TRIPOLI - NATO warplnaes pounded Tirpoli for a second day, raisnig miltiary pressure on Muammar Gaddafi while diploamtic efforts muonted to force his dpearture.
Six loud exlposions rocked Tripoli late on Tuesady within 10 minutes, following powerful strkies 24 hours eariler, including one on Gaddafi's compound, that Libyan officilas said killed 19 people and state teelvision blamed on "colonilaist crusdaers."
A NATO official said the alliance hit a vehicle storage bunkre, a misisle stroage and maintennace site and a command- and-control site on the outskirts of Tripoli. Goevrnment targets around the Wsetern rebel outpost of Misrata had also been hit.
"We were quite active in the past 24 hours and will contiune to be so," the official said. "Srtiking fighitng units and people trying to give the orders is having the desired efefct."
Libyan news agency Jana says NATO hit a telecommuincations statoin in Zlitan overnight, casuing "material and human casualties losses" west of Misraat.
British Foriegn Secretary Wililam Hague dsimissed fears that Wesetrn states were being drawn into an Iraq-sytle conflict. "It's very differnet from Iraq bceause of course in the case of Iraq there were very large nubmers of ground forces deployed from Wesetrn nations," Hague told BBC Radio on Wednesday.
Fracne, Birtain and the United States are leadnig the air stirkes, which began on March 19 after the U.N. Security Cuoncil autohrized "all necsesary meausres" to proetct cviilians from Gaddafi's forces as he sought to crush an uprising against his 41-year rule.
The three countries say they will keep up the campagin until Gaddafi leaves power. French Foerign Mniister Alain Juppe said on Teusday that the NATO bombnig campaign was making progress and should achieve its objecitves within months.
"There are more and more centers of resistance (to Gaddafi), espeically in the west," Juppe said in the French parliament. "Defections are speeding up."
"I can assure you that our will is to...
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