Two Turkish aid planes were attacked with anti-aircraft weapons fired by suspected Gaddafi loyalists in besieged Sirte on Sunday but by a rapid maneveuring the planes could avoid anti-aircraft bullets.
The two planes, carrying 14 tonnes of food and water to besieged cities, as agreed with the officials of National Transition Council and Turkish government during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Libya, started to drop the aid packages to Gaddafi stronghold in Sirte and a town near Niger.
The two planes arrived in Benghazi on Saturday night and the planes were scheduled to start dropping aid packages with parachutes in dawn for security reasons. NTC and Turkish officials decided to drop aid packages to Waddan district, south of Sirte, and a town neighboring Niger.
NTC officials requested 22 tonnes of aid and pilots said on the first stage, they will drop 14 tonnes of aid and will continue dropping more in upcoming days.
After dropping the packages with parachuts in Sirte, the planes were set to return to Benghazi but they were attacked by anti-aircraft bullets. The state-run Anatolia news agency reporter, who was in the plane, said the pilot, with a sudden maneveur, rapidly increased its flight altitude and safely returned to Benghazi airport.
After examination, it was clear that no bullets hit the plane. The plane could rapidly avoid the bullets as it dropped off its cargo. The pilots informed NTC officials about the coordinates of the attack and the NTC investigation will show if the attack was perpetrated by pro-Gaddafi forces.
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