TRIPOLI, Libya – Forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi have been shelling a route used to ferry supplies from across the Tunisian border to hideouts in the mountains of western Libya, rebels there said on Tuesday.
NATO also vowed that its warplanes would keep up the pressure on Gadhafi's regime for as long as it takes to end the violence in the North African nation.
Italian Navy Vice Admiral Rinaldo Veri said, having disrupted the regime's ground forces on the front lines, NATO was now focusing on cutting Gadhafi's lines of communications with his troops.
The bombing by a U.S.-led international force started seven weeks ago. NATO took over command of aerial operations at the end of March.
The bombing campaign has stymied Gadhafi's efforts to retake rebel territory, but the ill-trained and badly equipped opposition has been unable to press the advantage and make advances against government forces.
The rebels in western Libya, reached by telephone, said loyalist forces have been firing dozens of rockets at the road to disrupt supplies coming from the rebel-controlled Dhuheiba crossing into Tunisia. Shelling has caused the road to intermittently close.
The Libyan leader has been fighting rebels in the east of his vast oil-rich nation since an uprising against his rule began in February. His forces control most of western Libya save for a string of villages along the mountainous western border.
Outside pressure for Gadhafi to resign has been mounting.
On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Libyan leader must "immediately step down." Gadhafi, he told a news conference in Istanbul, has ignored calls for change in Libya and instead preferred "blood, tears and pressure against his own people."
"Gadhafi must take a historic step and withdraw, for the future of Libya, its peace and prosperity," he said.
Previously, Turkish leaders had gently urged Gadhafi to meet demands for change from the opposition, then suggested that he step down. But Erdogan's comments on Tuesday were his strongest public message to Gadhafi yet.
Turkey initially balked at the idea of military action in Libya, but citing its responsibilities as a NATO member it took part in the enforcement of an arms embargo on Libya while volunteering to lead humanitarian aid efforts.
Turkey has vast trade interests in Libya, where Turkish companies have been involved in lucrative construction projects worth billions of dollars, building hospitals, shopping malls and five-star hotels before the uprising and resulting chaos began.
NATO also vowed that its warplanes would keep up the pressure on Gadhafi's regime for as long as it takes to end the violence in the North African nation.
Italian Navy Vice Admiral Rinaldo Veri said, having disrupted the regime's ground forces on the front lines, NATO was now focusing on cutting Gadhafi's lines of communications with his troops.
The bombing by a U.S.-led international force started seven weeks ago. NATO took over command of aerial operations at the end of March.
The bombing campaign has stymied Gadhafi's efforts to retake rebel territory, but the ill-trained and badly equipped opposition has been unable to press the advantage and make advances against government forces.
The rebels in western Libya, reached by telephone, said loyalist forces have been firing dozens of rockets at the road to disrupt supplies coming from the rebel-controlled Dhuheiba crossing into Tunisia. Shelling has caused the road to intermittently close.
The Libyan leader has been fighting rebels in the east of his vast oil-rich nation since an uprising against his rule began in February. His forces control most of western Libya save for a string of villages along the mountainous western border.
Outside pressure for Gadhafi to resign has been mounting.
On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Libyan leader must "immediately step down." Gadhafi, he told a news conference in Istanbul, has ignored calls for change in Libya and instead preferred "blood, tears and pressure against his own people."
"Gadhafi must take a historic step and withdraw, for the future of Libya, its peace and prosperity," he said.
Previously, Turkish leaders had gently urged Gadhafi to meet demands for change from the opposition, then suggested that he step down. But Erdogan's comments on Tuesday were his strongest public message to Gadhafi yet.
Turkey initially balked at the idea of military action in Libya, but citing its responsibilities as a NATO member it took part in the enforcement of an arms embargo on Libya while volunteering to lead humanitarian aid efforts.
Turkey has vast trade interests in Libya, where Turkish companies have been involved in lucrative construction projects worth billions of dollars, building hospitals, shopping malls and five-star hotels before the uprising and resulting chaos began.
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