|
#1
●
03-24-2011, 11:40 AM
| ||||||||
 Super ********* Poster Rank:89 Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 17,426 Mentioned: 5 Post(s) Quoted: 99 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
France 'shoots Down Libyan Plane'
A French military aircraft has reportedly taken down a Libyan plane that violated the UN-established no-fly zone, marking the first such incident since the enforcement of the zone began. French officials confirm that the targeted aircraft, a smaller trainer plane, had just landed in the besieged city of Misrata when the attack occurred. In a related development, Turkey's foreign minister announced that NATO would assume control of the international mission in Libya within the next day or two. Ahmet Davutoglu stated that a compromise had been reached among NATO members after discussions with counterparts from the US, France, and the UK. Turkey, as a NATO member, had earlier expressed reservations about NATO assuming command without specific conditions being met. Reports from Brussels indicate that the mission may be placed under NATO control while being overseen by a military council involving some Arab states. A senior US military official confirmed the potential handover, which could occur as early as the upcoming weekend. Vice-Admiral Bill Gortney emphasized that approximately 350 aircraft were now involved in the operation, with around half of them belonging to the US. Additionally, a total of 38 ships, including 12 from the US, were participating in the mission. Gortney underscored that Libyan ground forces would continue to be targeted if they posed a threat to civilian lives, stating, "Our message to the regime troops is simple - stop fighting... stop obeying Gaddafi's orders." UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern that the Libyan government had not complied with demands for an immediate ceasefire. He warned of potential "additional measures" by the UN Security Council if Libya did not adhere to the ceasefire demands. The French action against the Libyan plane initially indicated that the G-2/Galeb aircraft had been in the air when it was struck. However, French military spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard later clarified that the attack occurred just after the plane had landed. The French Rafale jet reportedly fired an air-to-ground missile. Earlier reports from the French military mentioned airstrikes on an airbase approximately 250km south of the Libyan coastline, but specific details regarding the target's location and damage were not provided. There were also reports of Western military planes targeting the town of Sebha in southern Libya, according to residents and media accounts. Meanwhile, fresh fighting has been reported in Misrata, where a protracted battle for control has been ongoing for several days.  · |
|
#4
●
03-24-2011, 09:50 PM
| ||||||||
 ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:7 What we've got here is failure to communicate. Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 103,591
Contributions: 3
Mentioned: 112 Post(s) Quoted: 43398 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
Re: France 'shoots Down Libyan Plane'
The French can fight?, I thought they were all a bunch of snail eating surrender monkeys.
|
