Coalition targets Gadhafi compound

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Airstrikes Sunday in the heart of Moammar Gadhafi’s Tripoli compound had a military objective, but also no doubt brought a message of allied resolve to the Libyan leader’s doorstep. A coalition military official confirmed to CNN that the compound was targeted because it contains capabilities to exercise command and control over Libyan forces. The coalition’s goal is to degrade Gadhafi’s military capabilities. The official, who was not identified because of the sensitivity of the information, insisted that neither Gadhafi nor his residence was the intended target. The leader’s whereabouts were not known. Earlier, Western journalists, including CNN’s Nic Robertson, were brought inside by Libyan officials to survey the destruction. Robertson reported a four-story building was heavily damaged, possibly by cruise missiles. Robertson said early Monday that two circular holes in the building may be telltale signs of such missiles, although that could not be immediately confirmed. The building is only 100 yards or so from a statue of a golden fist crushing a model plane emblazoned with “USA” — a monument to the 1986 American bombing of Libya, in which one U.S. plane was downed. Special guests who visit Gadhafi at a nearby large tent are usually housed in the building, reported Robertson, who held a chunk of metal with a label indicating military usage. Video footage showed collapsed columns, pieces of weaponry and chunks of concrete. There were no reported casualties. Continued at>>>>>>http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/20/libya.civil.war/