Secret missions into Libya

British and German military planes have swooped into Libya's desert, rescuing hundreds of oil workers and civilians stranded at remote sites, as thousands of other foreigners are still stuck in Tripoli by bad weather and red tape.

The secret military missions signal the readiness of Western nations to disregard Libya's territorial integrity when it comes to the safety of their citizens.

Three British Royal Air Force C-130 and C-130J Hercules aircraft plucked 150 stranded civilians from multiple locations in the eastern Libyan desert before flying them to Malta on February 27, the British Defence Ministry has said in a statement. One of the aircraft appeared to have suffered minor damage from small arms fire, according to British Defence Secretary Liam Fox. The rescue follows a similar secret commando raid on February 26 by Special Forces, that included the famed SAS, that got another 150 oil workers from the desert. Separately, Germany said its air force had evacuated 132 people, also from the desert, during a secret mission. Meanwhile, thousands of Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Somalis, Ethiopians and others have spilled out of a row of sea port side shelters and are facing strong winds and torrential rain. These are some of the foreigner workers whose governments have not organised evacuation for them. Many work for Chinese and Turkish construction firms.

The sheer numbers of foreigners leaving Libya has been staggering. At least 20,000 Chinese, 15,000 Turks and 1,400 Italians had been evacuated, most working in the construction and oil industries. Further, some 22,000 people have fled across the border to Tunisia and another 15,000 have crossed into Egypt, the United Nations has said.— AP