TRIPOLI: A NATO airstrike hit an area near Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's compound in the capital again Tuesday, as military leaders voiced concerns about sustaining the operations if the alliance mission drags on. A column of gray smoke could be seen rising from the area around Gaddafi's Bab Al-Aziziya compound shortly before dawn Tuesday. The concussion from the blast was felt at a hotel where journalists stay in the capital. NATO warplanes have repeatedly struck in and around the compound, where pro-government supporters gather each night for rallies in support of the Libyan leader. The latest bombing comes hours after a number of foreign anti-war activists made an appearance there.But there are signs the pace of operations has put a strain on NATO. Libyan rebels made fresh gains on the western front Tuesday, pushing back forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi in a string of clashes that brought them closer to the capital Tripoli. Insurgents also sought to extend an advance in the east, setting their sights on the oil town of Brega in a bid to extend their control over the region, epicentre of the four-month rebellion against Gaddafi's four-decade rule. They seized the town of Kikla, 150 km (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, after government troops fell back, and pushed several km west of their Misrata stronghold to the outskirts of government-held Zlitan, Reuters photographers said.
