MUAMMAR GADDAFI’S FORCES have continued to pour rocket fire into Misrata, the only western city still in rebel hands, and weary residents who have endured more than a month of fighting angrily lashed out at NATO for failing to halt the assault.
The latest developments come as the New York Times reports that the Obama administration is actively seeking a country in Africa that might be willing to take the embattled leader.
This is despite reports that suggest there is no rebel leader who would emerge as a credible successor, the paper adds.
Further complications would also arise from a likely indictment of Gaddafi by the International Criminal Court for the Lockerbie bombing and atrocities within Libya.
The news comes as president Barack Obama publicly stated earlier his week that the US, France and Britain would continue the NATO campaign in Libya until Gaddafi had been ousted.
In Misrata yesterday, it was reported that five civilians were killed in a 30 minute barrage of shelling that heavily damaged a factory for dairy products and sent up a thick column of black smoke.
Frustration is growing among residents in Misrata, where Gaddafi’s troops have intensified their long siege of the city in recent days.
A doctor sharply criticised NATO for failing to break the assault with its month-old campaign of air strikes and the imposition of a no-fly zone.
Rebels have also accused NATO of not doing enough to protect Misrata’s 300,000 residents, BBC reports.
Also yesterday, Human Rights Watch accused the Gaddafi regime of using cluster bombs in Misrata. These are munitions that can cause indiscriminate casualties and have been banned by over 100 countries.
The Libyan government and military denied the charge.
Meanwhile, in eastern Libya fierce fighting left seven rebels dead, 27 wounded and four missing as the anti-Gaddafi forces sought to push toward the strategic oil town of Brega.
- with reporting from AP
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