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- British Tornado aircraft have fired precision-guided missiles against a large headquarters bunker in Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's home town of Sirte as intense fighting continued on the ground in Libya.The latest Nato action overnight came as Defence Secretary Liam Fox urged the Gaddafi regime to recognise that the "game is up" and called for it to stop attacking its own people.NATO NATO
The whereabouts of the Libyan dictator remained unknown despite the involvement of Nato intelligence and reconnaissance assets.Dr Fox told Sky News it was "premature to assume" the fighting was over as strong pockets of resistance remained.Nato and UK forces from RAF Marham launched an attack last night on a command and control bunker of the Gaddafi regime in Sirte.Despite the ongoing violence and the failure to capture Gaddafi, the National Transitional Council (NTC) cabinet was pressing ahead with its hugely symbolic move from eastern stronghold Benghazi to Tripoli.The NTC also received a boost as a deal was struck at the United Nations to release 1.5 billion US dollars of frozen Libyan assets.Dr Fox said: "It's still important that we remove the potential for the regime to counter-attack against the NTC and to continue to wage war on their people, but it is far too early yet to say what the security situation will be in the weeks ahead."He said it was the "primary responsibility" of the new government of Libya to request help from the UN if it wanted it.He added: "We have information that there are some elements of the regime in Sirte. Where they are still continuing to wage war on the people of Libya, we will continue to degrade their military capabilities."The attack on the military bunker last night by the RAF was part of that."The regime needs to recognise that the game is up. It is all over and they need to stop attacking their own people."But as long as they do continue to attack the people, Nato will continue to act as we have done under the UN Resolution 1973 to degrade the command and control and the military assets that they are using against the people of Libya."Gaddafi earlier called on his supporters to take on the rebels and "fight them and kill them" in a released audio message broadcast on Syrian-based Al-Ouroba TV.Snipers loyal to Gaddafi were involved in the bloodiest battles in Tripoli's Abu Salim area, near the ruler's former compound in Bab al-Aziziya which was overrun earlier this week.The UK Government's focus has also started to shift towards Libya's future under the NTC, although Foreign Secretary William Hague said what happened to Gaddafi was a "very important component".Mr Hague previously said that British officials would help in establishing the NTC's rule."We can help them with advice on policing, advice on clearing landmines and with £20 million of immediate assistance we have set aside," he told BBC's Newsnight.Meanwhile both pro-Gaddafi forces and rebels were urged to respect prisoners followinOfficial Twitter account of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
