NATO gets more assets for mission in Libya
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Xinhua, April 20, 2011
NATO has acquired more military assets for its mission in Libya, several days after the alliance's chief acknowledged that more precision strike aircraft were needed, a senior NATO military officer said on Tuesday.
"I can say, we already have more assets than we have Friday," Brigadier General Mark van Uhm told a press briefing at NATO headquarters.
"We can sustain the current pace of operations as long as necessary to protect the people of Libya...the additional aircraft we have been asking for will give us more flexibility," he added.
However, he failed to give further details, saying it is up to the nations to announce their contributions.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday in Berlin that NATO generally has sufficient military assets for the Libyan mission, but it needs more precision strike aircraft.
It has been one month since French fighter jets carried out the first airstrike against Gaddafi's forces, which is followed by the United States and Britain.
Though more than 30 percent of Gaddafi's forces' power has been eliminated, Gaddafi has shown no signs of stepping down, leaving the endgame of the military campaign elusive.
Van Uhm acknowledged on Tuesday the limitations of NATO's air raids, especially in urban areas, mainly due to concerns over civilian casualties.
The Gaddafi's have changed their tactics to hide their tanks in urban areas and using human shields to prevent airstrikes, he said.
In addition, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu confirmed Tuesday that ambassadors from NATO and the European Union (EU) are set to hold a joint meeting in the next few weeks to discuss the Libyan crisis, including providing humanitarian aid.
"There is a constant consultation between the two organizations on the operation and mission that is clearly a great concern to us all," she said.
Earlier this month, the Council of the EU agreed to launch a military operation, called EUFOR Libya, for humanitarian assistance in Libya if requested by the United Nations.
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