A NATO official acknowledged June 14 that the alliance is considering air-strikes on ancient Roman ruins in north Libya, sparking statements of concern from the United Nations. The anonymous official told CNN the alliance would bomb the ruins of Leptis Magna [2], between Tripoli and Misrata, if it confirmed that war material is being sequestered there by the Qaddafi regime. Rebel sources claim that Qaddafi-loyalist troops have stashed rocket launchers and other military equipment at the site. (CNN [3], UPI [4], Time magazine's Global Spin [5] blog, June 14)
In response to the news, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO [6]) issued a statement calling on the warring parties in Libya to protect the country's two World Heritage List [7] sites—Leptis Magna and the oasis town of Ghadamès, which also dates to Roman times. The Old Town of Ghadamès [8], known as “the pearl of the desert,” was shelled by Qaddafi forces over the weekend, according to UNESCO. (UN News Centre [9], June 14)
See our last post on Libya [10].
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