Operation Odyssey Dawn: US And Allied Forces Strike Libya

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

1||On March 19, 2011, following the U.N Security Council’s passage of a resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Libya, U.S. and allied forces began an offensive campaign over the weekend targeting Muammar Qaddafi’s forces. U.S. warships, including the USS Barry (pictured here), launched Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya. ||flickr.com/usnavy&&

2||Tomahawk missiles fired from the USS Barry are shown here through night-vision lenses. ||flickr.com/usnavy&&

3||The mission, named Operation Odyssey Dawn, is aimed at preventing Qaddafi’s military from attacking civilians who have taken up arms against the government. ||LEVINE/SIPA/Newscom&&

4||On Saturday, March 19, 2011, coalition forces struck vehicles belonging to Qaddafi’s troops near Benghazi, the rebel’s stronghold. ||LEVINE/SIPA/Newscom&&

5||Some U.S. warplanes took off from the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault vehicle stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. Shown here, a crewman checked the machine gun mount on a helicopter prior to the mission. ||flickr.com/usnavy&&

6||France has reportedly played a leading role in the assault. ||ABACA/Newscom&&

7||A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber returned to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Sunday after enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya. ||flickr.com/usairforce&&

8||French air strikes destroyed tanks belonging to Qaddafi’s forces in al-Wayfiyah over the weekend. ||ALFRED/SIPA/Newscom&&

9||U.S. and British forces fired about 110 cruise missiles in the first two days of strikes. ||flickr.com/usnavy&&

10||U.S. African Command (AFRICOM), which is leading the American assault, said they were targeting about 20 radar and satellite installations with cruise missiles. ||flickr.com/AFRICOM&&

11||||LEVINE/SIPA/Newscom&&

12||||ALFRED/SIPA/Newscom&&

13||A crewman aboard the USS Kearsarge calibrated the infrared system of a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter ahead of the mission. ||flickr.com/usnavy&&

14||Another crewman loaded a Hellfire missile onto a Sea Hawk helicopter. ||flickr.com/usnavy&&

15||Along with the USS Kearsarge, the USS Stout also launched cruise missiles on Saturday, March 19, 2011. ||flickr.com/usnavy&&

16||U.S. pilots prepared to depart from a base in Lakenheath, England on Saturday, March 19, 2011, to join Operation Odyssey Dawn. ||flickr.com/usairforce&&

17||||U.S. Air Force photo&&

18||British warplanes — such as the RAF Tornado GR4, shown here — also took part in last weekend’s campaign. ||Zeng Yi/Xinhua/Newscom&&

19||||ALFRED/SIPA/Newscom&&

20||Vehicles belonging to Qaddafi’s forces burned near Benghazi on Saturday after being struck by French aircraft. ||ALFRED/SIPA/Newscom&&

21||||LEVINE/SIPA/Newscom&&

22||The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle sailed out from a port in southern France for Libya on Sunday, March 20, 2011. ||BOUTRIA LUC/PHOTOPQR/NICE MATIN/Newscom&&

23||An F-16 fighter jet from the 480th Fighter Squadron prepared to take-off for Libya from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany on Saturday, March 19, 2011. ||flickr.com/usairforce&&

24||A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber returned from enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya. ||B-2 Spirit stealth bomber&&

25||A Navy crewman watched cruise missiles fly through night vision binoculars on Saturday, March 19, 2011. ||U.S. Air Force photo&&

26||||LEVINE/SIPA/Newscom&&

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: