Africa

Home page

Africa

France fires on Libyan military vehicle

19 March 2011 18:44 (UTC +04:00)

French Defense Ministry spokesman Thierry Burkhard says the strike happened at 1645 GMT Saturday.

Burkhard says the target was confirmed as a military vehicle, but it was not clear what kind. He said no hostile fire on the French jet has been reported.

It was the first reported offensive military action against Gadhafi’s troops, since the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution on Thursday, authorizing operations to protect civilians in Libya.

France sent a dozen Mirage and Rafale jets Saturday to survey the one-time opposition stronghold of Benghazi and the 150 kilometer-by-100 kilometer no-fly zone, Burkhard said.

"All aircraft that enter into this zone could be shot down," he said.

The strike came less than two hours after top officials from the United States, Europe and the Arab world agreed in Paris to launch a risky military operation to protect civilians from attacks by Gadhafi’s forces.

It also came after Libyan government troops forces attacked Benghazi earlier Saturday, apparently ignoring a proclaimed cease-fire.

The United States, Britain, France and 19 other participants in an emergency summit in Paris on Saturday "agreed to put in place all the means necessary, in particular military" to make Gadhafi respect a U.N. Security Council resolution Thursday demanding a cease-fire, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.