NATO air strikes have forced Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi into hiding, making it increasingly difficult for him to communicate with his troops, says a Canadian general.

"We now realise that Gaddafi is forced to hide (from NATO air strikes) and so it's become more and more difficult for him to communicate with his troops and to order attacks on civilians," Brigadier-General Richard Blanchette told a briefing on Wednesday.

NATO began to turn up the heat last month with almost daily strikes in and around Tripoli, including an evening air raid on April 30 that the regime says killed one of Gaddafi's sons and three grandchildren. NATO has not confirmed the deaths.

As alliance jets blasted Libya's capital on Wednesday, Blanchette said NATO had flown 8,100 missions over Libya, including 3,100 air strikes since the start of the campaign to pressure Gaddafi to quit after 42 years in office.

Canadian fighter jets dropped 240 laser-guided bombs on the country, said the Canadian military's spokesman.

"What you heard perhaps is that there has been increased pressure in Tripoli," he said, disputing suggestions bombardments across Libya had also been ramped up.

Libyan rebels scored a major victory mid-May by taking control of the Misrata airport about 200 kilometers east of Tripoli, placing the strategic hub beyond the range of government guns after two months under siege.

"If you look at what happened in Misrata, for example, we're convinced that we've positively influenced the situation, a large number of civilians have been protected... and the Gaddafi regime's artillery batteries, which were bombarding the city daily, have been pushed back," Blanchette said.

By SAPA