NATO needs more planes in Libya

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen requested “a few more” aircraft for the mission in Libya at a summit of foreign ministers in Berlin on Thursday. “Now [pro-Gadhafi forces] hide their heavy arms in populated areas where before many targets were easy to get at,” said Rasmussen. “To avoid civilian casualties we need very sophisticated equipment so we need a few more precision fighter ground attack aircraft for air-to-ground mission.” Both Britain and France have been pressing other coalition members to step up their involvement in Libyan operations. While Canada, Belgium, Norway and Denmark have been participating in air strikes, Spain and Italy have not taken part, although Spain said it would continue to provide aircraft without joining directly in attacks on ground targets.

BBC News