Coalition airstrikes enter 6th day as critics question effort's future
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 24, 2011 -- Updated 1111 GMT (1911 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: State television says 18 killed in coalition airstrikes
Some critics are concerned about the future of the coalition involvement
Explosion rocks Tripoli suburb Thursday, a government official says
Hospital patients and doctors paralyzed by fear in Misrata
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Coalition forces hit Libya for a sixth day early
Thursday amid questions over the future of the international involvement in the
effort to halt civilian attacks by the nation's forces.
So far, the coalition has crippled the Libyan air force and established a
no-fly zone along the nation's coastline, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gerard Hueber
said.
Allied forces gave no indication that ruler Moammar Gadhafi was complying with
a United Nations mandate to stop attacks against civilians.
But a U.S. official said though the rebels are in a better position, the
ruler's forces still have the upper edge.
They remain capable of carrying out attacks on the opposition, are relatively
well-organized and continue to fight effectively, the official said.
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Meanwhile, explosions could be heard in an area east of Tripoli early Thursday.
A coalition forces airstrike occurred in the Tripoli suburb of Tajura, a
government official said.
Libyan state television showed footage of what they said were the charred
bodies of 18 civilians and military officials killed in the coalition attack in
Tajura.
Leaders with the coalition forces have in the past refuted Libyan reports that
civilians were killed by airstrikes.
"It is not likely that civilians were a part of any airstrike today," said
Joint Task Force Operation Odyssey Dawn Lt. Cmdr. Jim Hoeft.
Regime forces also attacked the city of Misrata on Wednesday night as residents
implored the international community to help.
Gadhafi's forces attacked the city's main hospital, where 400 people -- about
half of them patients -- were at the time, a witness said.
At one point, shelling occurred without respite for 40 minutes, he said.
"Now, fortunately, no more shelling, but the situation is so serious that all
the teams here -- the doctors, the patients -- are paralyzed, scared."
He called for international intervention to protect the civilians inside the
institution.
Nobody can work because ambulances cannot leave the hospital, which has lost
its electricity and is using generator power, he said.
The witness said things were quiet near the hospital in Misrata early Thursday,
but there were reports of snipers hiding on rooftops in the city and the
situation was too dangerous for ambulances to leave the hospital.
Officials at the hospital planned to meet later to see whether they needed to
close the hospital because of safety concerns, the witness said.
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RELATED TOPICS
Libya
Moammar Gadhafi
As attacks rage on, some critics are concerned about the future of the
coalition.
U.S. President Barack Obama faces questions about who will take over command of
the mission and what the exit strategy will be. NATO said Wednesday it will
decide shortly what its role in the operation will be, adding that the alliance
is well-prepared.
The timetable for a transition of military leadership will be coming in days,
Obama said this week.
Critics are also calling for a clearer explanation of U.S. policy in the North
African nation.
Obama, who just wrapped up a five-day trip to Latin America, has insisted that
the goal of the U.N.-sanctioned military mission is strictly to prevent a
humanitarian crisis.
Specifically, the U.N. mandate calls for protecting Libyan rebels and other
civilians from attacks by forces loyal to the strongman.
U.S. officials have indicated they hope the dictator will be removed quickly by
forces currently loyal to him, though they haven't publicly called for a coup.
Critics said there was inadequate administration consultation with the Congress
before the start of the military mission over the weekend. They are also
questions over the conflict's cost and consequences, as well as the U.S.
endgame.
Mission officials said they are ensuring no civilian are affected by the
strikes.
Coalition jets are using smart bombs to target mechanized forces like Libya's
premier 32nd Brigade, Hueber said. The brigade is commanded by one of Gadhafi's
sons and is fully engaged in the fighting.
"It's an extremely complex and difficult environment," Hueber said about going
after forces in populated areas.
"And our primary focus is to interdict those forces before they enter the city
... cut off their lines of communication and cut off their command and
control," he said.
The international airstrikes against Libyan military positions began over the
weekend after Gadhafi defied a United Nations-mandated cease-fire to stop
attacks against civilians.
The war was sparked in February by protests demanding an end to Gadhafi's
nearly 42-year rule. The Libyan strongman responded with force against
civilians, prompting the international community to take action.
France launched the air campaign, and Britain and the United States followed.
Germany is not participating in the military action, though it agrees with the
United Nations resolution in principle, and moved Wednesday to ensure that its
ships were far removed from the fighting.
Britain has announced an international meeting for next Tuesday to assess the
situation in Libya.
CNN's Nic Robertson, Arwa Damon, Barbara Starr and Diana Magnay contributed to
this report
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