TRIPOLI, Libya — As NATO prepared to take command of enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya, coalition air strikes raked the skies over Tripoli for a sixth night Thursday and government forces and rebels fought see-saw battles for the strategic cities of Misrata and Ajdabiya.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Thursday night that NATO would take over command and control of the Libyan no-fly zone, but warned that while efforts so far have “already saved many lives, the danger is far from over.”
“Khadafy’s troops have been pushed back, but they remain a serious threat to the safety of the people,” she said. “After only five days we have made significant progress. A massacre in Benghazi was prevented, and Khadafy’s air force and air defenses have been rendered largely ineffective.”
Her remarks came shortly after NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Brussels the alliance had reached a deal to take over responsibility for enforcing the zone from the US-led international coalition within “a couple of days.”
But he indicated in a CNN interview it was still considering whether to take on the broader responsibility of protecting civilians from ground forces loyal to Col. Moamar Khadafy.
In the capital of Tripoli, AFP reported at least three explosions shook the city and its eastern suburb of Tajura, home to military bases, Thursday.
At least one blast was heard from the center of the city and a column of smoke rose from an undetermined location.
State television reported that “civilian and military sites in Tripoli and Tajura” had come under fire from “long-range missiles,” AFP said.
Clinton, who said she had just come from a White House meeting with President Barack Obama and the US national security team, also said in a brief statement that she would go to London early next week for an international conference to discuss coalition activities in Libya.
The visit was announced after a four-way telephone conversation among Clinton and foreign ministers William Hague of Britain, Alain Juppe of France and Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey, AFP reported.
Clinton also underscored “crucial” Arab support for the allied military effort in Libya, hailing Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for joining the coalition.
“We are deeply appreciative of their continuing contributions including aircraft and pilots from Qatar,” Clinton said. “This evening [Thursday], the United Arab Emirates announced they are joining the coalition and sending planes to help protect Libyan civilians and enforce the no-fly zone. We welcome this important step.”
A US official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the UAE contributed 12 warplanes.
The US also emphasized Thursday it was not letting up on its strikes against government forces who persist in fighting. Pentagon spokesman Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said the message to pro-Khadafy forces was “simple: stop fighting, stop killing your own people, stop obeying the orders of Khadafy. To the degree you continue to defy these demands, we will hit you.”
Meanwhile, a French Rafale fighter jet destroyed a Libyan military trainer aircraft that had just landed near Misrata after violating the no-fly zone.
The Libyan government Thursday claimed that coalition air raids, which began last Saturday, had killed nearly 100 civilians, a figure that was impossible to verify and doubted by many western media organizations on the ground.
Asked about civilian casualties, Gen. Carter Ham, commander of US operations in Libya, said at a news conference in Sicily, “I cannot be sure there are no civilian casualties. But I can be sure we are very, very precise in our targeting. I cannot emphasize enough the precision with which we conduct strikes.”
At the UN, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said prior to the start of a closed door Security Council session Thursday afternoon there was “no evidence” Libya had honored several cease-fires it proclaimed and “on the contrary, fierce battles have continued.”
He also said more than 335,658 people have fled Libya since the beginning of the crisis there and some 9,000 remain stranded along Libya’s borders with Tunisia and Egypt.
On the ground, forces loyal to Khadafy were encircling Misrata, Libya’s third largest city, some 132 miles (214km) east of Tripoli, according to AFP.
“Khadafy forces surround the city and control the main road as well as adjacent streets,” a rebel spokesman said by telephone.
“Snipers are shooting from rooftops and the government forces are also using tanks and artillery,” he said. “Two people have been killed today [Thursday].”
A medic there told AFP dozens had been killed and hundreds wounded in a week of assaults.
“Attacks by Khadafy forces since last Friday have killed 109 people and wounded 1,300 others, 81 of whom are in serious condition,” said the doctor working in the state hospital.
At the strategic oil town of Ajdabiya, 100 miles (160km) south of Benghazi, AFP reported hundreds of fighters had massed in preparation for a march on the city.
“They are shooting at us with tanks, artillery and Grad missiles,” said Mohamed, a rebel returning from the frontline. “We have nothing but light weapons whereas they have heavy ones.”
The rebels, whose weapons range from Kalashnikovs to knives, are trying to enter the city from several fronts and managed to get within about half a mile (one kilometer) of Ajdabiya’s eastern entrance, said Mohamed.
Government tanks guarded the northern and western entrance to the city.