UK spends £260 million on Libya military role

Major General Nick Pope: a Typhoon and Tornado strike hit a military intelligence operations room in Tripoli
12 April 2012

As Colonel Gaddafi's days looked numbered, British forces continued to play an important role in the dictator's downfall.

After five months of military involvement - at a cost of £260 million from the Government's reserves - UK forces attacked the tyrant's "remaining apparatus of repression" as rebels advanced into Tripoli.

Major General Nick Pope, the Chief of the Defence Staff communications officer, said: "With Free Libyan Forces advancing into Tripoli, UK forces continued to strike at Colonel Gaddafi's remaining apparatus of repression within the city, as Nato maintained pressure on the former regime.

"On Sunday morning, Royal Air Force Tornado and Typhoon aircraft mounted a precision strike before dawn on the military intelligence operations room in Tripoli, close to the Baroni intelligence facility which the RAF had successfully bombed 24 hours previously.

"Nine Paveway guided bombs were delivered with great accuracy on the target.

"Later in the day, an armed reconnaissance patrol identified and destroyed one of Gaddafi's main battle tanks positioned on the outskirts of the city."

At sea, HMS Liverpool conducted surveillance off Tripoli, the officer said. HMS Liverpool sighted a small Maltese-registered vessel which had been damaged by hostile fire while leaving Tripoli port, apparently with evacuees on board.

The boat was in trouble so "HMS Liverpool passed a line to the vessel and towed her to open waters where she was able to proceed safely," he said.

He added: "The strike missions flown by the RAF and other allied fast jets were only made possible by the large fleet of combat support aircraft mustered by Nato, including Royal Air Force VC10 and Tristar tankers, plus Sentry, Sentinel and Fleet Air Arm Sea King surveillance platforms.

"Since the start of military operations on March 19, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps strikes have damaged or destroyed over 890 former regime targets which posed a threat to the Libyan people, ranging from secret police and intelligence headquarters, to several hundred tanks, artillery pieces and armed vehicles."

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