U.S. has kept up Libya airstrikes

WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials disclosed Wednesday that U.S. warplanes had continued to strike targets in Libya even after the Obama administration said the United States was stepping back from offensive missions and letting NATO take the lead.

Although U.S. officials had said no aircraft would fly offensive strike missions, unless officially approved in Washington, 11 warplanes have flown 97 sorties designed to electronically jam or otherwise suppress Libyan air defenses since April 4, when command of the mission was handed over to NATO and the United States publicly said it was stepping back to a supporting role.

The number of missile strikes during those missions was three; all were against Libyan air-defense systems, whether radars, command-and-control sites or surface-to-air missiles. Two of them were to destroy hard-to-find and hard-to-strike mobile targets.

In explaining the gap between public statements and operational details, officials said the three strikes on Libyan targets since April 4 were classified as defensive, not offensive.

The distinction was that these attacks were designed to incapacitate Libyan radars, anti-aircraft batteries or command centers to protect NATO strike aircraft, and were not offensive actions against Libyan government forces threatening civilians.

The disclosure came as Libya's rebels urged the U.S. to reassert a stronger role in airstrikes on Moammar Gadhafi's forces and some international allies called for more aggressive action.

The tiny Gulf state of Qatar, which hosted the first meeting Wednesday of a group set up to guide the NATO-led airstrikes and humanitarian missions in Libya, said it was a "race against time" to give Gadhafi's outgunned opponents the tools to fight.

Its crown prince, Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, said, "It is time to help the Libyan people defend themselves, and to defend the Libyan people." His nation helped the rebels sell oil under their control and is one of the few Arab states contributing to the air campaign.

Rebel spokesman Mahmoud Shammam urged NATO to step up its air campaign to hit pro-Gadhafi forces in efforts to protect civilians and appealed for a greater role by the U.S.

"When the Americans were involved, the mission was very active and it was more leaning toward protecting the civilians," Shammam said.

U.S. explanation

Pentagon officials had to scramble Wednesday to explain the latest nuance about the U.S. mission in Libya.

At a minimum, the disclosure of strikes dating back several days — on April 4, April 6 and April 7 — revealed a tin ear for how the facts of daily combat operations would compare to public statements that left the impression that the United States had ceased dropping bombs and missiles on Libya.

The continued operation of U.S. warships and warplanes in supporting and attacking roles is evidence that, while NATO is in command, the U.S. military remains the partner with specific capabilities that are required for the alliance to operate effectively.

U.S. officials had said that only support aircraft — such as refueling, reconnaissance and command-and-control planes — would be part of the daily operation. Any NATO desire for U.S. strike aircraft, in particular the A-10 tank-buster and the AC-130 flying gunship — would have to be requested formally and approved in Washington.

But the 11 U.S. warplanes assigned to a mission called Suppression of Enemy Air Defense are flying as part of the NATO-led mission.

"It is a purely defensive mission," the Pentagon said in an official statement. Later, the Pentagon press secretary, Geoff Morrell, added, "It is completely consistent with how we have described our support role ever since the transition to NATO lead."

Diplomatic initiative

While Wednesday's meeting in Doha, Qatar's capital, produced no policy breakthrough, delegates vowed to work toward setting up a financial mechanism that would help the rebels' transitional government pay salaries and cover other day-to-day needs. Envoys said the system could draw on oil revenues from rebel-held areas and frozen Libyan assets.

In a final communiqué, delegates said they welcomed progress made to support and protect the Libyan people. The statement said participants agreed to continue to support the opposition, including with "material support," and urged all parties to grant safe access to humanitarian agencies.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said different countries are taking different views of what "material support" entails.

NATO, meanwhile, launched new airstrikes Wednesday on targets held by Gadhafi, and Gadhafi's government denounced proposals by rebel leaders that they be given some of the government's assets that have been frozen as part of international sanctions. "That is financial piracy," Finance Minister Abdulhafid Zlitni said of such a transfer. About $120 billion in Libyan assets have been frozen, he said.

Detailing the Wednesday bombings, a NATO official confirmed a strike on at least one ammunition bunker outside the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Libya's official JANA news agency reported airstrikes in three other places: Misrata, Libya's third-largest city; Sirte, a Gadhafi stronghold and home to the Libyan leader's tribe; and Aziziyah, about 22 miles south of Tripoli.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.