[ 2011-05-02 ]

Libya launches revenge attacks on British targets

The British embassy in Tripoli was set alight and
other Western buildings targeted following an
attack that killed members of the Libyan
dictator’s family.

Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the dictator’s youngest
son, was killed by an airstrike on a house in
Tripoli on Saturday night. The regime also said
that three of Col Gaddafi’s grandchildren died.

Col Gaddafi himself was said to have been in the
building at the time but emerged unhurt. His
spokesman described the strike as “a direct
operation to assassinate the leader of this
country.”

Nato denied targeting the Libyan leader
personally, but confirmed an attack on a
“military target” in a “known
command-and-control building” in the capital.

The strike raised international tensions over
Libya still higher, but British ministers were
unrepentant. David Cameron accused the Libyan
leader of “murdering” his own people.

After six weeks of Western military action to
support rebels trying to oust him, Col Gaddafi
remains in power.

His forces are reported to have launched fresh
attacks on Sunday night in the rebel-held port of
Misurata, shelling a ship trying to unload
humanitarian aid. Loyalist forces also shelled a
town in neighbouring Tunisia they accuse of
sheltering rebels.


Despite signs of an international backlash from
countries including Russia, Mr Cameron defended
Nato’s tactics and insisted the allies would go
on targeting “Gaddafi’s war machine.”

The airstrike was followed by angry scenes in
Tripoli, with mobs attacking Western embassies.

The Foreign Office said that both the British
embassy and the ambassador’s residence had
suffered “severe” damage from fire. Cars
nearby were also burned. The British buildings
have been empty since Western strikes on Libya
began in March.

British diplomats privately believe the attacks
were orchestrated by the Libyan regime and William
Hague, the Foreign Secretary, responded by
expelling Libya’s ambassador to London.

Omar Jelban was told he had 24 hours to leave the
country because Libya had failed to uphold its
Vienna Convention obligations to protect
diplomatic missions.

“The regime has once again breached its
international responsibilities and obligations,”
Mr Hague said. “The attacks against diplomatic
missions will not weaken our resolve to protect
the civilian population in Libya.”

Italy, the former colonial power, also reported
that its embassy had been damaged.

The United Nations also said that it was
withdrawing a small team of humanitarian staff
from the Libyan capital because of fears for their
safety.

Britain and France, who have led the campaign
against Col Gaddafi, have denied pursuing a policy
of regime change.

But critics have accused the allies of
overstepping the UN resolution that authorised
military action to protect Libyan civilians.
Russia yesterday accused the allies of
“disproportionate use of force” causing the
death of civilians.

Mr Cameron insisted that Western air forces were
targeting Col Gaddafi’s “command and
control” facilities, to prevent the dictator’s
“war machine” killing civilians.

The allies’ actions are consistent with United
Nations edicts, the Prime Minister told the BBC.

“The targeting policy of Nato is absolutely
clear. It is about preventing the loss of civilian
life by targeting Gaddafi's war making machine,”
he said. “That is obviously tanks and guns and
rocket but also command and control as well”.

He added: “Let's remember: while Gaddafi said he
wanted a ceasefire, he was mining the harbour in
Misurata in order to blow up vessels that were
bringing humanitarian aid to help the people that
he is murdering and killing with his snipers,
rockets and artillery.”

Alistair Burt, a Foreign Office minister, said
that anyone “co-ordinating” attacks on Libyan
civilians could be a legitimate military target
for Nato.

Targets include “anybody who is involved in the
operations directly against civilians, whether
they are individual soldiers with heavy weaponry
[or] people who are co-ordinating the attacks and
in a place which is designated as a military
target,” he said.

Some Nato targets were in residential buildings or
areas, Mr Burt said.

He told Sky News: “Military targets are the ones
which are sought out by the coalition forces but
I’m sure it’s naive to imagine that every
command and control centre used by the Libyan
regime will necessarily be labelled a command and
control structure and be located in an army
compound.

He added: “We know that command and control
centres are often placed in civilian areas.”

Some analysts said that targeting or killing
Gaddafi could backfire on the West by alienating
Arab states and boosting Libyan support for the
Gaddafi family regime.

But John McCain, a senior US senator who recently
visited Libya said killing Gaddafi would be
acceptable. He said: "We should be taking out his
command and control, and if he is killed or
injured because of that, that's fine,”

Source - Telegraph

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