Mullen: Gathafi's forces 'no longer marching on Benghazi'

Gathafi says all his people have been armed, are ready to fight ‘long war’ to defeat Western forces attacking Libya.

Middle East Online

No-fly zone in force WASHINGTON - Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi's forces are "no longer marching on Benghazi," top US military commander Michael Mullen said Sunday. "They are no longer marching on Benghazi," Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC News. He added that the initial part of an international operation to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya "has been successful." The comments came after the United States unleashed a barrage of strikes against the Libyan regime's air defenses, 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 Gathafi's anti-aircraft missiles and radar Saturday, 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 defense facilities ashore." Early Sunday, CBS News reported that three US B-2 stealth bombers had dropped 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield in an attempt to destroy much of the Libyan Air Force. Gathafi vows 'long war' Gathafi said all Libya's people have been armed and are ready to fight a "long war" to defeat Western forces attacking his country, in a televised audio message on Sunday. "All the Libyan people are united. The Libyan men and women have been given weapons and bombs ... You will not advance, you will not step on this land," said Gathafi. "We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits," said the Libyan leader, who was speaking on state television for a second straight day without appearing in front of camera. "We are ready for a long war. You are not prepared for a long war in Libya. We are prepared. This is a very happy moment we are living." The leaders of Britain, France and the United States would "fall like Hitler ... Mussolini," he warned. "All tyrants fall under the pressure of the populist masses." "America, France, or Britain, the Christians that are in a pact against us today, they will not enjoy our oil ... You are aggressors, you are animals," said Gathafi. "We do not have to retreat from the battlefield because we are defending our land and our dignity," said the Libyan strongman who has faced a month-long armed uprising focused in the east of the country. Meanwhile, medics and AFP correspondents said Sunday said At least 94 people were killed in an assault launched two days ago on the rebel-held Libyan city of Benghazi by forces loyal to Gathafi. Libyan state media said Western warplanes had bombed civilian targets in Tripoli, causing casualties. An army spokesman said strikes also hit fuel tanks feeding the rebel-held city of Misrata, east of Tripoli.