In the wake of what rebels describe as the heaviest shelling yet by pro-government forces on the port of Misrata, much of the western Libyan city appeared to be a wasteland Wednesday morning.
"I'm looking around, I can't find a single building that's not either damaged or destroyed," Reza Sayah said from Tripoli Street, a major thoroughfare in the city.
Witnesses said three people were killed and several were wounded after shells detonated near a refugee camp in the critical port area Tuesday. Thousands of migrants have been housed there as they wait for ships to carry them to safety.
Opposition forces said they believe if NATO forces had not intervened with air attacks Tuesday night, the shelling would have continued.
The latest destruction in Misrata comes amid renewed discussion about what NATO's intentions are -- and whether the alliance is trying to kill Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
NATO is leading an international military operation in Libya that includes airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's military resources. It is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing any means necessary -- with the exception of foreign occupation -- to protect civilians.
Following a recent attack on Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, the Libyan government has claimed the coalition is trying to assassinate the ruler of almost 42 years.
On Wednesday, government officials took reporters to the city of Tarhuna, south of Tripoli, where they said that civilians were volunteering to be trained to defend Gadhafi from NATO. At a training camp there, reporters observed civilians learning basic military skills. Some of the volunteers looked as young as 13 or 15 years old, the reporters said.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also criticized the Western coalition.
"At first, they spoke about the need to close the air space," Putin told reporters in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday. "All right, but how does that correspond with bombings of Gadhafi's palaces every night? They say they don't want to eliminate him. But why are they bombing his palaces then?"
British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said Tuesday evening that the alliance has been targeting "not individuals, but the capabilities of the regime."
"We don't discuss specific targets, but in the general point, we've made it very clear that our responsibility is the protection of the civilian population," Fox told Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."
U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor reiterated Tuesday that NATO's mission is to enforce "the arms embargo, no-fly zone and conduct a civilian protection mission," but it's not regime change.
"As part of that mission, the coalition has targeted command-and-control sites that are being used by regime forces to wage attacks against Libyan civilians -- brutal attacks that this week alone have reportedly killed dozens of civilians in Misrata alone," Vietor said. "There is no change in U.S. policy regarding assassination."
The British Embassy in Washington issued a statement Tuesday saying it was on the same page as the United States -- though it hoped Gadhafi would go away.
"British Government policy is that we don't target (Gadhafi) either, but we do think he should go," the British Embassy statement said. "That is not the same as regime change. Our aim is to protect the civilian population, we're not acting to remove him, but if he went that would be a good thing."
"We've never discussed specific targeting and we've always said, anyone or anything involved in carrying out or directing attacks on civilians is a legitimate target" under the Security Council resolution, the embassy said.
On Wednesday, the African Union called for an end to military operations targeting Libyan officials.
"Council urges all involved to refrain from actions, including military operations targeting Libyan Senior Officials and socio economic infrastructure, that would further compound the situation and make it more difficult to achieve international consensus on the best way forward," the AU's website states.
Though Gadhafi's regime said last week that it was going to suspend operations in Misrata and let tribes deal with the rebels, heavy shelling suggests pro-government forces aren't done with the city.
"As fighting continues to rage in Misrata, the families recently evacuated by boats to Tobruk from the embattled city describe a catastrophic situation with many having lived in fear of indiscriminate shelling," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Tuesday. "Many houses and buildings have been destroyed and some families had to move several times."
Misrata, the third-largest city in the North African country, has been surrounded on three sides by Gadhafi's forces. Though rebels say they have gained control of the city's center and have pushed government forces outside the city, they say Gadhafi's forces have continued to attack Misrata with heavy weaponry.
The port area has served as a crucial route of escape -- and as a lifeline to humanitarian aid.
Jean Michel Monod, who heads the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Tripoli, said a ship that was in Misrata to pick up foreigners had to depart prematurely Tuesday morning because of shelling close to the port.
He said the ICRC would have liked to help more than the approximately 630 people it did take.
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