The Pentagon is considering adding Air Force gunships and other attack aircraft that are better suited for tangling with Libyan ground forces in contested urban areas like Misrata, a senior Pentagon official said Friday...
With the Obama administration eager to take a back seat, it remained unclear when NATO would assume command of the no-fly patrols. Also unclear was when — and even if — the U.S. military's African Command would hand off to NATO the lead role in attacking Libyan ground targets...
Gortney, said there has been no reduction in the number of American planes participating. In fact, he said the Pentagon was considering bringing in side-firing AC-130 gunships, helicopters and armed drone aircraft that could challenge Libyan ground forces that threaten civilians in cities like Misrata. The U.S. has avoided attacking in cities thus far out of fear that civilians could be killed or injured. AC-130 gunships, which operate at night at low altitude, can attack with unusual precision...
Asked about the condition of Gadhafi's armed forces after a week of U.S. and coalition bombing, Gortney said their communications had been degraded, yet they remain a dangerous threat. In the contested city of Ajdabiya, for example, attacks against pro-Gadhafi forces were producing limited results.
"We assess that our strikes on regime forces around the city have had an effect, but the regime is still able and still determined to reinforce their positions there," Gortney said.