THE AIR FORCE of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafu has been “destroyed” after allied forces successfully bombarded troops loyal to the government.

A senior British commander said that allied airstrikes had defeated the Libyan armed forces. The Telegraph quotes RAF Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell as saying:

“We are now applying sustained and unrelenting pressure on the Libyan armed forces. Effectively, their air force no longer exists as a fighting force and his integrated air defence system and command and control networks are severely degraded.”

The city of Misrata, the centre of intense fighting over recent days, now seems to be experiencing relief from the conflict – however reports indicate that fighting has resumed in Ajdabiya and Zintan.

Meanwhile, the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned that there was no clear timeline in relation to the military conflict in Libya, reports the Washington Post. “I think there are any number of possible outcomes here and no one is in a position to predict them,” he said, adding that nobody was under the illusion that the engagement would only last for two or three weeks.