Saturday, March 19, 2011

Liveblogging: Launch of international offensive in Libya

What you should remember:

The French army has carried out its first shot against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi at 17:45 (GMT +1, Paris time).
Earlier in the afternoon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that fighter jets had entered French airspace to prevent the Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces to attack the city of Benghazi, a stronghold of the opposition.


The statement by the French head of state concluded an international summit on the situation in Libya, which gathered in Paris this Saturday the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Prime Minister David Cameron and many Arab and European politicians.
A military plane was shot Saturday morning while flying over the city of Benghazi. The aircraft belongs to the opponents of Muammar Gaddafi.
According to the insurgents in Benghazi, forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi bombed roads leading into town. The regime denies the accusations and says its planes remained on the ground, according to the cease-fire it announced Friday.

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