Awwal 11, 1432 / April 15, 2011, SPA -- The United States said that NATO has been successful in commanding and establishing a no-fly zone over Libya, according to the State Department on Thursday. Spokesman Mark Toner said during his daily briefing, “the partners in the coalition who are carrying out these airstrikes are doing a capable and successful job in shutting down Libya's air defenses and establishing this no-fly zone.” Asked whether NATO is successfully protecting civilians in Libya, Toner said, “We recognize that there are challenges, that Kadhafi's forces have adapted to the environment, have infiltrated, have sent in snipers, among other tactics, to try to make it harder for NATO to conduct that operation.” “NATO continues to fly an increased number of sorties every day, to suppress Libya's air defenses and to attack targets on the ground that we believe are threatening civilians,” Toner said. “We have established a no-fly zone, we have improved the situation. But obviously, this is an ongoing problem, and we are very mindful of the fluidity of the situation, and that we need to continue to do more,” Toner added.
