2011年4月21日星期四

Director of "restrepo" Tim Hetherington killed in Libya: doctors (Reuters)

MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - of the fighting in the besieged rebel Misrata city the Libya killed at least 10 civilians, including a British filmmaker named Oscar, and NATO has urged non-combatants to avoid troops so he could intensify air strikes.

Among the dead were photojournalist Tim Hetherington, Co-Director of the documentary of war named the Oscar "restrepo" and American photographer Chris Hondros, killed when a group they were in came under mortar fire.

Seven Libyan civilians and a Ukrainian doctor were also killed in the fierce fighting in the third largest city of the Libya, said nursing.

France promised the insurgents Wednesday that it intensify airstrikes on the Libyan Government forces and send liaison officers, echoing a move by Britain, to help organize the poorly trained insurgents.

Rebels said they were fighting for control of a main street of Misrata, a port of 300 000 people and the last bastion of insurgents in the West of the country, where civil war unleashed in February on requests for the end of the rule of 41 years of Qaddafi.

About 120 people were injured, including the wife of the Ukrainian doctor who lost both legs, according to Khalid Abufalgha, a doctor on the Committee medical Misrata that tracks of civilian casualties.

Abufalgha, said a total of 365 people were killed, including at least 85 civilians, and 4,000 people injured in the Mediterranean city since it came under siege from Government about seven weeks ago. Civilians say they live in constant fear of Government snipers.

"Mohammed and his friends were in our garage." They went outside to play when he had to pause to put on his shoe. "At this time the ball hit his head," said Zeinab, mother of a 10 year old boy who was in bed with a gunshot wound.

Rebels complained that there were too few NATO air strikes.

"NATO has been ineffective in the Misrata." NATO has failed completely to change things on the ground, "spokesman for rebels Abdelsalam said."

Early Thursday, Libyan State television said that NATO forces had hit the Khala al-Farjan region of the capital, Tripoli, killing seven people and injuring 18 others. The report could not immediately be independently verified.

Also, spokesman for rebels Abdulrahman, reached by telephone from the Western City of Zintan, said clashes took place in Nalut, near the western border with the Tunisia.

"Clashes are currently produced in Nalut and going on since Monday." Gaddafi forces are using Grad missiles and mortar shells to attack Nalut. It is not an even battle. The rebels are not well armed. ?

NATO TELLS CIVILIANS TO AVOID GADDAFI FORCES

Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, Commander of NATO operations in the Libya, said civilian Libyan should stay away from Gaddafi forces to help NATO to conduct air strikes.

"Civilians may help NATO in is distancing himself from Gaddafi regime forces and equipment whenever possible." This will allow NATO to strike these forces and equipment with great success..., "said Bouchard in a statement.

Aid groups that the humanitarian situation in Misrata turns serious due to a lack of food and medical supplies.

Forces loyal to Qadhafi have been bombarding the Misrata strongly last week. The Government denies that it is targeting of civilians in the city.

There are long queues for gasoline and electricity was cut for residents rely on generators. Foreign migrant workers stranded thousands are waiting for rescue in the port area.

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister British David Cameron discussed Wednesday the need to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Kadhafi, said the White House.

France said that he would send up to 10 military advisors in Libya, following the plan of Great Britain to send up to a dozen agents to help the rebels to improve the Organization and communication. Neither country plans to arm and train the insurgents to fight.

In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who led the intervention backed NATO United Nations, has promised more strong military action in his first meeting with the leader of the opposition of the Libyan National Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil.

"We will in effect intensify attacks and responding to the request of the national Council of transition," an official in the Office of the President said, citing Sarkozy as saying Abdel Jalil: "we help you".

He did not say how NATO-led forces planned to overcome the stalemate on the ground after the United States and several European allies refused week last to join the strikes on the ground.

Abdel Jalil told journalists he had invited Sarkozy to visit to the eastern rebel powerbase town of Benghazi to emphasize French support to put an end to the autocratic mandate of Gaddafi and "boost the morale of the revolution."

French officials have not said if Sarkozy had accepted.

Evidence resurfaced Wednesday that the Government of Gaddafi is dodging sanctions of the United Nations to import gasoline to the West of the Libya by intermediaries who fuel transfer between ships in Tunisia, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

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