Qadhafi defiant as US, allies strike Libya

The US and European nations targeted Moammar Qadhafi’s forces with airstrikes and dozens of cruise missiles, shaking the Libyan capital with explosions and the sound of gunfire.

The strikes were aimed at enforcing a UN-mandated no-fly zone.

Supporters of Libya's leader Moammar Qadhafi shout slogans as they stand and sit on a wall in Bab Al- Aziziyah, Gaddafi's heavily fortified Tripoli compound.Thousands of Libyans packed into Muammar Gaddafi's heavily fortified Tripoli compound on Saturday to form a human shield against possible air strikes by allied forces. -Reuters Photo



This handout picture released by ECPAD (The French Defence communication and audiovisual production agency) shows soldiers packing ammunition for French jet fighters to be freighted by a Transal (R), a military transport plane at Avord military base, central France, on March 19, 2011, on a mission to overfly Libya. -AFP Photo



Supporters wave the green flag as they celebrate outside Moammar Qadhafi's Bab al-Azizia command headquarters in Tripoli, on March 19, 2011 as France launched an air strike on a target in Libya, kicking off an international campaign to prevent Qaddafi's forces from crushing a month-old uprising against his rule. -AFP Photo



Ground crew and pilots prepare an Italian Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon at the Gioia del Colle NATO Airbase in the southern Italy on March 19, 2011. -Reuters Photo



A French Dassault Rafale combat aircraft, seen in this photo released by ECPAD (French Defence communication and audiovisual production agency), taxis to its hangar at the Saint-Dizier military base, eastern France, after a mission to overfly Libya. -Reuters Photo



Aisha Qadhafi, daughter of Libya's leader Moammar Qadhafi, holds a Libyan flag as she greets supporters at Bab Al-Aziziyah in Tripoli. -Reuters Photo



The USS Florida nuclear-powered submarine will have the capability to launch up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, conduct sustained special forces operations and carry other payloads. -AFP Photo


US and British ships and submarines launched missile strikes against Libya. -Reuters Photo

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