Attack choppers ‘logical extension’ in Libya

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Nato's use of attack helicopters in Libya is a “logical extension” of the military pressure on embattled leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi, British defence secretary Liam Fox said on Saturday.

“No, it’s not plan B at all,” Fox told journalists on the sidelines of a security conference in Singapore, hours after the first helicopter attacks were launched over Libya, striking military forces backing Gaddafi.

“The use of the attack helicopters is a logical extension of what we have already been doing,” he added.

Fox said the use of the British Apache helicopters from the HMS Ocean showed the willingness of the coalition to “keep the pressure up” on Gaddafi.

“We made to Col. Gaddafi very clear that there is a very quick way to stop the current Nato activity and that’s for him to go and stop waging war on his own people,” Fox said.

“We will continue with the methods we have to degrade his command and control, to degrade his supplies so that we can carry out what we have been asked to do under the UN resolution.”

Nato also deployed French Tigres helicopters in the attacks, part of the aerial campaign to protect Libyan civilians from Gaddafi’s forces in line with a UN resolution that barred ground troops from taking part in the operation.