Britain, France Send Attack Helicopters to Libya
VOA News May 23, 2011
Britain and France have decided to deploy attack helicopters to join NATO's air campaign against the forces of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Monday the deployment falls within the United Nations mandate to protect Libyan civilians. He said it will take place as soon as possible.
NATO has about 200 aircraft at its disposal for the operations in Libya, but it has not used any helicopters to conduct its core mission of hitting Gadhafi forces threatening civilians.
Meanwhile, a high-ranking U.S. diplomat is on a three-day visit to the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi in what the State Department calls "another signal" of America's support for the rebels' National Transitional Council. Assistant Secretary of State ((for Near Eastern Affairs)) Jeffrey Feltman is the most senior U.S. official to visit Libya since the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi began in February.
A State Department statement called the NTC "a legitimate and credible interlocutor for the Libyan people."
The U.S. diplomat's visit comes a day after the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, opened an EU office in Benghazi.
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