Libya: SAS veterans helping Nato identify Gaddafi targets in Misrata

Ex-SAS soldiers and private security firm employees passing information to Nato attack helicopters, sources tell Guardian Former SAS soldiers and other western employees of private security companies are helping Nato identify targets in the Libyan port city of Misrata, the scene of heavy fighting between Gaddafi’s forces and rebels, well-placed sources have told the Guardian. Special forces veterans are passing details of the locations and movements of Muammar Gaddafi’s forces to the Naples headquarters of Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, Canadian commander of Nato forces involved in the military operations, sources said. The targets are then verified by spy planes and US Predator drones. “One piece of human intelligence is not enough”, a source said. The former soldiers are there with the blessing of Britain, France and other Nato countries, which have supplied them with communications equipment. They are likely to be providing information for the pilots of British and French attack helicopters who are expected to start firing at targets in and around Misrata later this week. Four Apache helicopters are on board HMS Ocean, which is now approaching Libyan waters. Twelve French Tiger helicopters are on board the amphibious assault ship Tonnere, which is understood to be already within striking distance of the Libyan coast. The revelations about the role of the rebels’ advisers follow the filming of armed westerners on the Misrata frontline with rebel fighters. A group of six westerners were visible in a report by al-Jazeera from Dafniya, described as the westernmost point of the rebel lines in the city. Five of the men were armed, wearing sand-coloured clothes, baseball caps and cotton Arab scarves. The sixth, who seemed to be in charge, carried no visible weapon and wore a pink short-sleeved shirt. The group was seen talking to rebels and quickly leaving after they realised they were being filmed. The Ministry of Defence insisted it had no combat forces on the ground in Libya. The only MoD personnel were in Benghazi, it added, referring to the team of about 10 military advisers and mentors the UK has sent there. William Hague, the foreign secretary, described the advisers as “experienced military officers”, and said they would advise the rebels on intelligence-gathering, logistics and communications. Senior British defence sources revealed in April that they were urging Arab countries to train the Libyan rebels in order to strengthen their position on the battlefield. The sources said they were looking at hiring private security companies, many of which employ former SAS soldiers, to help the rebels. These private soldiers are reported to be paid by Arab countries, notably Qatar. British officials said they were not being paid by the UK government. Those countries in favour of the initial decision to impose a no-fly-zone over Libya and hostile to Gaddafi would be strongly opposed to any direct – or official – link between western advisers and Nato commanders. They are being kept at arm’s length while their role is privately welcomed. A Reuters photographer in Misrata said there was heavy fighting in the suburb of Dafniyah, in the west of the city, where the front line is now located. Speaking from a field hospital near the front line, she said 14 rebel fighters had been injured on Tuesday, one of them seriously. “Gaddafi’s forces are firing Grad rockets,” she said. “The rebels tried to advance, but Gaddafi’s forces pushed them back.” Rebel fighters, out of their familiar urban battleground and now in open ground, were being outgunned, one of their spokesmen said. “The situation is getting more difficult for the revolutionaries because fighting is going on in open places. They do not have the same heavy weapons as the [pro-Gaddafi] brigades,” their spokesman, Abdelsalam, said from Misrata. Major-General John Lorimer, the MoD’s chief military spokesman, said RAF Tornado and Typhoon aircraft over the past few days destroyed a main battle tank near Jadu and attacked a multiple rocket launcher and support vehicles south of Zlitan. On Monday, further RAF patrols near Zlitan located five heavy transporters carrying main battle tanks; all were destroyed or severely damaged, he said. Libya Military Defence policy Middle East Africa Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 31, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.