Death Toll Continues to Rise in Tripoli

On Wednesday, NATO fired its heaviest bombs in Tripoli, as Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi remained defiant in his refusal to step down from his position, saying he would fight until the end.

Government spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim said the air raids, which began mid-March, had claimed 31 lives as warplanes struck the city approximately 60 times, since Tuesday night.

According to a British defense official, many operations were aimed at Mr. Qaddafi’s secret police headquarters.

After weeks of fighting, neither loyalist troops nor rebels have secured territory between the eastern town of Adjabiya and the western oil town of Brega.

A rebel chief in Zintan, said that Qaddafi troops were at their largest on Tuesday, since the conflict began mid-February. On the same day, a Russian envoy in Benghazi said that Mr. Qaddafi cannot continue leading Libya.

A meeting will take place on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates, where the Libya contact group is to discuss rebel plans and financial aid.

Rebels have secured the eastern side of the country, western city of Misrata, and the mountain range bordering with Tunisia but have failed to advance on the capital.

Speakers:

Moussa Ibrahim - Government spokesperson
Mikhail Margelov - Russian envoy