TRIPOLI, Libya, May 20 (UPI) -- NATO airstrikes hit eight warships in Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's fleet during raids on Tripoli, al-Khums and Sirte Friday, an alliance spokesman said.
The spokesman said in a statement NATO took the "decisive action" because of Gadhafi's increased use of naval vessels to launch attacks against civilians, the BBC reported.
The statement said indiscriminate mining of ports by Gadhafi maritime forces disrupted the flow of humanitarian aid into Libya and also "demonstrated a clear intent to attack NATO forces."
The strikes also demonstrated NATO's determination "to protect the civilian population of Libya, using appropriate and proportionate force" as outlined in a U.N. Security Council resolution, the statement said.
Libyan rebels appealed for international help for communities in the country's Nafousa mountain region.
Ahmed Bemoussa, a National Transitional Council member who visited the region, said people were being bombarded constantly by Gadhafi's forces and had run out of water, the BBC said.
Bemoussa said NATO strikes seemed to be ineffective against the attacks and asked for an internationally monitored corridor so aid could be brought to the region.
