NC Marines Help In Air Strikes Against Gadhafi's Regime

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Credit 26th MEU

Harrier at night aboard USS Kearsarge

Marines from Camp Lejeune are part of the coalition conducting air-strikes on Moammar Gadhafi's forces in Libya. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit joined attacks yesterday. Officials said they were successful in destroying military targets near Bengazi. Marines in the 26th began their deployment by aiding refugees of massive floods in Pakistan last August.

Captain Timothy Patrick says they also conducted combat operations in Afghanistan before helping Egyptian refugees get out of Libya:

"This Marine Expeditionary Unit is fulfilling everything required of a unit of that sort. Basically, it's designed to handle anything across the range of military operations and you can see on this deployment they've done exactly that."

The unit began a second round of air strikes early this morning on military targets near a port city in eastern Libya. Officials say Gadhafi's forces have taken significant damages there.