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National Transitional Council fighters fire against troops loyal to Gadhfi as they close in on the town of Sirte on October 5, 2011.ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images

Western warplanes – including Canada's – will remain poised to bomb remnants of forces loyal to ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi until they are defeated or surrender, NATO defence ministers said Thursday.

"There should no longer be any pockets of resistance and the NTC must request it," French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said, referring to the Libyan National Transitional Council, whose forces now control the capital and almost all of the country after nearly eight months of civil war.

The bombing campaign – originally launched last March to enforce a 'no fly' zone and protect civilians – morphed into relentless air strikes entirely in support of anti-Gadhafi forces. NATO was accused of overstepping its mandate but the bombing was also considered crucial to toppling the despotic Libyan dictator. It also exposed splits and shortages in the 28-nation alliance.

Canada's Defence Minister Peter MacKay said it was premature to end the bombing. "Canada heard the clarion call and responded swiftly," he said of the decision last spring to send seven CF-18s fighter bombers, air tankers, surveillance aircraft and a warship. "Great progress has been made in Libya and the work of the Canadian Forces is not yet done," he said.

On the second day of a two-day ministerial gathering in Brussels, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he expected NATO warplanes to remain over Libya "as long as there's fighting that's continuing."

No bombs have been dropped since the weekend, according to NATO officials but missions continue as fighting continues in Sirte and several other Gadhafi strongholds.

British, French and Canadian warplanes have flown the bulk of the more than 9,300 strike sorties since the air war was launched – backed by a UN Security Council resolution. But only eight of the alliance's 28 nations agreed to participate. Germany was among the major countries opting out, which included pulling its personnel from joint NATO command and control aircraft. And the initial onslaught that destroyed most of Libya's air defences relied mostly on U.S. cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, stocks of some munitions ran short and there was heavy reliance on the U.S. military for support, refueling, transport and vital surveillance and targeting drones.

"In Libya we and our allies have been remarkably successful – we have saved countless lives and helped the Libyan people take their destiny into their own hands," said Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, calling NATO the "indispensable alliance."

But shortly before he stepped down in July, former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused European members of failing to shoulder their share of alliance defence spending. Burden sharing remains NATO's fault line.

"I think there is an expectation on all NATO members that burden sharing has been brought to the front," Mr. MacKay said. "There is an expectation that countries will share proportionately the load."

With files from The Associated Press and Reuters

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