NATO planes involved in operation Unified Protector in Libya have made 110 sorties over the last twenty-four hours, destroying two tanks, one anti-aircraft gun and several military vehicles of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, the NATO press office said on Sunday.
Since March 31, 2011, when NATO assumed control of the operation to ensure a no-fly zone over Libya and protect civilians, following a UN resolution, NATO planes have conducted 18,884 sorties, including 7,174 strike sorties in Libya, the press office said.
A total of 17 ships under NATO command started patrolling the Central Mediterranean on Saturday to fulfill a UN resolution on the embargo of arms supplies to Libya, the NATO press office said.
Libya has been rocked by fighting between pro- and anti-government forces since mid-February. An international military operation "to protect civilians" began on March 19 following a UN resolution and has been extended until September.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya on March 17, paving the way for a military operation against Gaddafi, which began two days later. The command of the operation was shifted from a U.S.-led international coalition to NATO in late March.
