A Libyan rebel prays on the frontline on the outskirts of the city of Ajdabiya, south of Benghazi, eastern Libya, Monday, March 21, 2011. The international military intervention in Libya is likely to last “a while,” a top French official said Monday, echoing Moammar Gadhafi’s warning of a long war ahead as rebels, energized by the strikes on their opponents, said they were fighting to reclaim a city under siege from the Libyan leader’s forces.(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)HADEEL AL-SHALCHI,Associated Press
RYAN LUCAS,Associated Press
ZWITINA, Libya (AP) – Energized by international strikes on Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, rebels advanced in an attempt to reclaim an eastern city under siege by the Libyan leader’s troops on Monday as the U.S. commander of the allied campaign warned that a stalemate could emerge from the bombardment.
That could mean a longer conflict and an unclear end game as the U.S. and European countries try to calibrate how much their now three-day old air campaign – officially intended to protect civilians – should go toward actively helping the rebel cause. Henri Guaino, a top adviser to the French president, said the allied effort would last “a while yet.”
Ali Zeidan, an envoy to Europe from the opposition-created governing council, told The Associated Press that rebels want to drive Gadhafi from power and see him tried – not have him killed. He said that while airstrikes have helped, the opposition needs more weapons to win the fight.