Top bombing pulverises Gaddafi's ammo bunkers

THIS is what the Allied air campaign is doing to Colonel Gaddafi’s war machine.

Three hundred miles from the sea the bunker complex on the edge of the city of Sebha smoulders, the ground pockmarked by craters after it’s been plastered by missile strikes.

This is among the first intelligence imagery released by the MOD showing the effects of the co-ordinated naval and air attacks to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

The images show a complex (clearly visible on Google Earth at 27° 3'50.90"N, 14°27'15.18"E) of around 40 underground bunkers which were home to small arms and artillery ammunition.

Last Thursday, March 24, in her third salvo of cruise missile strikes, submarine HMS Triumph – in conjunction with US forces – launched Tomahawks at Libyan air defences around Sebha; the city’s airport, five miles to the south of the bunker complex for example, is home to two squadrons of MiG-25 ‘Foxbat’ fighters – aged but incredibly fast jets.

Having neutralised the air defences, a long-range strike by Tornados from RAF Marham followed on Monday night. The bombers launched Storm Shadow missiles at bunkers on the north-west part of the site, destroying them – and their contents.

Together with attacks by other Allied aircraft, all 40 ammo bunkers were obliterated – although the blasts were mostly contained within the complex.

"With highly targeted strikes like this we are hitting Gaddafi's forces where it hurts, limiting their supply lines and in turn reducing their capability to kill their own civilians,” said Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox.

In addition to the Tomahawk strikes from Triumph, HMS Cumberland continues to patrol the Gulf of Sirte on Operation Unified Protector – the NATO dragnet operation to prevent arms reaching the Libyan dictator by sea.

The Type 22 frigate is about to be relieved by HMS Liverpool; she’s been conducting surveillance operations, monitoring shipping and launching her Lynx on several sweeps of the gulf in search of Gaddafi’s gunboats and any vessels which might look to break the international arms embargo.