Moammar Gadhafi’s forces let loose a hail of rockets and shells on Ajdabiya and Misrata today, prompting calls from France for NATO to step up its game in Libya. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé said NATO’s actions were “not enough,” and that it needed to target more of the regime’s heavy weaponry. “NATO has to play its role in full. NATO wanted to take the military command,” he said.
But one NATO general brushed aside the criticism, saying the alliance was successfully enforcing its arms embargo and no-fly zone while protecting civilians. “I think with the assets we have, we’re doing a great job,” he said. But the situation is undeniably dire in Misrata, where international groups are warning of a major humanitarian crisis. “With the long-range war machines of Gadhafi’s forces, no place is safe in Misrata,” one medical official tells the AP. (More NATO stories.)