.Anti-aircraft fire, explosions echo in Tripoli

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,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Anti-aircraft fire, explosions echo in Tripoli
The source of the explosions was not immediately clear,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but the gunfire appeared to signal a fourth night of U.S. and European air operations over Libya on Tuesday to enforce a no-fly zone.
In the previous night's operations,President Obama's Libya War Challenges, the coalition air campaign suffered its first loss with the crash of an American fighter jet in the rebel-held east. Both crew ejected safely as the aircraft spun from the sky.
The no-fly zone is intended to protect civilians from attack by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in their battles with rebel fighters. The uprising against Gadhafi's four-decade rule began Feb. 15.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
BU MARIEM, Libya (AP) — An American fighter jet crashed in Libya's rebel held east,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], both crew ejecting safely as the aircraft spun from the sky during the third night of the U.S. and European air campaign. Moammar Gadhafi's forces shelled rebels regrouping in the dunes outside a key eastern city on Tuesday,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and his snipers and tanks roamed the last major opposition-held city in the west.
The crash was the first major loss for the U.S. and European military air campaign, which over three nights appears to have hobbled Gadhafi's air defenses and artillery and rescued the rebels from impending defeat. But the opposition force, with more enthusiasm than discipline,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], has struggled to exploit the gains. The international alliance,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], too, has shown fractures as officials struggle to articulate an endgame.