A series of at least 10 NATO strikes hit in and around the Libyan capital early on June 3, targeting military barracks close to Qaddafi’s sprawling compound in central Tripoli, a police station and a military base, a government official said. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. The strikes appeared to be the heaviest in Tripoli since South African President Jacob Zuma visited Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in the capital earlier this week in an apparently unsuccessful effort to find a peaceful resolution to the country’s crisis.
Also Friday, a UN official said the world body’s refugee agency would meet later in the day with a Libyan woman who claimed she was gang-raped by Qaddafi’s troops. She was deported Thursday from Qatar where she had sought refuge and was flown against her will to Benghazi, the official said.
Speaking in Geneva, the official, Adrian Edwards, said his agency was with Iman El-Obeidi when she was taken from her Qatar hotel against her will. He said she is a recognized refugee, and her deportation violated international law.