In
the early hours of Tuesday morning, British Army attack
helicopters struck Colonel Gaddafi's troops engaged in
the repression of the civilian population of western Libya.
Having
launched from the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, the Apaches
penetrated the Libyan coast between Zuwarah and Az Zawiyah.
Fleet Air Arm Sea King helicopters provided radar surveillance,
while NATO fixed-wing aircraft provided overwatch for
the operation.
Flying
inland, the Apaches targeted three vehicle checkpoints,
which had been located in advance by intensive NATO reconnaissance
operations and were being used to prevent free movement
by local people.
At
each checkpoint, military vehicles and structures were
identified and successfully engaged using Hellfire missiles
and cannon fire, as well as infantry positions. In total,
four military structures and seven vehicles were destroyed,
including at least one multiple-barrelled rocket launcher.
A
particular focus of operational activity on Saturday was
the wider area around Misurata. To the south of the city,
near Tawurgha, Royal Air Force Tornado and Typhoon aircraft
successfully attacked a large former grain farm, which
NATO surveillance operations had revealed was being used
by the regime as a base for multiple rocket launchers
to bombard Misurata with.
