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March 22, 2011

MoD calls off Tripoli missile strike to protect Reuters and CNN journalists, reports

By Dominic wireposts

The British military apparently avoided a PR disaster and a journalistic tragedy when it called of further missile strikes on Colonel Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli.

According to The Sun (which appears to have most on this story) a Tomahawk cruise missile launched by a Royal Navy nuclear sub hit the compound on Sunday night and then Western journalists – including reporters from CNN and Reuters – were bussed in by Gaddafi PR men to view the damage.  Apparently intelligence reached RAF Tornado jets that journalists were in the area, and follow-up missile strikes were aborted.

The story, apparently first emerged on Fox which made accusations that journalists were being used by the Gaddafi regime as human shields (see report below).

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