UPDATE 1-Air strikes 'hit Gaddafi positions in Misrata'
* Shelling stops after air strikes, residents say
* Reports of snipers shooting people near hospital
* Libyan government makes no comment on Misrata
(Adds background, quotes)
By Hamid Ould Ahmed
ALGIERS, March 23 (Reuters) - Western airstrikes hit Libyan government forces' positions in the rebel-held city of Misrata on Wednesday, silencing an artillery bombardment but not snipers who were firing from rooftops near the hospital, residents said.
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Rebels in Misrata who have been fighting for weeks to hold off attacks on Libya's third largest city welcomed the air strikes, saying they would help even out their unequal battle against heavily-armed forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Unlike the main rebel strongholds in the east of Libya, Misrata is encircled by pro-Gaddafi forces. Residents say dozens of people have been killed in tank and artillery bombardments in the past few days.
"Now with the air strikes we are more optimistic," Saadoun, a Misrata resident, told Reuters by telephone. "These strikes gives us hope, especially the fact they are precise and are targeting the (Gaddafi) forces and not only the bases." Continued...
