi's forces to attack Libyan civilians.

France, which Saturday spearheaded the UN-mandated Operation "Odyssey Dawn" with air strikes on Libya, Sunday also sent its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to join the campaign.

Meanwhile aircraft from the United Arab Emirates were due to arrive Sunday at the Decimomannu air force base on the Italian island of Sardinia, which is already hosting four Spanish F-18 fighter jets that arrived on Saturday.

In the West's biggest intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, mounted exactly eight years earlier, US warships and a British submarine fired more than 120 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya on Saturday.

Benghazi celebrates as UN clears way for air

The UN Security Council cleared the way for air strikes to halt Moamer Kadhafi's assault on embattled rebels in Libya, sparking wild celebratory gunfire in rebel bastion Benghazi.

The 15-member Security Council in a resolution approved "all necessary measures" to impose a no-fly zone, protect civilian areas and pressure the Libyan leader into accepting a ceasefire.

The UN vote passed 10-0 with five abstentions -- permanent members China and Russia which did not wield their veto power -- plus Germany, Brazil and India.

No German troops will take part in any military intervention in Libya as there are "considerable risks and dangers", Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said afterwards.

"We remain eminently sceptical on the option of military intervention... anticipated in this resolution. We see in it considerable risks and dangers. That is why we could not approve this part of the text," a statement said.

"German soldiers will not take part in a military intervention in Libya."

Diplomats indicated air strikes from a coalition led by Britain, France and the United States could be imminent, just hours after Kadhafi had threatened to send his troops against Benghazi.