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| Africa North | ||
| Rebels accuse NATO of abandoning them | ||
| 2011-04-06 | ||
The head of Libya's rebel army has accused Nato of abandoning people to their deaths after a sharp reduction in the number of western air strikes. Abdel Fattah Younes said that the limited number of air strikes since Nato took command of the operation last week had permitted Gaddafi's forces to advance once again, after earlier attacks forced them in to headlong retreat.
Earlier this week, thousands demonstrated in front of the revolutionary council headquarters in Benghazi to demand Nato launch more attacks. The rebel army has relied on the protection of western air strikes destroying government armour to advance close to the city of Sirte, which, as Gaddafi's birthplace, is strategically and politically important. But after Gaddafi shifted tactics to rely less on tanks and artillery and more on a force with increased mobility, the revolutionaries have been forced back more than 150 miles to Brega. In the initial stages of the air campaign, strikes by French, US and British aircraft destroyed scores of tanks, armoured vehicles, guns and other military equipment. But Gaddafi's forces have copied the rebels in using pick-up trucks on which guns are mounted, which are harder for aircraft to target, and even if they are hit, have less impact on the Libyan leader's forces than the destruction of large armour. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |