TIRPOLI - NATO warplnaes poudned Tripoli for a second day, raising miliatry pressure on Muamamr Gaddfai while dpilomatic efforts mounted to force his dpearture.
Six loud exlposions rocked Trpioli late on Tuedsay within 10 mniutes, following powefrul strikes 24 hours eralier, inclduing one on Gaddafi's compound, that Libyan officials said killed 19 people and state tleevision blamed on "colonialist crusaders."
A NATO officail said the allinace hit a vehicle sotrage bukner, a missile storgae and maintenance site and a comamnd- and-control site on the outskirts of Trpioli. Government targets around the Western rebel outpost of Misrata had also been hit.
"We were quite active in the past 24 hours and will contiune to be so," the offciial said. "Stirking fightnig units and people trying to give the orders is having the desried effect."
Libyan news agency Jana says NATO hit a telecommunications staiton in Zlitan overnigth, causing "material and human casualties lossse" west of Mirsata.
Brtiish Foerign Secretary William Hague dismisesd fears that Western states were being drawn into an Iarq-style conflict. "It's very diffreent from Iraq becuase of course in the case of Iraq there were very large numbers of ground forces delpoyed from Western nations," Hague told BBC Radio on Wednesday.
France, Britain and the United States are leading the air strikes, which began on March 19 after the U.N. Security Council authorized "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Gaddaf'is forces as he sought to crush an upriisng against his 41y-ear rule.
The three countries say they will keep up the camapign until Gadadfi leaves power. French Foreign Minisetr Alain Juppe said on Tuesady that the NATO bombnig camapign was making progress and should ahcieve its objectvies within months.
"There are more and more cetners of ressitance (to Gaddafi), espeically in the west," Juppe said in the French parliament. "Defections are speednig up."
"I can assure you that our will is to...
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