Gadhafi Forces Aim for Rebel Stronghold as UN Debates Response
VOA News March 17, 2011
Libyan forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi are pounding targets near the rebel stronghold, Benghazi, as the U.N. Security Council considers authorization of a "no-fly" zone over the country.
As the U.N. negotiations continued Thursday, Libya's armed forces announced it would stop operations on Sunday to give rebels a chance to surrender.
Earlier Thursday, Libyan state television said pro-Gadhafi forces captured the eastern port of Zuwaytinia and were on the outskirts of Benghazi, where rebels said they repelled attempts by government warplanes to bomb Libya's second largest city. Witnesses also reported government airstrikes on the nearby opposition-controlled town of Ajdabiya.
Reports from Ajdabiya said about 30 people have been killed in the fighting there since Tuesday. In the west, Libyan state television said government troops recaptured Misrata, the country's third largest city. Rebels denied the claim.
Western powers were pushing the U.N. Security Council to vote Thursday on an Arab League-backed resolution to approve international intervention in Libya to protect civilians from bombardment by Gadhafi's forces.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said late Wednesday Washington wants the resolution to authorize a broad range of actions that include - and "perhaps go beyond" - a no-fly zone. France, one of the sponsors of the draft resolution, sent its foreign minister to New York Thursday to try to secure a quick approval of the resolution.
Meanwhile, the African Union announced on Thursday that it would convene a panel in Mauritania on Saturday to discuss Libya's conflict. The panel will look for ways to launch dialogue to resolve the crisis.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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