Africa::Gaddafi planes 'destroy Misurata fuel tanks'

Africa

Gaddafi planes 'destroy Misurata fuel tanks'

Rebels say Nato was alerted but failed to respond to raid by small aircraft on besieged city's "only source" of fuel.

Libyan government forces have dropped bombs on four large oil-storage tanks in the contested western city of Misurata, destroying the facilities and sparking a fire that spread to four more, according to a rebel spokesman.

Government forces used small, pesticide-spraying planes for the overnight attack in Qasr Ahmed close to the port, Ahmed Hassan, the spokesman, said on Saturday.

Misurata is the last remaining city in the west under rebel control. It has been under siege for more than two months and has been the scene of some of the war's fiercest fighting between the rebels and loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's long-time ruler.

Hassan said the rebels notified NATO about the aircraft before the attack but there was no response.

"Four tanks were totally destroyed and huge fire erupted which spread now to the other four. We cannot extinguish it because we do not have the right tools," he said.

"Now the city will face a major problem. Those were the only source of fuel for the city. These tanks could have kept the city for three months with enough fuel."

Gaddafi's forces flew at least one helicopter reconnaissance mission over Misurata last month, according to the rebels.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting on Saturday from Benghazi, the rebel stronghold in eastern Libya, said that the reported attack in Misurata was very disconcerting for the people who rely on the stored fuel.

"People are raising questions because NATO patrols the skies 24 hours a day," he said.

"This incident, together with the mines in the harbour, are very worrying for the locals."

Separately, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tunisia reported that shells fired by Gaddafi's forces landed inside Tunisian territory near the town of Dhaiba, on the border with Libya.

Helicopter attacks

The rebels have also accused Gaddafi of using helicopters bearing the Red Cross emblem of dropping mines into Misurata's harbour.

Suleiman Fortiya, who represents Misurata on the rebel interim National Transitional Council, said small helicopters flew over Misurata on Thursday and Friday to drop mines

"They had Red Crescent and Red Cross markers so that anyone who sees them thinks it is for humanitarian aid," he said.

An aid worker said he saw helicopters on Friday marked with the Red Crescent circling above the port and dropping mines into the sea.

NATO confirmed that helicopters had flown over Misurata on Thursday in breach of the no-fly zone that its jets are supposed to enforce. However, it could not confirm that the helicopters were marked with the Red Cross sign.

NATO official told the AFP news agency a ship involved in the the coalition's operations had observed a number of helicopters over Misurata on Thursday, which came under fire from rebel forces.

"We are aware of reports that the helicopters were marked with the Red Cross," the official said.

He said no humanitarian flights had been notified for the Misurata area on that day.

"Any use of the Red Cross to disguise combat forces would be a breach of international law," he said.

Meanwhile, in a meeting that ended in Tripoli late on Friday evening, the National Conference for Libyan Tribes called for a general amnesty for all fighters engaged in the uprising against Gaddafi.

"The general amnesty law is a means of laying the path ahead for a new era of peace and forgiveness," it said in a statement. No timetable for, nor details on, the proposed law were mentioned.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies