20110329
reuters

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A series of powerful explosions rocked Tripoli on Tuesday and state television said several targets in the Libyan capital had come under attack from "crusader aggressors".

Reuters reporters heard at least three explosions from their location in central Tripoli at around 1540 GMT.

Libyan state television said several "civilian and military targets" had been bombed by "colonial, crusader aggressors".

Coalition forces have been launching daily air strikes on Libya since March 19 to enforce a U.N.-mandated no fly zone and protect civilians against leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

Daytime attacks are unusual in Tripoli. Coalition air strikes and missile attacks tend to happen after dark and are sometimes heard through the night.

Tripoli residents said the latest explosions took place in the east of the capital but their exact location was not clear. Aircraft were heard above Tripoli earlier in the day.