BENGHAZ // British and French attack helicopters struck for the first time inside Libya yesterday, giving the Nato campaign more muscle against Colonel Muammar Qaddafi's forces. Hours later, Tripoli was hit by another round of air strikes and at least eight explosions sounded in the capital.
The use of helicopters significantly ramped up Nato's operations and was a major boost to Libyan rebels, just a day after the fighters forced government troops from three western towns and broke the siege of a fourth. It was yet another erosion of Colonel Qaddai's power since the eruption in mid-February of the uprising to end his 42-year rule.
Nato said the helicopters struck troops trying to hide in populated areas, military vehicles and equipment. Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, commander of the Libya operation, said the engagement "demonstrates the unique capabilities brought to bear by attack helicopters".
Until now, Nato has relied on attack jets, generally flying above 4,500 metres. The jets primarily strike government targets but there have been cases where they missed and hit rebels instead.
The helicopters give the alliance a key advantage in close-up combat, flying at much lower altitudes.
The British Apaches hit two targets near the eastern oil town of Brega, according to the British Major General Nick Pope, and separate Royal Air Force aircraft destroyed another military installation near Brega and two ammunition bunkers at the large Waddan depot in central Libya.
Brega is of strategic importance to Libya's oil industry and lies on the coastal road along the Mediterranean that leads to the capital, Tripoli. In the early days of the uprising against Colonel Qaddafi, it went back and forth between rebel and loyalist hands, but later the front line settled to the east of the town, leaving Brega under Colonel Qaddafi's control.
The French Gazelle and Tiger helicopters struck 15 military vehicles and five military command buildings, said Colonel Thierry Burkhard. All the helicopters returned safely, the French and British said.
The British Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, said the "use of the attack helicopters is a logical extension" in Nato campaign and indicated more would be used in the future.
"We will continue with the methods we have to degrade his command and control, to degrade his supplies," Mr Fox said from Singapore, where he was attending an Asian security conference.
The head of the rebels' Transitional National Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, welcomed the helicopter attacks and emphasized that they launched from ships outside Libya.
"We welcome any measures to expedite the departure of Moammar Qaddafi, but at the same time we maintain the sovereignty of the Libyan state," Mr Abdul-Jalil told reporters Saturday.
The conflict in Libya appears at a stalemate after nearly four months. Natp airstrikes have kept the outgunned rebels from being overrun, but the rebels have been unable to mount an effective offensive against Colonel Qaddafi's better equipped forces.
Col Qaddafi's regime has been slowly crumbling from within. A significant number of officers and several cabinet ministers have defected, and most have expressed support for the opposition, but Colonel Qaddafi's hold on power shows little sign of loosening.
Colonel Qaddafi has been seen in public rarely and heard even less frequently since a Nato airstrike on his compound killed one of his sons on April 30. Questions are arising about the physical and mental state of the 69-year-old dictator, who has ruled Libya since 1969.
