Israel: US army chief: Goal is to help Libyan people not oust Gaddafi

Haaretz

U.S. army chief: Gadhafi needs to 'make decisions' on his future
Speaking with NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Admiral Mike Mullen claims goal of international missile strike of Libyan army was not to oust the Libyan leader.
By Reuters and Haaretz Service


Libyan Leader Muammer Gadhafi will have to "make decisions" regarding his future amid missile strikes by international forces, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen told U.S. media on Sunday.

The U.S. and European strikes, which were aimed at enforcing a UN-mandated no-fly zone, were a sharp escalation in the international effort to stop Gadhafi after weeks of pleading by rebels on the verge of defeat.

Western allies targeted Gadhafi's military infrastructure with airstrikes and dozens of cruise missiles earlier Sunday, shaking Tripoli and other coastal locations with explosions and the sound of gunfire in the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war.

Referring to the ongoing strike, Gadhafi said in a statement on Libyan TV on Sunday that the attacks by the international task force amounted to "terrorism."

The Libyan leader said his country was preparing for a "long, glorious war" and that all Libyans were carrying weapons to defend the country, claiming to have opened up the weapons depots and saying, "Everyone is armed with automatic weapons, mortars, bombs."

In an interview with NBC "Meet the Press" later Sunday, the U.S. army chief, in reference to the aerial strikes of Gadhafi forces, indicated that the Libyan leader would have to "make decisions" regarding his future in the country, adding, however, that the attacks' goal was not to oust the Libyan leader.

"Operations yesterday went very well," Mullen said. "He [Gaddafi] hasn't had aircraft or helicopters flying the last couple days. So effectively that no-fly zone has been put in place."

Mullen also said he has seen no reports of civilian casualties resulting from Western air strikes.

Military officials said that as Sunday dawned, satellites would give commanders a better view of the expected destruction along the country's coastline.

U.S. and British ships launched the first phase of the missile assault Saturday, raining 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles onto more than 20 radar systems, communications centers and surface-to-air missile sites.

French fighter jets fired the first salvos, carrying out several strikes in the rebel-held east, while British fighter jets also bombarded the North African nation.

Libyan state TV claimed 48 people died and 50 were wounded in the attacks, but the report could not be independently verified. It said most of the casualties were children but gave no more details.

The strikes were a sharp escalation in the international effort to stop Gadhafi after weeks of pleading by the rebels who have seen early gains reversed as the regime unleashed the full force of its superior air power and weaponry.

The longtime Libyan leader vowed to defend his country from what he called crusader aggression and warned the involvement of international forces will subject the Mediterranean and North African region to danger and put civilians at risk.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-army-chief-gadhafi-needs-to-make-decisions-on-his-future-1.350547