News / Africa
Gaddafi forces bombs large fuel storage tanks
07 May 2011 at 17:28hrs | Views
TRIPOLI: Libyan government forces bombed large fuel storage tanks in the contested western city of Misrata, destroying the tanks and sparking a huge fire, rebels said today.
The bombardment came as artillery rounds fired by forces loyal to Libya's Moammar Gaddafi fell in Tunisia in an escalation of fighting near the border between Libyan soldiers and anti-Gaddafi rebels.
Misrata is the last remaining city in the west under rebel control. The port city has been under siege for more than two months and has witnessed some of the war's fiercest fighting between loyalists and rebels.
Rebels gave varying accounts of the Misrata bombardment but said the overnight attack, which hit fuel used for export as well as domestic consumption, came as a blow to their ability to withstand the seige.
"Four tanks were totally destroyed and huge fire erupted which spread now to the other four. We cannot extinguish it because we do not have the right tools," rebel spokesman Ahmed Hassan told Reuters.
"Now the city will face a major problem. Those were the only sources of fuel for the city. These tanks could have kept the city for three months with enough fuel," he said.
Hassan said government forces used small planes normally used to spray pesticides for the overnight attack in Qasr Ahmed. He later said three helicopters bearing Red Crescent insignia conducted the attack.
Another rebel spokesman said a government helicopter conducted a reconnaissance mission over the port and two hours later, government forces fired rockets that hit three fuel tanks belonging to Brega Oil Company.
Rebels notified NATO about the planes before the attack but there was no response, Hassan said. Government forces last month flew at least one helicopter reconnaissance mission over Misrata, according to rebels.
Schools were evacuated and residents scurried for safety in the Tunisian frontier town of Dehiba, which has been hit repeatedly by
stray shells in recent weeks as the Libyan rivals fight for control of a nearby border crossing.
The bombardment came as artillery rounds fired by forces loyal to Libya's Moammar Gaddafi fell in Tunisia in an escalation of fighting near the border between Libyan soldiers and anti-Gaddafi rebels.
Misrata is the last remaining city in the west under rebel control. The port city has been under siege for more than two months and has witnessed some of the war's fiercest fighting between loyalists and rebels.
Rebels gave varying accounts of the Misrata bombardment but said the overnight attack, which hit fuel used for export as well as domestic consumption, came as a blow to their ability to withstand the seige.
"Four tanks were totally destroyed and huge fire erupted which spread now to the other four. We cannot extinguish it because we do not have the right tools," rebel spokesman Ahmed Hassan told Reuters.
"Now the city will face a major problem. Those were the only sources of fuel for the city. These tanks could have kept the city for three months with enough fuel," he said.
Hassan said government forces used small planes normally used to spray pesticides for the overnight attack in Qasr Ahmed. He later said three helicopters bearing Red Crescent insignia conducted the attack.
Another rebel spokesman said a government helicopter conducted a reconnaissance mission over the port and two hours later, government forces fired rockets that hit three fuel tanks belonging to Brega Oil Company.
Rebels notified NATO about the planes before the attack but there was no response, Hassan said. Government forces last month flew at least one helicopter reconnaissance mission over Misrata, according to rebels.
Schools were evacuated and residents scurried for safety in the Tunisian frontier town of Dehiba, which has been hit repeatedly by
stray shells in recent weeks as the Libyan rivals fight for control of a nearby border crossing.
Source - Reuters
