Devastating air-strike near Libyan leader’s Tripoli compound

Mtoday news/ Mail

Libiya, March 29: Watch out Gaddafi, this one could have your name on it!Allies’ devastating air-strike near Libyan leader’s Tripoli compound

* Photographer caught bombs falling on the ‘tightly-guarded residence of Muammar Gaddafi and other military targets’
    * U.S. has launched 22 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean at Gaddafi’s military targets
    * Libyan rebels’ advance toward Tripoli was halted again today when they were pounded with rockets and tanks by Gaddafi’s regime
    * Rebel leaders are insisting that international air strikes must go even further in taking out Gaddafi’s forces

They are the images that must strike terror deep inside the dark heart of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Plumes of smoke and fire writhe in the air as the bullet-shaped bodies of missiles rain down over the Taiura suburb of Triopoli, near one of the Libyan dictator’s residences, yesterday.

Journalists risked their lives to get these incredible shots capturing the bombs mid-air in the impossible moment before they smashed into the ground, tearing new holes in Tripoli.




Incoming: A missile plunges towards the ground with deadly accuracy near one of Gaddafi’s residences in the Tripoli suburb of Taiura on Tuesday




Impact: In the second image a plume of smoke and a fireball are seen as the missile tears a new hole into the ground

 

 

Raining missiles: A third missile plunges from the sky over the Taiura suburb near Gaddafi’s Tripoli residence

While the regime focused on forcing rebels into a retreat, air strikes were launched against a highly-guarded residence of the Libyan leader in the suburb of Taiura late yesterday as Nato-led aircraft was reported to be seen flying past overhead.

Getty images photographer Mahmud Turkia managed to snap pictures of the bombs falling on the ‘tightly-guarded residence of Muammar Gaddafi and other military targets.’

Despite images like these, Barack Obama has sworn he and the rest of the Western coalition in Libya will not try to kill Gaddafi.

In addition to the attack on the Libyan leader’s home, since Monday afternoon the U.S. has launched 22 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean at Gaddafi’s military targets.

Meanwhile Libyan rebels’ advance toward Tripoli was halted again today when they were pounded with rockets and tanks by Gaddafi’s regime and forced into a retreat that had them pleading for more Nato airstrikes.

Massive plumes of thick smoke rose from the earth following Gaddafi’s relentless strikes against the opposition in Libya’s Bin Jawwad district late Tuesday.

Rebel leaders are insisting that international airstrikes must go even further in taking out the Libyan leader’s forces if their mission through the Gaddafi-controlled areas of the country is to succeed.

Retreat: Rebel forces were driven back east to Bin Jawwad after a heavy assault by regime forces when they were just 60 miles east of the city

Cries of ‘Sarkozy, where are you?’ could be heard yelled from rebels as they wondered where French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s forces were to assist their efforts against the regime today, as no new Nato strikes were launched.

The French government, including Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, have taken a much harder line on Gadhafi’s recent actions than other neighbouring European nations. Longuet has said ‘the campaign ‘must obtain more’ than the end of shooting at civilians.


The rebels’ need for further Nato airstrikes was made clearer this week as they headed east towards Sirte - Gadhafi’s hometown - but were driven back east to Bin Jawwad after a heavy assault by regime forces when they were just 60 miles east of the city.

Some of the more resilient rebels returned fire today in Bin Jawwad, utilizing truck-mounted rocket launchers. The fighting raged on for hours before the rebels retreated in their cars and trucks, past the oil port of Ras Lanou, roughly 25 miles away.

‘If they keep shelling like this, we’ll need airstrikes,’ 27-year-old rebel fighter Mohammed Bujildein told the Associated Press.

‘This today is a loss, but hopefully we’ll get it back.’