Reports From the Ground in Misrata Confirm Heavy Shelling From Gadhafi Forces
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime, we will return to our continuing coverage of all that's taking place in Libya. We have an eyewitness with us in Misrata. Thank you for being with us. You are live on CNN. What is the situation where you are?</s>WITNESS IN MISRATA (via telephone): Misrata is under heavy shelling from the dictator's forces. I don't know what cease-fire is talking about. The forces tried for two consecutive days to center the city. They were held off. And now they are terrorizing the people on the outskirts of the city and shelling the city from a distance.</s>HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: You are saying that Misrata is currently under heavy shelling right now?</s>WITNESS IN MISRATA: Absolutely. It has been since. This is the second day now. It is terrorizing people. It is creating havoc. It is absolutely -- we had 12 civilians killed last night, 15 today. It just gets worse. And I hope the international community can act on this very quickly. It will really save lives.</s>WHITFIELD: What kind of targets are being shelled in and around Misrata?</s>WITNESS IN MISRATA: Absolutely randomly into the city. His forces are going door-to-door on the outskirts about eight and 10 kilometers around the city. We are hearing stories of people thrown out of their homes and being terrorized, and heavy artillery and shelling the city randomly. I live about three kilometers off the center of the city. Two shells landed not so far from where I live. It is crazy and random, and it is creating havoc in the city. People don't know what to do or where to go. They are looking for a safe place but nobody is safe. Nobody is secure.</s>GORANI: Is it your understanding that the people that you mentioned have been targeted -- the victims that have been found by the door-to-door efforts -- are they being asked to take sides? If they don't take sides of the Gadhafi government, are they being killed?</s>WITNESS IN MISRATA: Absolutely. They are being thrown out of their homes and their homes are being searched. We hear stories of Gadhafi troops rooting some homes and shooting some people, a lot of injuries, some deaths already from the outskirts of the city. We hear stories of them kidnapping people and trying to use them as shields in the confrontation, all kinds of horrible stories.</s>GORANI: All right. We hope you are able to stay safe. Thank you very much for joining us. We are not naming our eyewitness for security reasons. A call from Misrata, a very troubling call. Libya's third largest city is being heavily shelled as we speak. This, of course, Fredricka, as French fighter planes are over Benghazi.</s>WHITFIELD: This is the nearest city, large city outside of Tripoli. We will be joined by our national correspondent there, Nic Robertson. How are the people there? Are people are being targeted and killed for not supporting the Gadhafi government?</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't translate to the people of Tripoli. Not people that we are seeing. We are on the streets of Tripoli now. There is quite an excitable atmosphere. It is a complete country if you just learned if it was struck and hit by an international force. There are people standing out on the street corners, fireworks going off in the sky, truckloads of people out waving green flags singing pro-Gadhafi songs, a truck just with his music, a national pro-Gadhafi song blaring out of his truck. And the streets around the palace area where Moammar Gadhafi and his family lived are absolutely packed solid with cars and people out waving green flags to show their support for the leadership. The message is what is happening in the east of the country or what is happening in Misrata is completely passing by the population here that the government brings out and comes out to support Moammar Gadhafi. You would be shocked to see the streets and how full they are of people this evening.</s>GORANI: What is happening in Misrata? According to the eyewitness, there is heavy shelling. Pro-Gadhafi forces are going door-to-door looking for regime elements. That is very much contradicting what is coming from the government, that a cease-fire is in place where in fact in several parts of the country pro-Gadhafi forces are still mounting assaults.</s>ROBERTSON: I think what we heard from the government today, the government spokesman when he read a letter from Moammar Gadhafi to the British prime minister to the French president and U.N. secretary- general which said U.N. resolution is invalid really told us all we need to know about the situation. Whereas, yesterday, the government said they respected the resolution and they would abide by the cease-fire, the facts on the ground were different. Now they don't respect the U.N. resolution. It is invalid. It is a clear indication of what the government is really doing, which is continuing its military advances on the ground as far as it can go. And while the international community is focusing on Benghazi, this government is acting as if they have unfinished business inside the country. We heard attacks in Misrata yesterday. We heard more than 20 people killed there and hundreds wounded according to opposition spokesperson from there. Today, it continues to be the same. The government here will be wary and tough of the international community to intervene in the build up like Misrata.</s>GORANI: Certainly not an option for air strikes. Thank you very much, Nic Robertson, is live in Tripoli, one of many crews working in that very dangerous environment.</s>WHITFIELD: Meantime, there are 20 French aircraft in the air flying over Libya. We want to check in with our correspondent in Paris Jim Bittermann.</s>JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are the first aircraft in the air that are part of the coalition that came together four hours ago. In fact, they are out over the skies. The first part of the mission was to survey the area and try to find out which targets were out there. Now, apparently, they have at least struck one military vehicle, a target that was not described any further than that, a military vehicle. There also may have been another attack which some of my colleagues are reporting we have not been able to verify. But the French military spokesperson told us this afternoon that it is up to the pilots. As they see targets of opportunity or tanks or other vehicles moving in and threatening Benghazi in any way, it is up to them to take out those vehicles. Fredricka?</s>WHITFIELD: How concerned is the French government about civilian casualties as a result of whether it could be firing at military vehicles? Sometimes accidents happen, and civilians too often end up becoming part of the casualties.</s>BITTERMANN: Well, I would say very concerned. In fact it came up at the briefing, the military briefing a short while ago. A spokesman pointed out if the Libyan army strategy is to move into the civilian areas, it will be difficult to operate with air power because you will have collateral damage. This is an area where the Libyan forces are now well inside the city and integrated in the city. It's impossible to sort that out without having troops on the ground. And everybody in this coalition, the United States and all of the Europeans have said this is not about putting boots on the ground. It is about aviation. And that way they will support what the rebels are doing in the eastern part of the country. And they are, right now, only as we understand it, they are only protecting the exclusion zone as they are calling it around the Benghazi area. It is not an area that is extensive at the moment. It could grow as these other coalition forces could get involved. And another thing I should say is all we are hearing is what the French perspective is. We are not hearing what the British or Dutch are doing, the Canadians as well.</s>WHITFIELD: Jim Bittermann, we appreciate that. We will get back to what is taking place in Libya and what is transpiring on the other side of the globe in Japan.</s>GORANI: That's right, as well as what is happening in Brazil where the president is on an official visit. We will connect with our Ed Henry after this.