West ‘secures’ skies over Libya

LIBYAN rebels have claimed as many as 8,000 people opposed to Col Muammar Gaddafi’s rule may have died since the uprising began, as the US claimed last night coalition forces had succeeded in establishing a no-fly zone after two nights of airstrikes.

In separate statements released late last night, opposite sides of the Libyan conflict and US military personnel continued to fight both a physical and public relations war.

As US admiral and chairman of his country’s joint chiefs of staff, Mike Mullen, attempted to calm Arab League concern over airstrikes, a rebel spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga claimed thousands of dead “martyrs” had lost their lives to Col Gaddafi’s forces in the past three weeks.

Ghoga’s comment to the Al Jazeera Arabic channel was preceded by a spokesman for Gaddafi calling for a full ceasefire from 7pm yesterday.

The call was rejected by the British and US governments which launched heavy anti-aircraft fire and Col Gaddafi’s own Babel-Aziziya compound was rocked by a large explosion.

The UN Security Council-supported international forces have created a de-facto no-fly zone over the north African country.

Admiral Mullen said 20 out of 22 targets had been hit by the international forces’ initial air-strikes.

However, while the Arab League voted for the move, its secretary general Amr Moussa said it did not support what it believes is an excessive use of military strikes. The group has sought an emergency meeting on the matter.

US defence secretary Robert Gates discussed what might happen after the conflict is over. He said dividing Libya into two separate states “would be a formula for instability”, leading to speculation of intended regime change.

The concern was not mirrored by people in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya, who openly danced on the burnt-out tanks that appeared to have been destroyed by international forces’ air-strikes.

“I feel like in two days max we will destroy Gaddafi,” said Ezzeldin Helwani, 35, standing next to a wreckage of an armoured personnel carrier.

Saad Radwan, another rebel, said: “We are grateful to the US and France for what they have done.”

Meanwhile, Ryanair has announced that all flights to and from Trapani Airport in Italy will operate from Palermo Airport as Trapani is closed because of the military action against Libya.