US Senator John McCain has called for increased military support for Libya's rebels, including weapons, training and stepped-up airstrikes, in a full-throated endorsement of the opposition in its fight to oust Muammar Gaddafi.
In the Libyan capital, meanwhile, a senior official said government troops would pull back from the besieged rebel-held city of Misrata and allow local armed tribesmen to take up the fight.
The apparent change in tactics came a day after the US began flying armed drones to bolster NATO airstrikes, and having the tribesmen take up the fight could make it harder for the Predators to distinguish them from Misrata's civilians or the rebels.
McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the United States and other nations should recognize the opposition's political leadership as the "legitimate voice of the Libyan people."
The White House disagreed, saying it was for the Libyan people to decide who their leaders are.
McCain also called the rebels "patriots" with no links to al-Qaida, in contrast to what some critics have suggested, and added they should receive Gaddafi assets that were frozen by other countries.
On Thursday, the US began flying armed drones that are "uniquely suited for urban areas," said US Marine Gen. James Cartwright. The drones can fly lower and counter the pro-Gaddafi forces' tactic of travelling in civilian vehicles that are difficult to distinguish from those of rebel forces.
Thursday's first mission, however, was forced to turn back due to poor weather without firing any of its Hellfire missiles, Cartwright said.
Kaim denounced the US move as a "dirty game."
"This will be another crime against humanity committed by the American administration, and I feel really very sad for President Obama to be involved in such things," he said.
At a news conference in the rebels' stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya, McCain said he did not believe that the United States should send in ground troops, but it should be much more involved in the air campaign and "facilitate" the arming and training of the rebels -- much as it armed the mujahedeen who fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
"We need to urgently step up the NATO air campaign to protect Libyan civilians, especially in Misrata," he said. "We desperately need more close air support and strike assets."
McCain applauded the Obama administration's decision to use the drones "so we can better identify Gaddafi's forces as they seek to conceal themselves in civilian areas."
McCain urged the use of combat aircraft more suited for engaging targets in urban areas, such as A-10 Thunderbolts, which are anti-tank planes, and AC-130 gunships, outfitted with heavy weaponry, including cannons, rockets and machine guns.
In the Libyan capital, meanwhile, a senior official said government troops would pull back from the besieged rebel-held city of Misrata and allow local armed tribesmen to take up the fight.
The apparent change in tactics came a day after the US began flying armed drones to bolster NATO airstrikes, and having the tribesmen take up the fight could make it harder for the Predators to distinguish them from Misrata's civilians or the rebels.
McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the United States and other nations should recognize the opposition's political leadership as the "legitimate voice of the Libyan people."
The White House disagreed, saying it was for the Libyan people to decide who their leaders are.
McCain also called the rebels "patriots" with no links to al-Qaida, in contrast to what some critics have suggested, and added they should receive Gaddafi assets that were frozen by other countries.
On Thursday, the US began flying armed drones that are "uniquely suited for urban areas," said US Marine Gen. James Cartwright. The drones can fly lower and counter the pro-Gaddafi forces' tactic of travelling in civilian vehicles that are difficult to distinguish from those of rebel forces.
Thursday's first mission, however, was forced to turn back due to poor weather without firing any of its Hellfire missiles, Cartwright said.
Kaim denounced the US move as a "dirty game."
"This will be another crime against humanity committed by the American administration, and I feel really very sad for President Obama to be involved in such things," he said.
At a news conference in the rebels' stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya, McCain said he did not believe that the United States should send in ground troops, but it should be much more involved in the air campaign and "facilitate" the arming and training of the rebels -- much as it armed the mujahedeen who fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
"We need to urgently step up the NATO air campaign to protect Libyan civilians, especially in Misrata," he said. "We desperately need more close air support and strike assets."
McCain applauded the Obama administration's decision to use the drones "so we can better identify Gaddafi's forces as they seek to conceal themselves in civilian areas."
McCain urged the use of combat aircraft more suited for engaging targets in urban areas, such as A-10 Thunderbolts, which are anti-tank planes, and AC-130 gunships, outfitted with heavy weaponry, including cannons, rockets and machine guns.
