Members of the UK Armed Forces saw further action in Libya yesterday as RAF aircraft conducted strikes against two of Colonel Gaddafi ‘s ammunition depots.
While participating in NATO’s Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR, Tornado and Typhoon ground attack aircraft conducted strikes against two depots at Waddan and Al Qaryat Ash Sharqiyah, destroying in total some nine underground storage bunkers.
Major General Nick Pope , the Chief of the Defence Staff’s Strategic Communications Officer, said:
“At sea, a NATO vessel conducting surveillance operations to enforce the maritime embargo detected high speed inflatable boats approaching Misurata; these craft have previously been used by Gaddafi’s special forces in attempts to attack the harbour.
“The British Army Apaches aboard HMS Ocean were duly alerted and intercepted the boats, destroying two with 30mm cannon fire. They then successfully engaged a ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft system on the coast near Zlitan, as well as a number of armed vehicles in and around regime checkpoints.”
On Saturday, RAF aircraft destroyed four of Colonel Gaddafi’s main battle tanks hidden in an orchard near Al Aziziyah, south west of Tripoli.
RAF Tornado and Typhoon jets also participated in further co-ordinated NATO strikes against key regime military installations in and around the capital, with the British aircraft attacking a major military base at Al Mayah on the western outskirts of the city; nine Paveway guided bombs were dropped.
These missions were conducted under NATO’s Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR to protect Libyan civilians under threat of attack and enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
RAF VC-10 and TriStar tankers, and Sentinel, Sentry and Nimrod R1 surveillance aircraft, continue to provide vital and widespread support to UK and NATO operations over Libya. [mappress] Source: Mod, June 14, 2011;