US Declares No-Fly Zone over Libya to Be in Place

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen. Photo by BGNES

The Western coalition has managed to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in less than 24 hours, according to US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen.

Mullen told CNN on Sunday that a no-fly zone is "effectively in place," as the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi is fighting a popular uprising.

So far, air attacks by coalition forces have taken out most of Libya's air defense systems and some airfields, Mullen said in an interview for CNN's "State of the Union" program.

In addition, Libyan ground forces in the vicinity of Benghazi were hit in an effort to prevent attacks on the rebel stronghold, according to Mullen.

The strategy now is to cut off logistical support for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces, which are "pretty spread out" from Tripoli to Benghazi, Mullen said. Coalition forces also are looking to jam communications of Gadhafi's forces in what Mullen called the "first phase of a multi-faceted" operation.

The specific goals of what Mullen called a "limited" military mission are to create the no-fly zone, protect civilians and allow humanitarian support to proceed in Libya.

"We would like to see him withdraw his forces across the country back into garrison" and stop attacking his people, Mullen said of Gadhafi. He also called for the Libyan government and military to allow humanitarian operations to help citizens.

When told that Gadhafi was claiming women and children had been killed in the coalition air strikes, Mullen said the targets were selected carefully, adding: "I've seen no reports of significant civilian casualties."

A total of five Western states – the USA, the UK, France, Italy, and Canada – started the air and missile strikes on Gaddafi's regime on Saturday, with Spain, Denmark, and some Arab nations such as the UAE, Qatar, Morocco, and Jordan expected to join in.

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