The
United States has launched its first air strike by unmanned drone planes in
Libya on April 23.
The
Pentagon confirmed the strike, but did not give details of the target.
Meanwhile,
Libya's Deputy Foreign Minister, Khaled Kaim, said the U.S. decision to deploy
unmanned Predator drones to carry out ground strikes would be a crime against
humanity. RTE News
The
strike occurred today in the early afternoon local time, the Pentagon said in an
e-mailed statement today, without providing further details. U.S. President
Barack Obama last week approved the use of Predator drones. Bloomberg
Before
Saturday's strike, two US Predators were already being used above Libya for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. BBC On
Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said President Barack Obama had
approved air strikes in support of the NATO-led mission because that was where
the U.S. had "some unique capabilities". BBC The
Pentagon spokesman said in an earlier statement that it is "standard procedure
not to discuss specifics about UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) missions in any
theater of operation." AFP
The
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is leading a UN-sanctioned mission to
police a no-fly zone, protect civilians and enforce an arms embargo against
Qaddafi's government. Bloomberg The
cost of the air war in Libya for the U.S. military has reached $608 million, a
U.S. defense official said April 11. defensenews.com The
Pentagon has estimated the air campaign will cost the United States about $40
million a month, even after NATO allies took the lead in the U.N.-mandated
operation designed to protect civilians against Muammar Qaddafi's forces. The
stated mission of the U.S. has been to protect Libyan civilians from Qaddafi's
military forces but not to attack Qaddafi directly. Obama has said the goal is
to give Libyan fighters the opportunity to gain enough strength to oust Qaddafi
themselves. Still, Obama and other American officials have called for Qaddafi to
step down from power. The Hill The
United States has continued bombing Libya since announcing that as of April 4 it
would assume just a "supporting role" in the Libya War. Antiwar
HJ/KA/DB
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