NATO aircraft targeted warships overnight, striking eight of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's vessels in Tripoli's seaport, the organization said Friday morning. A Libyan government official said the targets included commercial vessels as well as military ones.
"All NATO's targets are military in nature and are directly linked to the Gadhafi regime's systematic attacks on the Libyan people," said Rear Adm. Russell Harding, deputy commander of Operation Unified Protector. "Given the escalating use of naval assets, NATO had no choice but to take decisive action to protect the civilian population of Libya and NATO forces at sea."
In a statement, NATO said the attack occurred after two weeks of escalating use of government maritime forces that had disrupted the flow of humanitarian assistance.
All the vessels targeted were naval warships with no civilian utility, said Harding.
But a Libyan official who led CNN personnel on a tour of the area said the commercial port, not the nearby military port, was hit. From the distance at which CNN was allowed to view the area, it was not clear what sort of vessels were hit.
The port's general manager, Mohammed Ahmed Rashed, told reporters that six rockets struck in three strikes that hit five coast guard boats and one navy vessel, which had been in dock for maintenance. The port remained operational, he said.
COmentary: I think if the still fighting they will a heavy war of otan and lybia and this conflict can be economic and alot of deaths of Lbias people inthis fifth with gadafi