NATO: We Do Not Know The Libyan Rebels Used Cylinders

NATO: We Do Not Know The Libyan Rebels Used Cylinders:  BRUSSELS – NATO acknowledged Friday that its airstrikes had hit rebels using tanks to fight government forces in eastern Libya, saying no one told them the rebels used tanks.

British Admiral Russell Smith, deputy commander of the NATO operation, said that in the past, the only forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi Libyan strong had used heavy weapons.

Harding said that the rebels and government forces engaged in a series of advances and retreats to the east and the coastal towns of Brega Ajdabiya, making it difficult for pilots to distinguish.

NATO aircraft attacked a rebel convoy between the two cities on Thursday, killing at least five fighters and destroying or damaging several armored vehicles.

"It seems that two of our strikes in the past, can lead to (rebels) dead," Harding said the Naples, home to the operational center of the coalition.

"I do not apologize," he said. "The situation on the ground was and remains extremely fluid, and until yesterday we have no information on the forces (rebels) are using tanks ".

Strikes, including an attack earlier this week, has provoked angry denunciations of NATO by the rebels. At the same time, NATO officials have expressed frustration with the rebels in Libya, who now see the alliance, whose mandate is limited to protecting civilians in Libya, the representation of the air force.

NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, however, expressed regret at the loss of life, saying the alliance forces are doing everything possible to avoid harming civilians.

NATO last week took control of international air strikes began March 19 as a mission under U.S. command. The air attacks thwarted efforts to crush the rebellion of Gaddafi in North African countries, who ruled for more than four decades, but the rebels outnumbered and outgunned, and had trouble pushing the territory held by the government, even with air support.

Harding said Friday that NATO jets had carried out 318 operations and hit all 23 targets in Libya in the past 48 hours. They flew over 1,500 missions and eight days after the Union has assumed responsibility for the overall command of the US-led forces.

NATO jets have destroyed missiles Qaddafi's anti-aircraft defense, the T-72 tanks and ammunition depots, Harding said. The attacks also targeted Gaddafi troops besieged the city supporter Misurata, where rebels continue to hold.

Critics have questioned the strategy of NATO but not limited to protect civilians threatened by Gaddafi's troops, instead of trying to completely eliminate the threat to destroy the regime stronger.

"By not hitting the regime from the beginning, Qaddafi has been the initiative to integrate its forces into urban areas of hiding behind human shields in a guerrilla war," said Barack Sene, a researcher in the Middle East Institute Royal United Services, a British military group tank.

"A no-fly zone is not equipped to deal with the guerrillas or a dead end that puts rebels and loyalists close to each other." said

Despite the attacks on anti-aircraft sites remaining forces Gaddafi threatens NATO planes. They maintain the radars and surface to air missiles and automatic cannon and shoulder-launched missiles that can hit aircraft at an altitude of 5,000 meters (15,000 feet).

During the last week, Gaddafi's forces had changed tactics, moving away from its heavy armor and using only trucks armed with heavy machine guns and the firing rate of anti-aircraft guns in the first line and between Brega Ajdabiya. These have proved very effective in disrupting the repeated attempts to push the rebels to the west of Tripoli but Gaddafi forces has not been able to drive the rebels to Benghazi or establish a solid line in this sector.

"These trucks can not hold ground," said Smith. "When you see their tanks happens, these vehicles can cause the most harm to civilians."

On Thursday, the situation in this sector is very confusing, cars come and go, "he said.