NATO takes control of Libya no-fly zone

TRIPOLI: NATO late Thursday agreed to take control of enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya to thwart the forces of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, as coalition air strikes targeted Tripoli for the sixth straight day.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that after days of fraught talks, as NATO member Turkey objected to air strikes against Kadhafi's forces, the 28-member alliance had finally reached a deal.

"We have now decided to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya," he said in a statement, adding "we are taking action as part of a broad international effort to protect civilians against the Kadhafi regime."

Rasmussen later told CNN that the alliance was considering whether to expand the NATO operation to include a broader role to use all necessary means to protect civilians on the ground. Coalition air strikes in recent days have also targeted Libyan ground forces.

The news came as anti-aircraft fire raked the Tripoli skies late Thursday, with at least three explosions shaking the capital and its eastern suburb of Tajura, AFP journalists said.

At least one blast was heard from the centre of the city, while others came from Tajura -- home to military bases -- and a column of smoke rose from an undetermined location, an AFP journalist said.

State television reported that "civilian and military sites in Tripoli and Tajura" had come under fire from "long-range missiles." (AFP)