A rebel official in Libya's besieged city of Misrata pleaded for Britain and France to send troops to help fight Moamer Kadhafi's forces, while a son of the strongman said he was "very optimistic" his father's regime will prevail.
A senior member of Misrata's governing council, Nuri Abdullah Abdullati, said they were asking for the troops on the basis of "humanitarian" principles, in the first request by insurgents for boots on the ground.
Previously, he told reporters, "we did not accept any foreign soldiers in our country, but now, as we face these crimes of Kadhafi, we are asking on the basis of humanitarian and Islamic principles for someone to come and stop the killing."
"Before we were asking for no foreign interference, but that was before Kadhafi used Grad rockets and planes. Now it's a life or death situation."
His plea came as Kadhafi and rebel forces engaged in fierce fighting in southeast Misrata.
The din subsided only briefly when NATO planes were heard overhead, but picked up immediately afterwards.
The rebels in Misrata, which has been under siege for more than a month and seen hundreds killed, have no direct contact with coalition forces. Abdullati said the request was sent last week to the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) in Benghazi, but there had yet been no reply.
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