Civilians are being used as human shields by Gaddafi’s army in a bid to obstruct Nato air strikes, says France.
Rebels have accused the western coalition of standing by and doing nothing while the army constantly fires at rebel-held city Misrata.
Gaddafi’s troops continue to pound rebel strongholds despite UN-sanctioned Allied airstrikes which began two weeks ago.
After weeks of shelling Gaddafi’s forces appear to be wearing down the rebels’ hold on Misrata.
Leader of the rebels General Abdel Fatah Younis said: “Nato blesses us every now and then with a bombardment here and there, and is letting the people of Misrata die every day. Nato has disappointed us.”
He added: “Nato says Gaddafi’s forces are hiding among civilians. But we tell them that there are no civilians left in the areas where the Gaddafi forces are positioned. We urge them to destroy civilian property to take out the snipers and armed gangs.”
French foreign minister Alain Juppe said that there’s nothing that can be done at the moment in Misrata.
Speaking to France Info radio, he said: “We’ve formally requested that there be no collateral damage for the civilian population. That obviously makes operations more difficult.”
He added: “Misrata is in a situation which cannot continue and I am going to discuss it in a few hours time with the secretary general of NATO.”
Gaddafi regime looks for exit strategy
Admiral Edouard Guillaud, head of France’s armed forces told Europe 1 radio: “I would like things to go faster, but as you are well aware, protecting civilians means not firing anywhere near them. That is precisely the difficulty.”
Following the complaints from rebel forces that not enough is being done, the RAF is set to divert four of its Typhoon fighters to aid ground attack operations in Libya.
This means that the RAF now has 20 fighter aircraft engaged in the operation.
Speaking to France Info radio, he said: “We’ve formally requested that there be no collateral damage for the civilian population. That obviously makes operations more difficult.”
Admiral Edouard Guillaud, head of France’s armed forces told Europe 1 radio: “I would like things to go faster, but as you are well aware, protecting civilians means not firing anywhere near them. That is precisely the difficulty.”
