U.S. rescue team shoot six Libyan civilians rushing to greet downed American fighter crew






Both pilot and weapons officer slightly injured but safe in U.S. hands

Six villagers shot by Marines sent to pick up pilot



Father of little boy who may loose leg after shooting 'bears no malice' towards coalition

Libyan civilians who met plane's weapons officer said 'Don't be scared, we are your friends' and gave him fruit juice



U.S. fires 20 more Tomahawks into Libya, bringing total to 159

Misarata under fire and rebels attacked by loyalist offensive in Adjabiyah

Defence Sec Robert Gates warns targeting Gaddafi would be 'unwise'

Six Libyan villagers are recovering in hospital after being shot by American soldiers coming in to rescue the U.S. pilots whose plane crash-landed in a field.

The helicopter strafed the ground as it landed in a field outside Benghazi beside the downed U.S. Air Force F-15E Eagle which ran into trouble during bombing raid last night.

And a handful of locals who had come to greet the pilot were hit - among them a young boy who may have to have a leg amputated because of injuries caused by a bullet wound.

A second aviator - the F15's weapons officer - was found in a field full of sheep and was greeted like a hero by locals and anti-Gaddafi rebels.

Downed: People look at a U.S Air Force F-15E fighter jet after it crashed near the eastern city of Benghazi. the U.S. military reported the pilots had been picked up

Innocent: Young boys wearing old Libyan flags climb on the wrecked fighter plane. A six-year-old boy was seriously injured in the shooting

Downed: F15E Eagle fighter jet, similar to that lost in Libya last night As the officer was surrounded by villagers, he held his arms out, calling 'okay, okay', according to the Evening Standard - but the grateful Libyans queued to thank him and give him juice. Younis Amruni told the newspaper: 'I hugged him and said "Don't be scared, we are your friends". We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies.' The F15E Eagle was found by Daily Telegraph reporter Rob Crilly, who didn't give an exact location. The crew of the fighter plane had enjoyed a miraculous escape after suffering suspected mechanical failure during the third night of air strikes on Colonel Gaddafi's military positions. The plane, based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, had set off from Aviano in Italy but came down at Bu Mariem, some 24 miles east of Benghazi. The jet's wreckage is set to be recovered or destroyed by the Americans, to prevent the plant coming into Gaddafi's hands, while the crew were seen by a doctor in the rebel stronghold before being taken to a U.S. ship. The U.S. military confirmed an Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle crashed in Libya but it was not shot down, while Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Africa Command, said both crew members ejected and sustained minor injuries. Gauging the reaction of locals in the area, Hilsum said 'the local Libyans do not seem resentful, they still want the coalition forces to keep operating'. The incident is an embarrassment all round for the coalition, which had been met by strong anti-aircraft fire over Tripoli last night. The United States fired 20 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya in the past 12 hours, a military spokeswoman confirmed this morning.

A total of 159 Tomahawks have been fired by the United States and the United Kingdom since the mission -- called Operation Odyssey Dawn -- began Saturday.

'We think we have been very effective in degrading his ability to control his regime forces,' said Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command.

Last night, as coalition jets struck targets in Libya for the third night running, Barack Obama in South America insisted again that the dictator must go – but that the aim of the assault was to protect civilians. Key ally, British PM David Cameron, was meanwhile battling to keep the support of the Arab League for the mission and ensure Turkey remained onside. Cameron slso called for Libyan commanders still loyal to Gaddafi to 'put down your weapons and walk away from your tanks'

Misunderstanding: Libyan civilians were rushing out to greet the pilots when they were shot by U.S. rescuers





There is widespread unease at the air strikes - and the Libyans sought to widen the divide in the international ranks by claiming last night's attacks brought civilian fatalities and that hospitals were filling up with the wounded.

Claims emerged yesterday that Gaddafi’s sixth son Khamis was killed when a Libyan pilot deliberately crashed his jet into a barracks on Saturday.

Those claims are being investigated today, although are disputed by the regime.

And Russian premier Vladimir Putin provocatively likened the UN-backed mission to the medieval crusades.

The British Government also came under fire from U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who described as 'unwise' suggestions that a Gaddafi killing could be justifiable.

He warned that it could undermine the cohesion of the international coalition supporting the no-fly zone.

‘If we start adding additional objectives then I think we create a problem in that respect,’ he said. ‘I also think it is unwise to set as specific goals things that you may or may not be able to achieve.’

The wrangling followed the destruction of an admiinistrative building in Gaddafi's compound on the second night of air strikes.



It was reduced to rubble by a precision strike from 1,000lb cruise missiles. The block was about 150 yards from the tents which the Libyan leader uses as his official residence.

It is not known where the dictator was at the time of the bombing but he has not been seen or heard since the attack. He may have fled into the desert. Senior government sources described the hugely symbolic strike at the heart of his regime as a ‘shot across his bows’.

The target was agreed around four days ago by British military personnel in concert with the U.S. and the French. It was not the result of specific ‘actionable intelligence’ that Gaddafi was present.

Reports of fighting in Misarata came from a doctor in the last rebel-held city in Libya's west, 125 miles from Tripoli.



The anonymous source said Gaddafi tanks were on the streets and snipers controlling the main road.

He said international forces did not appear to be implementing the no-fly zone and estimated that nine people had been killed this morning, including a fellow physician and his four children who were shot by snipers.

'Snipers are everywhere in Misarata, shooting any one who walks by while the world is still watching. There is no protection for civilians,' he said.



There was also a major offensive by Gaddafi's forces outside the strategic eastern city of Ajdabiyah, where artillery fire forced regrouping rebels to scatter.

A ragtag band of hundreds of fighters on the outskirts of Ajdabiya milled about, clutching mortars, grenades and assault rifles.

The group was forced to flee in jeeps and trucks when they came under fire from regime forces but later returned and clustered in the same area - a pattern that has become common.

However, disorganisation among the rebels could hamper their attempts to exploit the turn of events.

One rebel commander complained the large number of so-called citizen soldiers were only getting in the way.

'It's making it difficult to do our job. It's important to take care of their lives,' he said.



Triumphant: Rebels and civilians climb aboard a Gaddafi tank to celebrate yesterday