World News Engine: US says goal is to get Gaddafi to step down

US says goal is to get Gaddafi to step down

The United States on Monday sent mixed messages about its objectives in Libya, as President Barack Obama said Muammer al-Gaddafi must go, but vowed US forces would stick to a narrower UN mandate.

"Our military action is in support of an international mandate from the Security Council that specifically focuses on the humanitarian threat posed by Colonel Gaddafi to his people," Obama told a press conference in Chile.

The missile and air strikes launched at the weekend were "in support of UN Security Resolution 1973, that specifically talks about humanitarian efforts, and we are going to make sure that we stick to that mandate," he added.

But Obama stressed it was "US policy that Gaddafi needs to go" accusing the veteran leader who has ruled the north African country for more than four decades of murdering civilians as he tries to quell an opposition uprising.

The US administration has come under pressure for not spelling out its war aims in Libya, even though Obama has insisted there will be no US boots on the ground.

Observers have fretted that the end-game has not been clearly defined and that the US military which is stretched by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan does not have the capacity to take on another potentially drawn-out war.

There has also been growing international criticism about the strikes launched by US, British and French forces on Libyan air defense systems as they seek to impose a no-fly zone on Gaddafi's forces.

Late Monday, Gaddafi's Tripoli compound was rocked by blasts, state television said, as loud explosions and anti-aircraft fire raked the night sky.

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US says goal is to get Gaddafi to step down

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