US stealth bombers attack Libyan base
WASHINGTON, Sunday
Three US B-2 stealth bombers have dropped 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield in an attempt to destroy much of the Libyan Air Force, CBS News reported early Sunday.
The television network also said that at the same time, US Air Force fighter jets conducted missions searching for Libyan ground forces to attack.
No US aircraft were lost during the missions, the report said.
On Saturday, the United States unleashed a barrage of Tomahawk missiles against the Libyan regime’s air defences, but ruled out using ground troops in what President Barack Obama called a “limited military action”.
In a dramatic show of force, US warships and a British submarine fired at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya against Gaddafi’s anti-aircraft missiles and radar, the US military said.
Admiral William Gortney told reporters at the Pentagon that the cruise missiles “struck more than 20 integrated air defense systems and other air defence facilities ashore.”
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has ruled out using ground troops in what he called “limited military action.”
“We must be clear: actions have consequences, and the writ of the international community must be enforced,” Mr Obama told reporters while on an official visit to Brazil on Sunday.
“We are answering the calls of a threatened people. And we are acting in the interests of the United States and the world,” he said, stressing that Washington was acting in concert “with a broad coalition.”
But with nearly 100,000 US troops fighting a protracted war in Afghanistan, Mr Obama made clear that operation “Odyssey Dawn” would not send US troops to Libya.
“The Pentagon has suggested the US military will play a supporting role in operations, employing Tomahawk missiles, electronic jamming aircraft and other resources while European allies fly bombing missions over Libya.
According to The Washington Post, Western reconnaissance satellites are closely monitoring a small garage at a remote desert site, south of the city of Sirte, where the Libyan government keeps about 10 tons of mustard gas.
Western officials are concerned Gaddafi could use the caustic chemical to kill large numbers of his people, the report said.
