Taliban announce spring offensive

The Taliban have announced the start of a spring offensive across Afghanistan.
In a statement, the group said the fighting would start on Sunday, targeting foreign troops as well as Afghan security forces and officials.

It warned civilians to stay away from public gatherings, military bases, government buildings and convoys.
Meanwhile initial findings from a Nato inquiry into a deadly attack at Kabul airport on Wednesday suggest the gunman was not connected to the Taliban.

The man, an Afghan pilot, killed eight US troops and a contractor. He was later found dead.
The Taliban claimed the attack, but the coalition said there was no evidence for this and the gunman appeared to have acted alone.

Saturday's statement by the Taliban said the group would attack "foreign invading forces, members of their spy networks and other spies, high-ranking officials of the Kabul puppet administration".

It said the war would continue "until the foreign invading forces pull out of Afghanistan".

The Taliban have claimed a series of attacks in recent weeks - including the killing of Kandahar police chief Khan Mohammed Mujahid and a suicide bombing at an Afghan base near Jalalabad that killed five foreign and five Afghan troops.

However on Friday, a Pentagon report said the insurgents' momentum had been "broadly arrested" following a US troop surge last year.

Moammar Gadhafi calls for NATO cease-fire

Moammar Gadhafi on Saturday urged NATO to negotiate an end to airstrikes, accusing the international coalition of killing civilians and destroying the nation's infrastructure in a bid to take over its oil production.

"Come and negotiate with us. You are the ones attacking us. You are the ones terrifying our kids and destroying our infrastructure. You American, French and British come and negotiate with us," Gadhafi said during a rambling 45-minute address on Libyan state TV.

It was a rare appearance for the leader, who has not been seen in public since international forces began bombing regime targets last month.

The airstrikes started after the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution authorizing any means necessary to protect civilians demanding the ouster of the ruler, who has been in power for nearly 42 years.

At times, Gadhafi's address appeared to be a tirade against NATO and the United Nations.

"What are you trying to do? Trying to take the oil?" he said. "The Libyan people will not allow you ... The oil is under control of the Libyan government and for the people."

He called on the United Nations to review the NATO attacks, saying his country agreed to a cease-fire.

"We are the first ones who wanted and agreed on a cease-fire. But the NATO crusader airstrike did not cease," he said. "It cannot be a cease-fire from one side."

Gadhafi took to the airwaves after his government threatened to sink any ship approaching the besieged port city of Misrata. The declaration essentially threatens NATO patrols and humanitarian aid ships that have been bringing in food and medical supplies and ferrying out refugees and the wounded.

The government threat came shortly after NATO said it intercepted government forces laying mines in Misrata's harbor, which has been a lifeline for humanitarian aid.

It also came as Gadhafi's forces were shelling Misrata in an attempt to re-enter the city after being pushed out by rebels. Misrata, the country's third-largest city, has been hemmed in on three sides for weeks by Gadhafi's forces, leaving the sea as the only escape route.

At least nine people were killed and 30 more were wounded in Friday's attacks in Misrata, said a doctor, who is a member of the medical committee in the city.

"There is an indiscriminate shelling now in Misrata," said the doctor, who asked not to be identified because he feared retribution by Gadhafi's forces.

Meanwhile, Libyan state TV announced that the military had successfully suppressed operations of the port.

"We will not allow any ship to dock at the port without being inspected by the Libyan government," said Musa Ibrahim, a government spokesman.

He said any aid to Misrata must be delivered through designated land routes.

Syrian forces kill 14 in Daraa crackdown

A continuing crackdown by military forces on anti-government protesters in the southern Syrian city of Daraa resulted in 14 deaths and 38 wounded on Friday.

The violence occurred as residents of area villages were attempting to show their support for residents of Daraa who have been living under siege since government forces attacked.

On Friday, security forces would not allow residents to attend prayers and snipers were stationed on rooftops. Bloated bodies remained uncollected in the streets, their relatives afraid to retrieve them. Shortages of water, power, electricity and food were common complaints.

A Daraa resident in the Jordanian city of Ramtha about 10 minutes away said people there were praying inside their homes.

A group of about 500 would-be protesters who had set out after noon prayers to demonstrate against the government dispersed when army soldiers shot into the air, he said.

Before Friday's casualties, the military crackdown that began Monday had already left 50 people dead and the humanitarian situation was worsening, he said.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said that four military men were killed and two others were kidnapped when "an armed terrorist group raided a military point in Daraa" on Friday.

The Syrian unrest began in the southern town of Daraa in March after teens were arrested for scribbling anti-government graffiti. People protested the arrests, security forces greeted the demonstrators harshly, and that spurred more rallies in Daraa and across the country.

In a statement delivered in Geneva, Switzerland, to the Human Rights Council, the U.N. deputy high commissioner for human rights, Kyung-wha Kang, said recent events have painted "a disturbing picture" of Syria.

Since mid-March, she said, that picture has included "the widespread use of live fire against protesters; the arrest, detention and disappearance of demonstrators, human rights defenders, and journalists; the torture and ill-treatment of detainees; the sharp repression of press freedoms and other means of communication; and attacks against medical personnel, facilities and patients."

During the past week, the situation has worsened, with entire towns under siege, tanks shelling populated areas, food delivery impeded, electricity cut, transportation systems shut and reports circulating of snipers firing on people who were attempting to move the wounded or dead from public areas, she said.

Though Kang noted that military and security officers have been among the dead, "the preponderance of information emerging from Syria depicts a widespread, persistent and gross disregard for basic human rights by the Syrian military and security forces," she said.

More than 450 people have died and about 1,800 people have been wounded, she said, citing Syrian and international human rights organizations.

The catalyst for the protests "is the deep desire of Syrians for increased respect for their fundamental human rights," such as the right to peacefully assemble and to express themselves freely, she said.

Though the Syrian government initially said it would support those rights, lifted the state of emergency and abolished the State High Security Court, those steps were followed by "excessive use of force," she said.

"These clearly demonstrate that violent repression of peaceful protest does not resolve the grievances of people. On the contrary, it risks creating a downward spiral of anger, violence, killings and chaos."

She noted that "any official ordering or undertaking of attacks against the civilian population can be held criminally accountable" and that widespread or systematic attacks "may amount to crimes against humanity."

The Syrian state-run news agency Sana said army units were trying to restore calm to the city by "hunting and confronting" extremist terrorist groups.

It accused international and Arabic-language television networks of broadcasting "poisonous propaganda" regarding the number of deaths, which they put at 70 civilians and 78 army and police.

Libyan government forces make another push for Misrata

Libyan government forces seeking to re-enter the embattled port city of Misrata Friday killed at least nine people and wounded 30 others, a doctor who is a member of the medical committee in the city said.

"There is an indiscriminate shelling now in Misrata," he said.

Four tanks from forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi were shelling the city with rockets and mortars from the southwest, he said.

Rebel forces were engaging government forces at the gate in the Algeran district site, which is on the city outskirts, a Libyan dissident said.

Friday's attack came a day after shelling in Misrata killed 10 people, including two women and a 13-year-old girl, a spokesman for the rebels said.

Gadhafi forces had dismantled rocket launchers so they would escape detection by NATO forces, and then reassembled them in the city for use in attacking civilians, the spokesman said.

"We have reports that Gadhafi troops are loading fish boats with weapons in Tripoli and may be coming to Misrata," he said.

Misrata, the third-largest city in the North African country, has been hemmed in on three sides by Gadhafi's forces. Though rebels said they had gained control of the city's center and had pushed government forces outside the city, they said Gadhafi's forces were continuing to attack Misrata with heavy weaponry.

A senior rebel member, Omar al-Jernazi, told CNN that rebels "took complete control" Friday of the Wazin area on the Tunisian-Libyan border after forcing 15 Gadhafi forces to flee to the Tunisian side.

Eight Gadhafi forces and one rebel soldier were wounded in the incident, he said.

After Gadhafi's forces entered, the Tunisian army allowed them to return with their weapons back into Libya via a separate border crossing, the rebel said.

Sporadic clashes were continuing, he said.

Meanwhile, thousands more Libyans fled to Tunisia, stirring further concerns about a humanitarian crisis there, according to Tunisia's state-run news agency TAP, which cited Tunisian security sources. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees set up more tents in the Remada refugee camp, it noted.

NATO is leading an international military operation in Libya that includes airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's military resources. It is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing any means necessary -- with the exception of foreign occupation -- to protect civilians.

Syrian security blankets hotbed of dissent

Syrian tanks and security forces swooped down hard Thursday on the restive city of Daraa, witnesses said.

Helicopters hovered overhead as security forces fanned out across the besieged city, breaking into homes and making arrests. Streets were littered with dead bodies and dwellings are bereft of water and electricity.

A southern city that sits near the Jordanian border, Daraa is where the anti-government protests began and took hold last month. Now it is a test for police and soldiers attempting to quell tenacious protests and a government trying to cope with angry unrest.

Human Rights Watch said army troops and other security forces have killed more than 300 protesters since March 16. Other sources are saying even more people have been slain, and the government reports security personnel have also been killed.

Many of the deaths have occurred in and around Daraa, where heavy firing could be heard Thursday and smoke was seen rising from homes, mosques and schools.

Hundreds of snipers were stationed on the roofs of several buildings and security forces are shelling the city with mortars and anti-aircraft weapons, an eyewitness said.

One witness said dozens of tanks rumbled across a bridge and fired shells, as people hurled rocks at the tanks and tried to stop them from moving into the old part of the city. Another witness said security forces making mass arrests detained a large number of young men.

A resident said injured people are in danger of dying because people are too scared to leave the shelter of their homes with the city under siege by security forces.

Residents have not had electricity, children's milk or medicine for the last four days, said the witness, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

The Syrian unrest began in Daraa in March after teens were arrested for scribbling anti-government graffiti. People protested the arrests, security forces greeted the demonstrators harshly, and that emboldened more rallies.

Protests spread to other parts of Daraa and other regions of Syria, and the same dynamic played out there despite promises and gestures of reform by the Bashar al-Assad regime.

There's been an outcry in many international quarters due to the use of force against the peaceful gatherings. Human Rights Watch Wednesday urged Arab countries to "join international efforts to establish an independent international inquiry" into the issue.

"In recent days President Bashar al-Assad's government cut off access and communications with several cities, sending in tanks and troops in an effort to crush widespread public dissent," the group said.

The U.N. Security Council debated Syria on Wednesday but failed to agree on a response to the crisis.

The situation has even made its way into the planning for Friday's royal wedding in Britain of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The entire Syrian diplomatic corps was invited to the event as a matter of protocol, but the British Foreign Office said Thursday that Syria's ambassador to the United Kingdom is now not welcome "in the light of this week's attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned."

NATO airstrike kills 11 rebels in Misrata

A NATO airstrike Wednesday on the seaside town of Misrata killed 11 rebel fighters and wounded two others, witnesses told a reporter, who saw the bodies.

Angry survivors told Marie Colvin of The Sunday Times that they and the victims were on the coast, east of a steel plant, when a NATO plane bombed them. There were no other planes in the sky, the survivors said.

NATO spokesman Eric Povel said he knew nothing about the report and would likely not learn more for several hours.

The incident occurred on a day in which pro-government forces launched the heaviest shelling yet on the port of Misrata, much of which appeared to be a wasteland, rebels said.

"I'm looking around, I can't find a single building that's not either damaged or destroyed," Reza Sayah said from Tripoli Street, the city's major thoroughfare.

From the time NATO began its operation on March 31 until Tuesday, the organization had conducted 3,981 sorties, of which 1,658 were strike sorties, according to an update issued Wednesday.

Ships chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) departed port Wednesday, carrying people intent on fleeing the violence.

The ICRC-chartered ship evacuated more than 600 civilians from the city, it said.

The IOM-chartered ship was carrying about 935 migrants and Libyans en route to Benghazi, the organization said in a news release.

Also aboard was a group of journalists, including a French journalist who was in intensive care after being shot in the neck, it said.

In Washington, President Barack Obama on Wednesday authorized up to $25 million in nonlethal commodities and services to be made available to "support key U.S. government partners such as the Transitional National Council in efforts to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack in Libya."

The United States considers the Libyan opposition group the Transitional National Council worthy of U.S. support, but has not formally recognized the group, Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz said Wednesday. But Cretz said the lack of formal recognition has not stopped the United States from aiding and supporting the opposition.

A three-member panel arrived in Libya on Wednesday to begin a U.N.-ordered inquiry into reports of violence and human rights abuses. The team, led by Professor Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian jurist and war crimes expert, was sent by the Human Rights Council. Last month, the U.N. General Assembly suspended Libya's membership in the Human Rights Council.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday it has established an international aid presence in Tripoli, with humanitarian workers also in Benghazi and the neighboring countries of Tunisia, Egypt, Chad and Niger. Aid agencies are seeking about $310 million for relief operations and have received $129 million, the U.N. office said.

Also Wednesday, government officials took reporters to the city of Tarhuna, south of Tripoli, where they said civilians were volunteering to be trained to defend Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi from NATO. At a training camp there, reporters observed civilians learning basic military skills. Some of the volunteers appeared to be as young as 15 years old, the reporters said.

NATO is leading an international military operation in Libya that includes airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's military resources. It is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing any means necessary -- with the exception of foreign occupation -- to protect civilians.

Witnesses said three people were killed and several were wounded after government shells detonated Tuesday near a refugee camp in the critical port area. Thousands of migrants have been housed there as they wait for ships to carry them to safety.

Opposition forces said they believe that, had NATO forces not intervened with air attacks Tuesday night, the shelling would have continued.

NATO said six military vehicles, seven technical vehicles and a surface-to-air missile launcher were targeted on Tuesday in the vicinity of Misrata.

Though Gadhafi's regime said last week that it was going to suspend operations in Misrata and let tribes deal with the rebels, heavy shelling suggests pro-government forces aren't done with the city.

As many as 1,500 migrants are believed to remain in Misrata in need of evacuation, IOM said. In recent weeks, nearly 626,000 people have abandoned Libya for Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Algeria, Chad and Sudan, it said.

Some 615,000 people, including large numbers of third-country nationals, have fled Libya, more than 10,000 from Misrata.

Misrata, the third-largest city in the North African country, has been hemmed in on three sides by Gadhafi's forces. Though rebels said they had gained control of the city's center and had pushed government forces outside the city, they said Gadhafi's forces were continuing to attack Misrata with heavy weaponry.

The port has served as a crucial route of escape and as a lifeline to humanitarian aid.

Blast rips through Moroccan cafe 14 dead and 20 injured

Blast rips through Moroccan cafe Thursday in which 14 people were killed and 20 injured, most of them tourists -- when an explosion tore through a cafe in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, the state-run news agency said.

Initial clues gathered by investigators indicate that the blast is the result of an attack, according to the Maghreb Arabe Presse, citing the Interior Ministry.

Witnesses told the blast occurred at Cafe Argana in Place Jemaa el Fna, the popular bazaar and square that draws thousands of tourists every year.

"We were walking around the souks, right around the corner from Cafe Argana. We heard a gigantic boom, and everyone immediately starting running towards the square to see what happened," according to a German tourist who was about 50 meters from the cafe when the blast occurred.

The woman, who didn't want her name used, told CNN the top floor and terrace of the cafe were "ripped apart" and hundreds of people ran from the area when they realized there was an explosion.

The witness said rescuers were dispatched to the scene and the news agency said police opened an investigation to determine the exact causes.

It is not immediately known whether the attack was linked to unrest across the Arab world or militant activity, although there have been some protests in Morocco lately.

Thousands of Moroccans held a peaceful demonstration nationwide Sunday, calling for a radical overhaul of the country's governance before a new constitution is unveiled in June by King Mohammed VI.

The march was organized by the Facebook youth movement Fevrier 20. The group said its members would not accept the present draft constitution because it was written by the king's own people. It denounced his decision to refer the new constitution to a committee he appointed.

King Mohammed announced last month he would give up some of his wide-scale powers and make the judiciary independent -- the latter a particularly hot subject in Morocco.

Calls for an end to political detention and questions about the king's personal business activities were also on protesters' banners. There was visible resentment at the royal family's business operations, controlled by its holding company SNI. There were also groups protesting about the prices of basic household items.

Opposition group vows 'overthrow' as government cites 'confession'

Terror reigned in the Syrian city of Daraa on Wednesday as intermittent gunfire rang out overnight and snipers held their positions on rooftops, a witness said.

The situation "is worsening day after day" where the country's uprising started, he said.

Nine people were killed by sniper fire Wednesday, said the witness, who is not being identified for security reasons. Funerals were not taking place because the cemetery is occupied by security forces, he said.

The group Syrian Human Rights Information Link reported that at least 447 people have died since the uprising began last month. The group said the deaths include 17 people killed in Daraa on Monday and Tuesday. While the vast majority of the people listed were apparently civilians, some of the dead are listed as members of the military or security forces.

CNN has not been granted access to Syria and cannot verify death tolls and witness accounts.

Mohsen, a witness in Daraa, said security forces have stormed homes and arrested people suspected of being protesters and sympathizers. There have been many mistaken identities, he said, adding that at least 12 people in his neighborhood of al-Kashef were arrested Wednesday.

Dead bodies have remained in the streets for days because people -- fearing sniper fire -- have been afraid to pick them up and bury them, he said.

There is a severe shortage of medicine and food, even bread, Mohsen said. Since Sunday, stores have been closed; electricity, water and all mobile and landline communications have been shut off, he said

Protests composed entirely of women took place in two neighborhoods Tuesday and Wednesday, Mohsen said. The demonstrators called on security forces to release their sons and husbands and stop the siege; President Bashar al-Assad's forces responded by shooting into the air to disperse them, the witness said.

Witnesses in Daraa and Syrian human rights activists say there has been tension among different units of the security forces, with some army senior commanders refusing to open fire on protests. Some witnesses speak of armed confrontation between different elements of the security forces. CNN could not independently verify such reports.

Mohsen described two such incidents. One took place Monday in the al-Mataar neighborhood in western Daraa where residents witnessed what appeared to be an exchange of fire between two military units. The other happened on Tuesday in the al-Jisr neighborhood. Shortly after that incident, ambulances came and picked up bodies that appeared to be dead, witnesses said.

In a video apparently posted Wednesday on YouTube, a man who says he is in Banias states that the demonstrations are "to claim our rights, our justice, our freedom." Complaining that the government refers to the protesters as terrorists, he says "it's a big lie."

"We are all brothers, we are all friends, we are all neighbors," the man says of the Christians and members of different Muslim sects who live in Banias. In the video, hundreds of men can be seen walking by. "Why they get us? Why they fire at us when we make demonstration? Why they get people in Daraa? I ask why, and I want an answer."

A group calling itself National Initiative for Change, which says it includes activists in Syria and elsewhere, vowed Wednesday that the "popular uprising" will eventually lead to the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The group issued a statement saying it had 150 signatures, including "150 politicians, civil society activists and human rights defenders" inside Syria, whose names were not being published for safety reasons.

But the Syrian government, which has described protesters as "armed criminal groups" and "terrorists," said Wednesday that a member of an "extreme terrorist cell" confessed to "receiving money and arms to kill security forces and civilians." State-run news agency SANA carried quotes from the man, named as Mustafa bin Yousef Khalifa Aiyash, saying that even 5-year-old children were armed in the effort.

The U.S. State Department Human Rights Report on Syria, published earlier this month, says that in 2010, "Courts systematically used 'confessions' extracted under duress as evidence, and defendants' claims of torture were almost never investigated."

The Syrian government has argued that citizens want security forces to arrest members of these groups, and that numerous weapons have been confiscated in the arrests. Numerous "martyrs" have been killed by these groups, the government said. "The Syrian TV reported that an extremist terrorist group was arrested in the coastal city of Jableh, which opened fire on citizens and destroyed public and private properties," SANA reported Wednesday.

The United Nations Security Council was to be briefed Wednesday on the crisis in Syria in a private session, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

Syria's ambassador to the United Nations rejected Tuesday a call for an independent investigation into the reported killings of hundreds of demonstrators by government forces.

"Syria has a government, has a state," Bashar Jaafari told reporters at the world body. "We can undertake any investigation by our own selves, with full transparency. We have nothing to hide. We regret what is going on, but you should also acknowledge that this unrest and riots, in some of their aspects, have hidden agendas."

Jaafari called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a reformer who has been working to effect change by issuing decrees that, among other things, lifted the decades-old emergency law and allowed peaceful demonstrations.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice called the violence wielded by the government of Syria "abhorrent and deplorable," adding, "The outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end, and now."

The Syrian government's repeal of its emergency law and allowance for peaceful demonstrations "were clearly not serious, given the continued violent repression against protesters," she said.

The United States is pursuing "a range of possible policy options," Rice said, including the imposition of additional sanctions.

"The Syrian people's call for freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and the ability to choose their leaders freely must be heard," she said.

Rice accused al-Assad of "disingenuously blaming outsiders while, at the same time, seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria's citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by the Iranian regime."

Human Rights Watch's U.N. director, Philippe Bolopion, called on the Security Council to "condemn abuses by the Syrian government, support an international investigation and sanction those ordering the shooting and torture of protesters."

He called Syria's campaign for a seat on the Human Rights Council "a slap in the face to the victims of the current crackdown, and an embarrassment to those who have supported its candidacy."

Razan Zaytouni, a human rights activist in Damascus, said "innocent people are killed now, including children and women." Rejecting the government's depiction of protesters, she said, "The only terrorists are those who are killing our people there now."

In the Damascus suburb of Douma, a resident who asked to be referred to as Rawwad said that, over the past several days, security personnel had been arresting people they recognized as members of the protest movement.

The Syrian protests -- part of a wave of uprisings in the Arab world -- began in Daraa last month following a crackdown by security forces on peaceful demonstrators protesting the arrests of youths who scribbled anti-government graffiti. Protesters have asked for freedom and regime reform, and public discontent with al-Assad's government has mounted.

Activists also want the easing of the ruling Baath Party's power and a law that would permit the establishment of independent political parties.

Devastation mounts in Misrata after heavy shelling on port

In the wake of what rebels describe as the heaviest shelling yet by pro-government forces on the port of Misrata, much of the western Libyan city appeared to be a wasteland Wednesday morning.

"I'm looking around, I can't find a single building that's not either damaged or destroyed," Reza Sayah said from Tripoli Street, a major thoroughfare in the city.

Witnesses said three people were killed and several were wounded after shells detonated near a refugee camp in the critical port area Tuesday. Thousands of migrants have been housed there as they wait for ships to carry them to safety.

Opposition forces said they believe if NATO forces had not intervened with air attacks Tuesday night, the shelling would have continued.

The latest destruction in Misrata comes amid renewed discussion about what NATO's intentions are -- and whether the alliance is trying to kill Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

NATO is leading an international military operation in Libya that includes airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's military resources. It is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing any means necessary -- with the exception of foreign occupation -- to protect civilians.

Following a recent attack on Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, the Libyan government has claimed the coalition is trying to assassinate the ruler of almost 42 years.

On Wednesday, government officials took reporters to the city of Tarhuna, south of Tripoli, where they said that civilians were volunteering to be trained to defend Gadhafi from NATO. At a training camp there, reporters observed civilians learning basic military skills. Some of the volunteers looked as young as 13 or 15 years old, the reporters said.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also criticized the Western coalition.

"At first, they spoke about the need to close the air space," Putin told reporters in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday. "All right, but how does that correspond with bombings of Gadhafi's palaces every night? They say they don't want to eliminate him. But why are they bombing his palaces then?"

British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said Tuesday evening that the alliance has been targeting "not individuals, but the capabilities of the regime."

"We don't discuss specific targets, but in the general point, we've made it very clear that our responsibility is the protection of the civilian population," Fox told Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor reiterated Tuesday that NATO's mission is to enforce "the arms embargo, no-fly zone and conduct a civilian protection mission," but it's not regime change.

"As part of that mission, the coalition has targeted command-and-control sites that are being used by regime forces to wage attacks against Libyan civilians -- brutal attacks that this week alone have reportedly killed dozens of civilians in Misrata alone," Vietor said. "There is no change in U.S. policy regarding assassination."

The British Embassy in Washington issued a statement Tuesday saying it was on the same page as the United States -- though it hoped Gadhafi would go away.

"British Government policy is that we don't target (Gadhafi) either, but we do think he should go," the British Embassy statement said. "That is not the same as regime change. Our aim is to protect the civilian population, we're not acting to remove him, but if he went that would be a good thing."

"We've never discussed specific targeting and we've always said, anyone or anything involved in carrying out or directing attacks on civilians is a legitimate target" under the Security Council resolution, the embassy said.

On Wednesday, the African Union called for an end to military operations targeting Libyan officials.

"Council urges all involved to refrain from actions, including military operations targeting Libyan Senior Officials and socio economic infrastructure, that would further compound the situation and make it more difficult to achieve international consensus on the best way forward," the AU's website states.

Though Gadhafi's regime said last week that it was going to suspend operations in Misrata and let tribes deal with the rebels, heavy shelling suggests pro-government forces aren't done with the city.

"As fighting continues to rage in Misrata, the families recently evacuated by boats to Tobruk from the embattled city describe a catastrophic situation with many having lived in fear of indiscriminate shelling," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Tuesday. "Many houses and buildings have been destroyed and some families had to move several times."

Misrata, the third-largest city in the North African country, has been surrounded on three sides by Gadhafi's forces. Though rebels say they have gained control of the city's center and have pushed government forces outside the city, they say Gadhafi's forces have continued to attack Misrata with heavy weaponry.

The port area has served as a crucial route of escape -- and as a lifeline to humanitarian aid.

Jean Michel Monod, who heads the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Tripoli, said a ship that was in Misrata to pick up foreigners had to depart prematurely Tuesday morning because of shelling close to the port.

He said the ICRC would have liked to help more than the approximately 630 people it did take.

Security forces open fire on protesters in Yemen

Eleven anti-government protesters were killed and more than 100 were injured Wednesday in Sanaa, Yemen, after they were attacked by security forces, two medical sources told.

"We don't have enough medicine to treat the over 100 shot by the government. We call on the international community to give us medicine to save those the government shot from dying," said a senior medical staff member at Sanaa's Change Square.

The reported attacks represent one of the deadliest days in the weeks-long protests that have pitted demonstrators against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"The language of bullets and killing is what this regime wants to spread. It's a massacre against humanity and human rights. Eleven have been killed and the number is expected to rise," the medical staff member said.

Two protesters were also killed Monday.

Over the weekend, the protests spread across 14 provinces, despite Yemeni officials saying that Saleh had accepted a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) under which he would step down.

Both Saleh and the Yemeni opposition have agreed to the deal in principle. But Saleh has yet to sign the agreement, which stipulates he leave office within 30 days and provides complete immunity for him and those who served in his regime, said a senior Foreign Ministry official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The agreement also calls for a unity government to be formed within seven days.

The GCC -- a bloc of six oil-producing Gulf nations -- has been working to ease tensions between Saleh and an increasingly restive opposition.

Violent anti-government demonstrations have erupted for many weeks across Yemen.

Saleh has been in power since 1978 and has served as a staunch U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Man opens fire on Americans in Kabul; 9 dead

Eight U.S. service members and an American civilian contractor were killed Wednesday in a shooting at an Afghan air force compound in Kabul, officials said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan said an Afghan military pilot opened fire on international troops, sparking a "gunfight." The Taliban, however, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had been working with the shooter for some time -- an assertion that NATO denied.

Also denying the Taliban claim was the brother of the pilot.

"My brother had no connections with the Taliban, and I deny any claims of his connection by the Taliban," Dr. Mohammad Hosain Sahebi told a local Afghan TV station in a telephone interview.

He said his brother, Ahmad Gull, 48, was in the Afghan Air Force for several years and was injured many times in plane crashes. The Afghan military, however, listed the pilot as being 50 years old.

"My brother had mental sickness as the result of the plane crashes in 80s and also he had economic problems too," Sahebi told local television.

One witness, Jon Mohammad, a military pilot at Kabul Airport, told that he jumped from a second floor window to the ground during the incident. He saw foreigners laying on the ground inside the first floor, he said.

"He was religious person, but I'm not sure if he had mental illness," Mohammad said of Gull, the pilot.
The shooting started at the Afghan national air force compound at North Kabul International Airport after an argument between the Afghan pilot and an international colleague, officials said. The NATO-led force said the Afghan military pilot opened fire on international trainers and a "gunfight" ensued.

"A 50-year-old man opened fire at armed U.S. military soldiers inside the airport after an argument between them turned serious," said Col. Baha Dur, chief of public relations for the Afghan National Army at Kabul military airport.

NATO said the confrontation took place at 10:25 a.m. at the airport, where a quick reaction force responded to a "small arms fire incident." The airport is home to NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the killings "by an Afghan military pilot."

Zaher Azimi, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said the killings upset Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and that "he shares the pain with the families of the victims."

Despite the account by international troops, a Taliban spokesman said a man named Azizullah was responsible.

"One suicide attacker ... managed to attack an Afghan military unit and has managed to kill many Afghan and international soldiers," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said.

The Taliban said the man killed nine foreigners and five Afghans before being killed by the Afghan army.
"We had worked hard on this plan for a long time," Mujahid told reporters. "He was cooperating with us since long time and he was providing us information about military air operations for a long time."
NATO disputed the Taliban claim.

"We do not know why it started but there is no indication that a suicide bomber was involved and there are no reports that someone managed to get into the base to do this," the NATO-led force said in a statement.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for previous conflicts between NATO service members and members of the Afghan military. Reporters could not independently verify the group's claims.

The Taliban said the man was once a pilot in an Afghan regime in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"Since the current Afghan air forces have no planes so, he was just going to Kabul airport to show up and earn his salary for a long time," Mujahid told reporters.

The man "was holding the rank of colonel at the time and he had an AK-47 with him. After his bullets were finished, then he was shot to death by armed forces," Mujahid reporters.

There was confusion about the death toll. The NATO-led force initially said six service members were killed. It raised that toll to nine but backed away temporarily before saying again that the shooting killed nine people -- eight international service members and a civilian contractor. The Pentagon confirmed that all were Americans.

Violence between Afghan forces and NATO troops is a matter of extreme concern for NATO officials, and it is growing in frequency.

There have been 36 NATO deaths in the past two years attributed to attacks by people perceived to be Afghan soldiers or police. Officials fear that the increasing frequency of the attacks could undermine trust between NATO troops and the Afghans they are working hard to prepare so they can eventually take over security in the country.

The Taliban's claim that the Afghan gunman was their recruit follows a now familiar pattern of the insurgency stating that attacks are theirs, even though NATO later suggests the gunman was acting out of personal motivation.

Out of 16 incidents of Afghan forces shooting NATO personnel that NATO has investigated, eight have been determined to be motivated by combat stress on the part of the Afghan attacker. The other eight investigations are undetermined.

Fatah, Hamas movements reach deal

The rival Palestinian movements of Hamas and Fatah have reached an initial deal that would usher in a unity government, officials from both groups said on Wednesday.

The deal would establish a new parliament and a date for general elections, Hamas officials told Wednesday.

They've also reached an agreement over security issues that have kept the two sides apart, the Hamas officials said.

Fatah officials said Hamas' reservations have been discussed and resolved and also confirmed that the two parties have agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in a year's time.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal are going to meet soon in Egypt, a Hamas official said.

This move comes amid international efforts by Abbas for statehood, and it could portend unity in the fractious Palestinian territories.

For years, there has been a big divide between the hard-line and anti-Israel Hamas and Fatah, which has engaged in peace negotiations with Israel.

There've been two governments, with Palestinian Authority controlling the Fatah-dominated West Bank and Hamas seizing Gaza four years ago after both sides fought in the street.

There've been moves by both sides to reach a reconciliation deal since but those efforts failed.

Israel and militants in Gaza have fought continually for years. Israel has retaliated against Gaza militants who've fired missiles into southern Israeli towns.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the authority must decide whether it wants "peace with Israel or peace with Hamas.

"It is impossible to have peace with both since Hamas is looking to destroy the state of Israel and says it openly," he said, emphasizing that the projectiles have been fired on cities and children.

"I think that the mere idea of reconciliation shows the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and raises wonders whether Hamas will take over Judea and Samaria as it took over the Gaza Strip. I hope that the Palestinian Authority chooses right -- that it chooses peace with Israel, the choice is theirs," Netanyahu said.

Many Israelis refer to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria.

Libyan forces shelling civilian areas of Misrata

Libyan government forces directed their assault Monday on civilian areas of Misrata, resulting in a number of civilian casualties, witnesses said.

"It's just hell," said Marie Colvin, a foreign affairs correspondent for the Sunday Times of London, who has been in the city for a week. "Civilian neighborhoods are being decimated as we speak." She said that at least 10 people had been killed and at least 30 others wounded.

But figures were difficult to confirm; CNN was not in the city.

A resident of Misrata who asked to be identified only as Mohammed said Monday that six people were killed in the morning.

A doctor at a hospital in Misrata put the number of dead Sunday at 16, with 71 wounded.

The indiscriminate shelling began after rebel forces routed forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi from the city center early Sunday, Colvin said. The rout came after rebels moved from building to building along Tripoli Street, the main boulevard, ousting government forces, she said. Twenty-five rebels were killed in one day, and an undetermined number of Gadhafi soldiers were killed, she said.

Asked about the rebel army, she laughed. "We're talking about an army of shopkeepers, engineers, car mechanics," she said. "Very, very few trained military."

At the fruit and vegetable market, government tanks that had been hidden under loading bays were set afire over the weekend. Their position there underscored the difficulty of NATO airstrikes in discriminating between government forces and civilians.

Since then, stationed on the city's edge, government forces have been firing shells randomly into residential neighborhoods of the city, she said.

"It's a free-fire zone on civilians," she said from the hospital, where she said she had seen casualties that ranged "from loss of limbs to an 8-year-old boy struck in the ankle by shrapnel. He'll keep the foot, but he was in bad shape."

Outside, a white tent served as a triage area; a refrigerator truck was packed with bodies.

When two people were killed in one house, the family got into a car, but it too was hit, killing a man and two children, she said.

Almost all of the shops in the city were shut, she said. Along Tripoli Street, "every single building has been hit by shells." Some bakery owners were giving away bread, and a few stores on the other side of town remained open, she said.

As of Monday night, the seaside city remained surrounded on three sides, she said.

Last week, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Khaim said that Gadhafi's military was withdrawing from Misrata and that tribal leaders would deal with the rebels.

But rebel commanders told Colvin that there were no negotiations going on between them and tribal leaders, the reporter said. The government's assertion that such talks were ongoing "appears to be a fig leaf or Gadhafi trying to cover the fact that his troops have been defeated," Colvin said.

Misrata has been the scene of some of the deadliest battles of the war as rebels attempt to oust Gadhafi, who has been in power for 42 years.

At least 36 people were killed there Sunday, rebel spokesman Col. Ahmad Bani said Monday.

In all, hundreds of people have been killed in the battle for the city, which has been under siege by Gadhafi's forces for seven weeks. Its population of about 450,000 makes it the country's third-largest city.

But that number has been dropping as residents have sought to get out. On Monday, the International Organization for Migration said it had taken nearly 1,000 stranded migrants -- most of them from Nigeria -- and 17 civilian casualties from Misrata to Benghazi on Sunday, with more such efforts planned.

The accounts of dire conditions in Misrata came as a government official said Gadhafi was well and in command of the country's affairs, despite what the official called a NATO attempt to kill him by bombing his compound in the capital city of Tripoli.

"The message that was sent by NATO in the early hours of this morning was sent to the wrong address," Mussa Ibrahim said in a written statement.

In a tour of the aftermath, Ibrahim said the flattened structure was a civilian office building.

In a statement, NATO said the target was a communications center in central Tripoli that had been used to coordinate attacks against civilians.

NATO is leading an international military operation in Libya that includes airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's military resources. It is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect civilians.

Libyan state TV said military and civilian casualties resulted from the strike on Gadhafi's Bab el-Azizia compound.

"We have no independent means of verifying reports of possible civilian casualties," NATO said in a statement on its website.

Since NATO took command of Operation Unified Protector on March 31, its aircraft have flown more than 3,700 sorties and more than 1,500 strike sorties.

Over the weekend, NATO aircraft destroyed multiple-rocket launchers, armored personnel carriers, bunkers and storage facilities in and around Misrata, Tripoli and Sirte, the alliance said.

"We are bringing all our capabilities to bear on all parts of the Gadhafi regime that remain intent on harming the civilian population," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement. "As decided by the foreign ministers of NATO and operational partners, we will keep up the pressure until all attacks against civilians have stopped, Gadhafi's forces have withdrawn to bases, and full and unimpeded humanitarian access has been ensured."

The rebels, under the umbrella of the Transitional National Council, received a pledge Sunday from Kuwait for about $180 million. The announcement came during council chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil's visit to Kuwait, Kuwaiti state-run television reported.

Syria launches bloody new crackdown as U.S. threatens sanctions

The Syrian government launched a major military operation Monday, sending thousands of troops into the town where the country's uprising began, to carry out what witnesses described as a brutal, wider-scale crackdown.

The United States threatened sanctions against the country, calling for a halt to Syria's "deplorable" actions. At the United Nations, a draft statement condemning the violence was being circulated among security council members, a U.N. diplomat said.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 members of the Army and security forces raided the southern city of Daraa just after 4 a.m. equipped with seven tanks, and began shooting indiscriminately, in some cases shooting into homes as people slept, according to an activist with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Seven people were confirmed killed in the city, the activist said.

Other witnesses described a trail of dead bodies in the streets.

"Ambulances could not help the injured because of the snipers and army officers who are deployed all over the city," one witness in Daraa said. "They shoot on anything that moves."

A military official -- the second commander in a brigade that entered Daraa -- defected over the violence, the activist with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and another opposition source said. The commander was then arrested, the activist said.

But the Syrian government gave a very different story. "In response to the calls for help from the citizens of Daraa and their appeal to the Armed Forces as to intervene and put an end to the operations of killings, vandalism, and horrifying by extremist terrorist groups, some army units entered... Daraa to restore tranquility, security and normal life," state-run news agency SANA reported, citing "an official army source."

Several members of such "groups" were arrested and "huge quantities of weapons and ammunitions" were confiscated, the government said, adding that confrontations "caused the martyrdom" of some members of the army and security forces as well as deaths an injuries among "some members of the extremist terrorist groups."

In the city of Douma, security forces took to the streets and arrested numerous people, a witness said, comparing the city to a prison.

Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, issued a statement condemning Syria's "brutal violence" against its citizens, calling it "completely deplorable."

"The United States is pursuing a range of possible policy options, including targeted sanctions, to respond to the crackdown and make clear that this behavior is unacceptable," Vietor said in the statement. "The Syrian people's call for freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and the ability to freely choose their leaders must be heard."

The United States is preparing new sanctions against members of Bashar al-Assad's regime who are overseeing the violent crackdown, according to several senior U.S. officials with knowledge of the action. A new Treasury Department executive order targeting senior officials accused of human rights abuses would involve an asset freeze and travel ban, as well as prohibiting them from doing business in the United States.

A U.N. diplomat said a draft security council statement sponsored by France, Portgual, and the United Kingdom condemned the violence and called for restraint. It also supported Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call for an independent investigation on the matter. The draft was to be formally introduced Monday, and a final statement could be agreed upon by Tuesday, the diplomat said.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay issued a statement saying Syria has offered "paper reforms followed by violent crackdowns on protesters."

"The international community has repeatedly urged the Syrian Government to stop killing its own people, but our calls have gone unheeded," Pillay said. Her office has received a list naming 76 people killed on Friday during evidently peaceful marches, but the number may be much higher, Pillay's office said. The office is also looking into reports of 13 people killed in funeral processions Saturday.

The Syrian governmentsaid 12 "martyrs" killed "by armed criminal groups" around the country -- including several near Daraa -- were buried.

Fear and panic coursed through Daraa on Monday.

Anti-government protests that have taken hold in many parts of Syria began in Daraa last month following a violent crackdown by security forces on peaceful demonstrators protesting the arrests of youths who scribbled anti-government graffiti. Protesters have asked for freedom and regime reform. Public discontent with al-Assad's government has mounted.

Activists also want the easing of the ruling Baath Party's power and a law that would permit the establishment of independent political parties.

In recent days, witnesses in Syria had told CNN they want the security apparatus, which includes Syria's secret intelligence operatives, dissolved, and would rather see the army take to the streets. They believed the army would be friendlier to protesters -- as was the case in the Egyptian uprising. But on Monday, video from Syria showed what appeared to be members of the army carrying out al-Assad's crackdown.

As another witness spoke to CNN by phone, the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background, along with people screaming, "Allahu Akbar" -- meaning "God is great."

"There are around 3,000 soldiers in Daraa now. They are breaking into people's houses, firing randomly at houses," the resident said. "We were sleeping and not protesting."

The activist with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian forces occupied two mosques and a graveyard, and snipers were located on houses' and high rise buildings' rooftops.

Another witness also described the onslaught of tanks invading Daraa.

"Before dawn prayers, around 4:30 a.m., the Syrian security forces broke into Daraa," the witness said. "There were so many tanks that entered the city from its four corners. People were heading to mosques when the attack started. People in mosques started warning the people through loud speakers, but the gunfire had already started."

The witnesses added that ambulances were not allowed into the city and that electricity and phone lines were down. None of the witnesses wanted their names used for fear of reprisals.

CNN has not been granted access into Syria and is unable to independently verify witness accounts.

The city of Douma, north of Daraa also in southwestern Syria, was surrounded by security forces Monday, not by the military, a witness told CNN. They seemed to be in every alley in the city, preventing people's movements and carrying out arrests, the witness said, adding that 15 of his friends were arrested.

Following morning prayers, intense gunfire was heard in the city, the witness said, adding that he did not see casualties in his vicinity but did not know about other areas in Douma.

Cautious calm followed later in the day, he said. Shops were closed, and people were frightened, the witness said, comparing it to "living in a big prison cell."

"As we woke up in the morning we started hearing that the Syrian security forces are arresting people randomly in (Douma)," activist and human rights lawyer Razan Zaytouni said from Damascus. "Many of these men are our colleagues and friends. I do not know the exact number yet because telephones are down. We are contacting our fellow activists through other ways other than telephones ... we are worried we cannot know their destiny."

Monday afternoon, Jordan Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh confirmed to CNN that Syrian authorities have closed off the border with Jordan.

Because Daraa lies on the border, sealing it makes it difficult for besieged residents to flee the military offensive.

The state-run news agency SANA said Monday that "seven martyrs who were killed in Nawa near Daraa by armed criminal groups were laid to rest." So were two "martyrs" killed in Moathamia, in the Damascus countryside, the report said, citing "an official source at the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces."

A military doctor "said that the martyrs' bodies had signs of mutilation that defies all humane principles, and that the firearm injuries were made to the head, torso, back and limbs of the victims, and that the bodies were mutilated with knives and sharp implements afterwards," the report said.

"The towns of Soda and Shas in Tartous, Syrian coast, escorted three of its sons who were martyred at the hands of armed criminal groups in Jobar near Damascus at Souk al-Hal while marketing their crops," the report said.

"The criminals intercepted them and shot them to death, then mutilated their bodies afterwards."

The report added that the "martyrs' relatives affirmed that the Syrian people are aware of the conspiracy targeting Syria and that they will confront it, expressing pride that their sons were martyred.

The Syrian government has accused protesters of shooting at security forces, while opposition activists and demonstrators accuse the government of killing demonstrators.

The Syrian government and security forces have been largely silent over the past month and generally speak only through state media. There was no immediate word from the Syrian leadership about the reports from Daraa on Monday.

"The Syrian regime is killing us," one man in Daraa told CNN on Monday. "Please tell the world."

Gadhafi compound hit by airstrikes

The sounds of loud explosions and jets pierced through the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Monday as state-run TV reported that airstrikes flattened a building at Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's compound.

The airstrikes appeared to be some of the heaviest attacks by NATO in the last few weeks as the deadly fighting in Libya rages on.

Libyan state TV said military and civilian casualties resulted from the strike on the Bab el-Azizia compound.

A banner on Libyan state television cited a military source saying that the "crusaders' airstrikes" were targeting both civilian and military targets, resulting in casualties and damage.

It was unclear where Libya's longtime ruler was on Monday.

Meanwhile, despite reports that Gadhafi's forces have withdrawn from the war-torn port city of Misrata, reports of casualties there continue to mount.

Misrata is the scene of some of the deadliest battles of the war as rebels attempt to oust Gadhafi, who has been in power for 42 years.

At least 36 people were killed there on Sunday, rebel spokesman Col. Ahmad Bani told CNN Monday.

Bani says at least one Gadhafi brigade duped a group of opposition fighters on Sunday by raising the rebel flag, then opening fire when the rebels cheered and approached.

"They were happy to see them and they were clapping, and that's when the Gadhafi brigade started shooting," Bani said.

Bani said rebel commanders are warning opposition forces to look out for similar tactics by the Gadhafi forces.

Bani said Gadhafi forces shelled parts of Misrata Monday morning from its western and southern outskirts.

A resident of Misrata who asked to be identified only as Mohammed, told CNN Monday that there are no Gadhafi forces in the city, but that the Libyan leader's forces are firing shells and mortars into the city.

Six people were killed in the very early morning hours, he said.

The port area is safe and seems to be out of the reach of Gadhafi's artillery, Mohammed said.

A doctor at a hospital in Misrata earlier put the number of dead Sunday at 16, with 71 wounded.

An eyewitness said pro-Gadhafi forces randomly and extensively shelled Misrata on Sunday. The witness asked that his name not be used because of fears for his security.

The witness said there were explosions "every five minutes."

Hundreds have been killed in the battle for Misrata, under a bloody siege from Gadhafi's forces for seven weeks.

The doctor, who also asked that his name not be used because of fears for his safety, said NATO fighter jets began hitting targets in Misrata early Monday.

The witness said he feels safe every time he hears the NATO jets overhead, because whenever they're not present, pro-Gadhafi forces shell the city.

NATO is leading an international military operation in Liyba that includes airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's military resources. It is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to protect civilians.

On Monday, NATO issued a statement saying 1,550 strike sorties have been conducted in the Libya.

Last week, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Khaim said Gadhafi's military was withdrawing from Misrata and that tribal leaders would deal with the rebels.

After reports of more deaths in Misrata, a Libyan government spokesman explained Sunday that the army came under rebel attack as it withdrew from Misrata, and the army simply fought back as it continued withdrawing.

"Our army will always attack back if it is attacked," said the spokesman, Musa Ibrahim. "We cannot just ask them to die and not fight back."

Ibrahim said tribal chiefs were moving to Misrata's outskirts and negotiating peace with the rebels and city inhabitants, but an opposition leader denied those claims Sunday.

"There are no tribes and there are no negotiations. It's only Libyan people fighting against Gadhafi's forces," said Col. Ahmad Bani, a rebel military spokesman.

The rebels, under the umbrella of the Transitional National Council, received a pledge Sunday from Kuwait for about $180 million. The announcement came during council chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil's visit to Kuwait, Kuwaiti state-run television reported.

Ibrahim responded to that report by questioning why Kuwait was seeking to help one side rather than seeking to resolve the conflict.

"We know that some countries are not interested in Libyan peace, democracy, and the future of this country," Ibrahim said. "Why is it that some governments jump on the opportunity to make the Libyan crisis even worse ... instead of helping all parties establish peace?"

Hundreds of prisoners escape from Afghan jail

More than 400 prisoners escaped early Monday from a jail in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for facilitating the escape and said 541 prisoners fled. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said the number was closer to 470.

Waheed Omer, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, called the mass prisoner escape "bad news and a disaster."

It was the second mass escape from the prison.

In June 2008, up to 1,000 prisoners -- almost half of them Taliban members -- escaped after militants detonated a large truck bomb against the side of the compound.

Police have launched a wide operation for Monday's escapees and have recaptured eight, the Kandahar governor's office said

Taliban members spent five months digging a tunnel that stretched nearly 1,050 feet (320 meters) to the prison, said Zabiullah Mujahed, a Taliban spokesman. The escape took place over four and a half-hours, Mujahed said.

"We are aware of reports that a tunnel was involved," NATO said in a statement.

Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban and has been site of fierce fighting between international forces and insurgents.

It has been the site of numerous anti-Western demonstrations, recently over the burning of the Quran by a pastor in the United States.

On April 15, the police chief of Kandahar province was killed when a man wearing a military uniform detonated a bomb at the entrance to the police headquarters.

In February, 10 people died when mines exploded at a playground during a picnic hosted by a former police commander. In a seperate incident, 19 people, including 15 police officers, died when armed attackers targeted police headquarters.

Deaths continue to mount in Misrata

Amid reports that pro-government forces have withdrawn from the besieged Libyan port city of Misrata, at least 16 people were killed and 71 were wounded there Sunday, a doctor at a local hospital said early Monday.

Libyan rebels rest close to a building where pro-Gadhafi forces are reportedly holed up in Misrata on Sunday

An eyewitness said pro-Gadhafi forces randomly and extensively shelled the city Sunday. The witness asked that his name not be used because of fears for his security.

"There are explosions every five minutes," the witness said.

The doctor, who also asked that his name not be used because of fears for his safety, said NATO fighter jets had begun hitting targets in Misrata early Monday.

The witness said he feels safe every time he hears the NATO jets overhead, because whenever they're not present, pro-Gadhafi forces shell the city.

Also early Monday, loud explosions and jets were heard in the capital, Tripoli. Anti-aircraft fire was both seen and heard.

A banner on Libyan state television cited a military source saying that the "crusaders' airstrikes" were targeting both civilian and military targets, resulting in casualties and damage.

Earlier, a source in Misrata described clashes with remnants of pro-government forces. The source declined to be named because of fear of reprisal.

A Libyan government spokesman explained the army came under rebel attack as it withdrew from Misrata, and so the army simply fought back as it continued withdrawing.

"Our army will always attack back if it is attacked," said the spokesman, Musa Ibrahim. "We cannot just ask them to die and not fight back."

Ibrahim said the army's withdrawal was continuing.

Misrata, a rebel stronghold in western Libya, has been the scene of some of the most prolonged fighting in the current conflict.

Rebels "liberated" the main market in the city and the central hospital, the local resident said, but the city remained unsafe and not under complete rebel control.

Ibrahim said tribal chiefs are moving to Misrata's outskirts and negotiating peace with the rebels and city inhabitants, but an opposition leader denied those claims.

"There are no tribes and there are no negotiations. It's only Libyan people fighting against Gadhafi's forces," said Col. Ahmad Bani, a rebel military spokesman.

Ruler Moammar Gadhafi is "lying to say to the world that he's looking to find a solution," Bani said. "These are Gadhafi dreams and they will never happen."

The regime had earlier said it was calling on the tribes to deal with the rebels in Misrata, whether by negotiation or force.

Ibrahim said the tribes are armed and "prepared to defend their land."

He said, "The rebels have two options: either to escape the country and leave Misrata and go somewhere else, or to give up their arms. And as we have promised before, a general pardon will be issued for everyone."

The rebels, under the umbrella of the Transitional National Council, received a pledge Sunday from Kuwait for about $180 million. The announcement came during council chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil's visit to Kuwait, Kuwaiti state-run television reported.

Ibrahim responded to that report by questioning why Kuwait was seeking to help one side rather than seeking to resolve the conflict.

"We know that some countries are not interested in Libyan peace, democracy, and the future of this country," Ibrahim said. "Why is it that some governments jump on the opportunity to make the Libyan crisis even worse ... instead of helping all parties establish peace?"

Hundreds have been killed in the battle for Misrata, under a bloody siege from Gadhafi's forces for seven weeks.

It is the scene of some of the deadliest battles of the war as the rebels attempt to oust Gadhafi, who has been in power for 42 years.

Human Rights Watch has said Gadhafi was using internationally banned cluster bombs and other lethal munitions indiscriminately to kill civilians.

The United States conducted its first Predator drone airstrikes Saturday afternoon, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Darryn James said.

Keeping with U.S. practice not to comment on drone strikes, the Pentagon offered no other information.

Panic ensues as tanks, gunfire spread in Syria

Fear and panic coursed through Daraa as the Syrian army launched a major military operation in the southern Syrian city Monday.

As one witness spoke by phone, the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background, along with people screaming, "Allahu Akbar" -- meaning "God is great."

"There are around 3,000 soldiers in Daraa now. They are breaking into people's houses, firing randomly at houses," the resident said. "We were sleeping and not protesting."

Another witness described an onslaught of tanks infiltrating the city.

"Before dawn prayers, around 4:30 a.m., the Syrian security forces broke into Daraa," the witness said. "There were so many tanks that entered the city from its four corners. People were heading to mosques when the attack started. People in mosques started warning the people through loud speakers, but the gunfire had already started."

The witness added that ambulances were not allowed into the city and that electricity and phone lines were down.

Anti-government protests that have taken hold in many parts of Syria began in Daraa last month following a violent crackdown by security forces on peaceful demonstrators protesting the arrests of youths who scribbled anti-government graffiti. Protesters have asked for freedom and regime reform, and public discontent with President Bashar al-Assad's government has mounted.

Activists also want the easing of the ruling Baath Party's power and a law that would permit the establishment of independent political parties.

The Syrian government has accused protesters of shooting at security forces, while opposition activists and demonstrators accuse the government of killing demonstrators.

Reports of violence over the past several days have been particularly gruesome.

On Sunday, at least three protesters were killed when security forces and secret police raided the town of Jableh on Syria's western coast and fired at demonstrators without warning, according to an eyewitness and demonstrator.

Security forces surrounded a mosque that was being used to treat the wounded, preventing 18 seriously wounded people from being hospitalized, according to a doctor inside.

On Saturday, at least 10 people died Saturday after Syrian security forces opened fire on mourners at funeral processions in the Damascus suburb of Douma and the southern town of Izraa, according to witness accounts.

And Amnesty International reported at least 75 deaths across the country on Friday.

The Syrian government and security forces have been largely silent to international media over the past month and generally speak only through state media. There was no immediate word from the Syrian leadership about the reports from Daraa on Monday.

"The Syrian regime is killing us," one man in Daraa told. "Please tell the world."

Ali Abdullah Saleh agrees to exit

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's embattled President has accepted a deal brokered by neighboring Persian Gulf nations to step down.

Both Saleh and the Yemeni opposition have agreed to the deal in principle. But Saleh has yet to sign the agreement, which stipulates he leave office within 30 days and provides complete immunity for him and those who served in his regime, said a senior foreign ministry official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Mohammed Albasha, spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, said the opposition has to accept the final deal before Saleh will sign.

The agreement also calls for a unity government to be formed within seven days.

Yemen's state-run media quoted Deputy Minister of Information Abdu al-Janadi as saying that the political crisis will "have a solution which appeases all parties to take the country to a better democracy."

He told the Saba news agency that Saleh "welcomed the initiative presented by foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council and showed readiness to positively deal with it according to the Yemeni constitution."

The bloc of six oil-producing Gulf nations, known as the GCC, has been working to ease tensions between Saleh and an increasingly restive opposition.

Previously, Yemen's largest opposition group, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) bloc, had objected to the Gulf initiative for failing to state clearly that Saleh must stand down.

Even after agreeing to the deal, Saleh lashed out at the opposition, accusing them of "receiving dirty money to topple the government."

"We are very interested in preventing bloodshed because the Yemeni blood is very precious and the opposition can't drag us to killing each other," Saleh said. "Civil war will not only affect Yemen, but also the whole region and the international security.

He said the JMP was trying to grab power outside the framework of democracy.

"I am ready to quit, but according to the constitution, which stipulated change through the ballot boxes and free elections," he said.

The JMP agreed to a unity government that included Saleh's ruling General People's Congress on the condition that protests be allowed to continue on the streets, said spokesman Muhammad Qahtan.

Violent anti-government demonstrations have erupted for many weeks across Yemen and the chorus calling for Saleh's ouster has grown louder.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he was aware of press reports around Saleh's acceptance of the GCC proposal and called on all sides to refrain from violence.

"There must be genuine participation by all sides including youth in an open and transparent process that addresses the legitimate concerns of the Yemeni people, including their political and economic aspirations and their calls to quickly bring all perpetrators of violence against protesters to justice," he said.

"A solution to Yemen's problems will not be found through security measures, including the recently adopted emergency laws."

Saleh has been in power since 1978 and served as a staunch U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He has argued he should stay in power because he is best equipped to fight Islamic militancy.

He has also said he accepts opposition demands for constitutional reforms and holding parliamentary elections by the end of the year. He promised not to run for president in the next round of elections.

But earlier this month, Saleh said he would not offer any more concessions to those demanding reforms.

22 killed as Libyan rebels make gains in Misrata

Rebels claimed a significant breakthrough Saturday in Misrata, a bloody stage in the battle for Libya against forces loyal to strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

At least 22 people were killed and 65 others injured in the fierce fighting..

A majority died in the shelling by Gadhafi's forces in western Misrata, where loyalists still maintain positions around the city gates, but several people were killed by unexploded bombs in the central city, said the resident, identified only as Mohammed for safety reasons.

The government said its soldiers were withdrawing and would be replaced by tribal fighters. Mohammed said Gadhafi was simply trying to disguise his army's defeat.

After days of street battles, rebels regained control of the city center and the main thoroughfare, Tripoli Street, which had become notorious for rooftop snipers, Mohammed said.

An opposition spokesman, also not identified for safety reasons, said the street would be reopened once unexploded ordnances were defused. Mohammed said residents were trying to restore telecommunications in the central city.

The reported rebel gains came as the United States conducted its first Predator drone airstrikes Saturday afternoon, said Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Darryn James.

Keeping with U.S. practice not to comment on drone strikes, the Pentagon offered no other information.

NATO, however, said drone strikes took out a multiple rocket launcher used by Gadhafi's forces to target civilians in the Misrata area.

Libya's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Khaim said earlier that Gadhafi's military was withdrawing from Misrata and that tribal leaders would deal with the rebels.

"The situation in Misrata will be eased and will be dealt with by the tribes surrounding Misrata," Khaim told reporters. "You will see how they will be swift and quick and fast."

He said the residents of Libya's third largest city have been in the grip of the conflict.

"The tribal leaders have issued an ultimatum to the military saying they will deal with the situation if the military cannot do it. ... They will speak with the rebels and, if there is no solution, they will fight the rebels."

But in the de facto rebel capital, Benghazi, opposition spokesman Ahmed Bani reacted to Khaim's comments with laughter and derision.

"This confirms that our rebels in Misrata have liberated Misrata and that Libya is still in one piece, not two, the way Gadhafi hoped," Bani said. "In regards to the tribes fighting the rebels; how would you believe that a person will fight his brother? And who are the tribes that are supporting Gadhafi, anyway?"

Bani said some of Gadhafi's fighters were negotiating to surrender their weapons to the rebels in exchange for the assurances that they would not be harmed. A wounded loyalist soldier told the rebels that he had not eaten in five days.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the battle for Misrata, under a bloody siege from Gadhafi's forces for seven weeks and the scene of some of the deadliest battles in the rebels' attempt to oust Gadhafi from 42 years in power.

Human Rights Watch said Gadhafi was using internationally banned cluster bombs and other lethal munitions to indiscriminately kill civilians.

Also Saturday, an airstrike hit a parking lot outside Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, killing three people, government spokesman Musa Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim had no information about the identities of the dead in the attack on Bab el-Azizia.

A NATO spokesman confirmed airstrikes in central Tripoli Friday night targeting command and control bunkers but said "we have no evidence of civilian casualties."

Eight rebels killed in attack on Libyan oil pumping station

Loyalists to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi killed eight rebel fighters in a rare attack earlier this week in an opposition-held region near the Egyptian border..

The regime loyalists, riding in a convoy of nine vehicles, attacked an oil pumping station in the Libyan desert on Thursday, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southwest of Tobruk, said Dr. Rida Benfayed, a physician who claimed he treated a rebel fighter injured in the attack.

Tobruk is a rebel stronghold one hour east of the Egyptian border, and site of a key oil exporting facility where the rebels shipped out their first consignment of oil earlier this month.

Benfayed said the gunmen opened fire on a team of nine rebel military guards manning the pumping station. The regime loyalists set a tire on fire to burn the remains of a senior rebel guard, the doctor said.

The only guard who survived was shot twice in the leg but managed to escape and drive himself to Tobruk where he's in stable condition at a hospital.

Opposition spokesman Ahmed Bani confirmed the attack, which showed the regime's capability to strike deep into rebel territory with ambush-style attacks.

"He (Gadhafi) doesn't want us to sell the oil," Bani said. "This is a lesson for us. We will take measures to increase security along the pipelines."

Bani said the pumping station sustained damage in the attack, though the extent wasn't immediately clear.

3 government officials killed in Iraq

Three Iraqi government officials were assassinated by gunmen using pistols equipped with silencers in separate neighborhoods in the capital Saturday, officials with the Interior Ministry said.

Yousif Abdullatif, a Defense Ministry employee, was shot dead in the al-Jadriya neighborhood in central Baghdad, officials said.

Director General of the Iraqi Taxes Committee Foad Fadhel was killed in the al-Jamia neighborhood in western Baghdad, they said.

Mohammed Qassim, an officer working at the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, was shot dead by gunmen in the Mansour neighborhood in western Baghdad, the officials said.

Separately, in the Saydiya neighborhood in southwestern Baghdad, a sticky bomb attached to a civilian vehicle exploded, wounding two people inside the car.

Government figures show the death toll in Iraq has been rising.

In March, 247 Iraqis were killed, up from 197 people in February. Another 370 people were wounded in March.

Overall, violence in Iraq has dropped dramatically since the peak of the sectarian violence between 2005 and 2007, but mortar attacks, bombs and assassinations are still commonplace.

U.S. departs Pakistan base

A senior Pakistani intelligence official told that U.S. military personnel have left a southern base said to be a key hub for American drone operations in the country's northwestern tribal areas.

It is the Shamsi Air Base in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, from which drones are said to take off and where they are refueled for operations against Islamic militants.

The development comes amid a public furor over American drone attacks, which have killed civilians.

A suspected U.S. drone strike Friday in the Pakistani tribal region killed 25 people, including eight civilians and 17 militants, a Pakistani intelligence source said. This came after another strike on March 17 killed 44 people, most of them civilians.

Yet a U.S. official disputed the Pakistani contention that civilians died in Friday's drone strike.

"There is no evidence to support that claim whatsoever," the U.S. official said.

Another senior Pakistani intelligence official, who did not want to be identified discussing a sensitive issue, confirmed that the Americans had been using the base as a center of operations for launching drone strikes. He was not able to confirm the Americans had left.

While the first official was able to confirm that American personnel were no longer operating out of the base, he could not say whether they had left voluntarily or at the request of the Pakistani government.

The operation of the base -- not publicly acknowledged by the American government -- has always been presumed to have occurred with tacit Pakistani military consent.

It was not clear from the Pakistani officials when the presence there began or when it ended.

A U.S. military official who did not want to be identified told CNN: "There are no U.S. forces at Shamsi Air Base in Balochistan." He did not respond at the time or in writing to queries as to whether U.S. personnel had been based there in the past.

The departure of American personnel -- if confirmed -- would be significant because of increasing strain between Islamabad and Washington sparked by the continuing drone attacks and by the Raymond Davis affair, in which a CIA contractor fatally shot two Pakistani men in a Lahore neighborhood.

It has always been unclear how many drone bases the United States operates in or near Pakistan. But the Friday attack in North Waziristan that killed 25 people would indicate the United States maintains the capability to strike tribal areas with drones.

Carl Forsberg, research analyst at the Institute for the Study of War think tank, said he doesn't think the alleged move will affect the effort using drones to target the Haqqani Network and other militant groups holed up in the tribal region.

That's because many strikes have been conducted from closer bases, such as those across the Pakistani border in eastern Afghan provinces. He said the Pakistanis could be making the alleged move to appease a populace angry at the United States.

The southern air base, he said, doesn't appear to be integral to the tribal area fight and is probably a supporting base.

"It's not like the Pakistanis shut down the program," he said. "It's possible they want to do this as a means of pre-empting drone strikes in Balochistan," where there is a Taliban presence.

"The United States has an interest in going after the Taliban in Balochistan" he said, and in an ideal world the United States would like to target Taliban sanctuaries in that region with drones.

Also, he said, it's possible the Pakistanis are using pressure on the United States to offset any U.S. pressure on them.

He said it's no coincidence that the development emerged after Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Islamabad.

In an interview that aired Wednesday on Pakistan's Geo TV, Mullen spoke forcefully about the Haqqani Network, which he said "very specifically facilitates and supports the Taliban who move in Afghanistan, and they're killing Americans."

"I can't accept that and I will do everything I possibly can to prevent that specifically," he said.

Then Mullen said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence "has a longstanding relationship with the Haqqani Network. That doesn't mean everybody in the ISI, but it's there."

"I also have an understanding that the ISI and the (Pakistani military) exist to protect their own citizens, and there's a way they have done that for a long period of time," Mullen said. "I believe that over time, that's got to change."

A senior Pakistani intelligence official responded by saying, "We do have a relationship: that of an adversary."

"We have made our resolve very clear that (the Haqqani Network) is an enemy we need to fight together," said the official, who did not want to be identified discussing intelligence matters.

The Pakistani intelligence official told CNN that "we have our hands full" fighting other Islamist militant groups along the border with Afghanistan, notably those under the umbrella of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, "and once we are through with them we can turn on the other (the Haqqanis). We do not have the capacity to undertake simultaneous operations."

The official said the "onus of providing proof of this" relationship was on the Americans and it was not up to the ISI "to start providing clarification."

Asked if offense was taken from Mullen's remarks, the intelligence official said: "Not personally, no."

In Friday's attack, a drone fired five missiles on a hideout in Mir Ali of North Waziristan, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan, two intelligence officials said.

The officials said the militants, who were staying in the hideout, were planning to move into Afghanistan for an attack against coalition forces.

The militants were local Taliban members from Orakzai agency, another district of Pakistan's tribal region, who were trained for war, the officials said. The intelligence officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

But the attack also killed at least three women when one of the missiles hit a house next to the targeted compound, officials said. The Pakistani intelligence source identified the civilians killed as five women and three children.

Friday's drone strike was the 20th this year compared with 111 in all of 2010, based on a CNN tally.

The strike comes two days after Pakistan issued a strongly worded statement condemning deadly suspected U.S. drone strikes in the country's tribal region.

"Drone attacks have become a core irritant in the counterterror campaign," a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. "We have repeatedly said that such attacks are counterproductive and only contribute to strengthen the hands of the terrorists."

McCain urges more help for Libyan rebels

Libyan rebels made gains Friday on the morale front from Sen. John McCain's visit to Benghazi and on the battlefront as they gained ground in central Misrata, under a bloody siege for weeks.

The rebels, locked in a deadly standoff with forces loyal to strongman Moammar Gadhafi, welcomed McCain to their de facto capital, Benghazi. McCain's tour came a day after the United States said it was deploying drones to Libya.

McCain, a strong proponent of beefing up U.S. efforts to oust Gadhafi from power, said the drones would increase NATO's capability but not enough to make up a shortfall in assets needed to break a "significant degree of stalemate."

He said he was against U.S. troops on the ground, but he said nations need to "facilitate" weapons and training for the rebels.

"We have prevented the worst outcome in Libya," McCain told reporters in Benghazi. "Now we need to increase our support so that the Libyan people can achieve the only satisfactory outcome to this mass protest for universal rights -- the end of Gadhafi's rule and the beginning of a peaceful and inclusive transition to democracy that will benefit all Libyans."

America's top military chief acknowedged a stalemate on the eastern front, around the oil towns of Ajdabiya and al-Brega, both of which have changed hands several times.

"The regime forces have changed their tactics, and changed it in a way where they essentially look like the opposition forces, so it's become a much more difficult fight," said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"And as I've observed in recent days, essentially it is very much stalemate-like in the vicinity of Adjabiya and al-Brega," Mullen said at a news conference in Baghdad.

He said the eventual outcome -- toppling Gadhafi after 42 years of rule -- is certain. But when that might be achieved, he said, was "difficult to predict."

McCain, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Libya since the conflict erupted in February, challenged critics of intervention to tour Benghazi, as he did Friday, to see a "powerful and hopeful example of what a free Libya can be."

Many miles away, in western Libya, the battle raged in Misrata, the third largest city under a bloody siege for seven weeks by Gadhafi loyalists.

After days of fierce fighting, Libyan rebels were able to take control of a key building on the main thoroughfare of Tripoli Street, rebel military spokesman Ahmed Bani told CNN Friday.

"This victory is quite important for us, and it shows that we are advancing and we are heading in the right direction," Bani said.

He said some pro-Gadhafi fighters were negotiating for their lives and that the rebels gave them assurances in exchange for a surrender of weapons.

Doctors worked around the clock and hospitals overflowed in Misrata, a seacoast city that is hemmed in by Gadhafi's forces.

Another aid ship chartered by the International Organization for Migration left Benghazi for Misrata carrying food, medicine and other supplies. The organization hopes to rescue more stranded migrants and wounded people from the city.

"Given the increasing number of casualties in Misrata and the thousands of lives that are in danger, we felt a responsibility to act," said Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore of Ireland, which is helping fund the chartered vessels.

"Col. Gadhafi's forces have agreed to allow ships into the port to evacuate civilians and we have requested that the IOM undertake an emergency operation on our behalf," Gilmore said.

In Benghazi, people waved American flags as they greeted McCain. Some chanted, "Thank you John McCain! Thank you Obama! Thank you America! We need freedom! Gadhafi go away!"

The top Republican on the senate armed services committee stopped by a hospital and suggested that Western powers are not doing enough for the rebels.

"Let's face it: This is not a fair fight," said McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran who carries clout in defense circles. "Maybe we should be doing everything we can to help these people and maybe we're not, and they're dying."

McCain visited Benghazi's Freedom Square, accompanied by, among others, Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, deputy chairman of the opposition Transitional National Council. He paused at a courthouse wall covered with scores of pictures of people allegedly killed by Gadhafi's forces and others who have gone missing since uprisings began.

"The American people support you very strongly, and we know it's necessary to help as much as we can," McCain told a woman who thanked him for U.S. support.

U.S. Predator drones were deployed Thursday in the North African nation as part of the NATO-led military efforts there. But as of Friday night, the drones had not made any strikes, said Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Darryn James.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said earlier that the deployed drones were forced to return due to bad weather.

Large explosions and the sound of jets over Tripoli Thursday night indicated NATO has likely increased the intensity of its airstrikes on Gadhafi's key command and control military sites.

The alliance has issued a new warning to Libyan civilians to stay away from military areas, foreshadowing plans for attacks on targets seen as strategically significant in stopping the government's attacks against civilians, a NATO military official said Thursday.

The next phase will largely involve increased airstrikes on key Gadhafi command, control and communications sites in and around Tripoli, although targets in other areas could be hit as well, said the official, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.