Western forces plan to use attack helicopters in Libya to help break a military stalemate with forces loyal to Muammar Qadhafi, a French diplomatic source said on Monday. Continued shelling of the rebel-held western outpost of Misrata illustrated the scale of the problem facing rebel forces and Nato.
Rebels said Qadhafi forces were trying to advance into the long-besieged city under cover of rocket and mortar shells. A rebel spokesman said forces loyal to Qadhafi also shelled the rebel-held town of Zintan and massed troops close to another town in the mountainous region bordering Tunisia, intensifying operations on the war's western front. The French daily Le Figaro reported that 12 helicopters, which could launch more accurate attacks on pro-Qadhafi forces and targets than fixed wing aircraft, were shipped out to Libya on the French warship Tonnerre on May 17. "It is not just French helicopters ... it's co-ordinated action by the coalition," the diplomatic source said, in response to the newspaper report. "It is at Nato level." The source said the move could not be considered as part of a strategy to use ground troops in the conflict, now in its fourth month.
A UN Security Council resolution allows Nato to strike Qadhafi forces in defence of civilians, but it explicitly excludes any military occupation. Critics such as Russia accuse Nato of overstepping their mandate in prosecuting a systematic campaign to force the end of Qadhafi's 41-year rule.
Nato declined to comment and referred questions to the French Defence Ministry. French military spokesman Thierry Burkhard declined to confirm the report. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he agreed it was necessary to intensify pressure on Qadhafi's forces, but declined to say if Britain planned join a helicopter deployment. Intensifying the diplomatic activity ahead of a G8 meeting of world powers in France this week, the most senior US diplomat to visit during the uprising arrived in the eastern city of Benghazi for talks with leaders of the rebellion.