Libyan rebels await US drones, say no to troops

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BENGHAZI: The US was to deploy unmanned armed drones over Libya after France, Britain and Italy sent military advisers but rebels were adamant Friday they don't want foreign troops in their ranks.

US President Barack Obama authorised deployment of missile-carrying drone warplanes over Libya "because of the humanitarian situation," US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

Libyan rebels, who on Thursday overran a post on the Tunisian border to mark their first advance in weeks against Kadhafi's forces, have complained that civilians are being killed in places like Misrata.

"Our houses are being hit by bombs and rockets," said 45-year-old Ibrahim Issa Abu Hajjar, who fled Misrata with hundreds of civilians aboard a Turkish ferry that docked Thursday in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

"We want the allies to stop Kadhafi's forces from taking the city."

Unmanned drones will give NATO commanders precision capabilities to strike targets that are "nestling up against crowded areas," said US General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Now you have the intermixing of the lines, so it's very difficult to pick friend from foe," Cartwright said. "A vehicle like the Predator (drone) that can get down lower and get IDs helps us." (AFP)