Libya conflict escalates as ministers admit it could drag on for months

British aircraft join heaviest bombardment of Tripoli so far and commanders prepare to deploy Apache helicopters Ministers have agreed to step up the scale and intensity of military action against Libya while privately admitting there is now a danger the conflict could drag on for months, well-placed Whitehall officials have told the Guardian. As British aircraft joined the heaviest bombardment so far of the Libyan capital Tripoli and HMS Ocean prepared to head for the country’s coastal waters with Apache attack helicopters on board, officials said the coalition was attempting to apply psychological pressure on the Gaddafi regime as well as depriving it of equipment. Government sources made clear the Apaches were being sent to Libya, and the intention was to use them, despite Nick Harvey, the armed forces minister, insisting in the Commons that no final decision had yet been taken. The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, told a London news conference on Monday night that the opposition had organised a legitimate and credible interim council that was committed to democracy. The US has invited the council to set up an office in Washington. “Their military forces are improving and when Gaddafi inevitably leaves, a new Libya stands ready to move forward,” she said. However, British officials made plain that while they hoped the Gaddafi regime would collapse soon, they did not hold out much expectation it would do so. RAF Tornados, armed with 230kg (500lb) guided bombs, on Tuesday attacked a military vehicle depot within Gaddafi’s large Bab al-Aziziyah complex in the centre of Tripoli, the Ministry of Defence said. As the result of the shockwaves, plaster was reported to have fallen from the ceilings in a hotel where foreign reporters were staying, about 1.2 miles (2km) away. A Nato official said the facility had been used to attack civilians. “It is definitely, in terms of one target, the largest and most concentrated attack we have done to date,” a Nato official in Brussels told Reuters. “This complex is where members of the Gaddafi regime, not only military but hit squads, were based in the early days of the violent suppression of the popular uprising, and it has been active ever since.” A Libyan government spokesman said three people had been killed and 150 wounded, and that the casualties were local residents. In London, Harvey told MPs that while “no decision” had yet been taken to use Apaches, the advantage of using the helicopters was that they could “strike moving targets with greater precision”. He dismissed the widely-held view that the use of Apaches in close-quarter attacks would be a significant escalation in military operations. “The targets would remain the same” and it was “simply a tactical shift”, Harvey told MPs. Asked about the estimated £1bn cost of the conflict to the UK if it continued into the autumn, he said the chancellor had made clear the cost would be met by the Treasury. The minister was summoned to the Commons to answer an urgent question tabled by the shadow defence secretary, Jim Murphy, following reports that military commanders had decided to deploy the Apaches following a green light from the National Security Council chaired by David Cameron. HMS Ocean, with four Apaches on board, is expected off the Libyan coast within a week. The helicopters, armed with Hellfire missiles and 30mm cannon, will be used to mount a 16-mile buffer zone around the port city of Misrata, defence officials said. After the Commons exchanges, Murphy said: “Parliament has not written the government a blank cheque on Libya and ministers should never keep the British public in the dark over major military decisions. The deployment of attack helicopters would represent a significant moment and an escalation of the conflict.” Libya Military Middle East Africa Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 24, 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.