21 May 2011

Libyan ships sunk by NATO

6:54 am on 21 May 2011

NATO says it has sunk eight Libyan warships and intercepted a fuel tanker it believed was to deliver fuel to government forces.

Air strikes have been carried out on Tripoli, Al Khums and Sirte.

The alliance says its strikes on command-and-control centres have limited Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's ability to control his forces, as well as relieving sieges of rebel areas.

NATO is operating under a UN mandate to protect civilians.

Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said earlier on Thursday that Colonel Gaddafi's forces were becoming more isolated every day.