Misrata shelled as Libya conflict rages on fronts

MISRATA: Kadhafi forces shelled the rebel-held Libyan port of Misrata and rebels sought to also take the airport, while the sides fought a see-saw battle Thursday for control of a crossing on the Tunisian border.

Powerful explosions rocked Tripoli within minutes of each other late Thursday as NATO warplanes flew over the city, and witnesses said smoke was rising from the Ain Zara district in the southeast, a frequent target of NATO air strikes.

Italy's military took part in its first air raid over Libya, triggering an uproar within Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's coalition partner, the Northern League.

A pair of Tornado jets took off from Sicily equipped with precision-guided munition to strike "selected targets", a defence ministry official said without revealing details.

Rebels in Misrata earlier said they were confident victory was "very close" in the strategic city, but they were again under deadly fire on Thursday night.

The previous night, Khalid Azwai, head of the local transition committee, had said "our freedom fighters have managed to defeat the soldiers of (Libyan leader Moamer) Kadhafi" by forcing them out of Misrata.

"They managed to force them to leave, but not very far. That's why Kadhafi is trying to bomb the port," he said.