Libya rebels seek UK, France help

MISRATA: A rebel official in Libya's besieged city of Misrata pleaded for Britain and France to send troops to help fight Moamer Kadhafi's forces, while a son of the strongman said he was "very optimistic" his father's regime will prevail.

A senior member of Misrata's governing council, Nuri Abdullah Abdullati, said they were asking for the troops on the basis of "humanitarian" principles, in the first request by insurgents for boots on the ground.

Previously, he told reporters, "we did not accept any foreign soldiers in our country, but now, as we face these crimes of Kadhafi, we are asking on the basis of humanitarian and Islamic principles for someone to come and stop the killing."