U.N. flies into Ivory Coast fight

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - A United Nations helicopter fired at strongman Laurent Gbagbo's forces yesterday as France authorized its military to take out his heavy weapons, an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts to oust the entrenched leader.

The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had requested France's military participation. Gbagbo lost presidential elections in November but has refused to cede power to Alassane Ouattara.

Forces backing Ouattara launched a dramatic offensive last week, seizing control of the administrative capital and other towns before heading toward Abidjan.

Yesterday, the U.N. helicopter fired on Gbagbo's troops to prevent them from using heavy weapons at the Akouedo camp in Abidjan, said a U.N. spokesman. The military base houses Gbagbo's arsenal.

"The country has been plunged into violence with a heavy toll on the civilian population," Ban said in a statement. "In the past few days, forces loyal to Mr. Gbagbo have intensified . . . their use of heavy weapons such as mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns against the civilian population in Abidjan."