Tripoli: The heart of Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli lay in a shambles on Monday as the United States and allies continued their mission to dilute the Libyan leader's strength. But Gaddafi's whereabouts - and his plans after promising a "long-drawn war" - remained unknown.
A coalition military official insisted neither Gaddafi nor his residence were intended targets of the bombing late Sunday. But the official - who was not being identified because of the sensitivity of the information - said the compound was targeted because it contained capabilities to exercise command and control over Libyan forces.
US Vice Admiral Bill Gortney reinforced the coalition's objective.
"We are not going after Gaddafi," he said at a Pentagon press briefing. "Regime forces are more pressed and less free to maneuver."
Asked about reports of smoke rising from the area of Gaddafi's palace, Gortney said, "We are not targeting his residence."
Western journalists, including CNN's Nic Robertson, were taken inside the compound by Libyan officials to survey the destruction.
Robertson reported a four-story building was heavily damaged, possibly by cruise missiles. He held a chunk of metal retrieved from the site - with writing in English - that appeared to be from a missile.
A Libyan government official said the building was used by Gaddafi officials and said there were no casualties from the building.
The building is only 100 yards or so from a statue of a golden fist crushing a model plane emblazoned with "USA" - a monument to the 1986 American bombing of Libya, in which a US plane was shot down.
Meanwhile, a witness in the Libyan city of Misrata reported "absolute destruction and carnage" by Gaddafi forces on Monday - despite the regime's recent call for a cease-fire.
"Misrata is being flattened and razed to the ground as we speak," said the man, who was not identified safety reasons. "He (Gaddafi) is using tanks and snipers to terrorize the city."
He added, "They are shooting people in the main street and on the back street."
The Libyan military announced the cease-fire after an attack near Benghazi - the heart of the Libyan opposition forces. Coalition forces pounded a Libyan military convoy there Sunday. At least 70 vehicles - including armored personnel carriers and tanks - were destroyed.
When asked about the possibility of trying to kill Gaddafi to end his regime, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said it would be "unwise" to set specific goals.
"I think that it's important that we operate within the mandate of the UN Security Council resolution," Gates told reporters Sunday while on a plane to Russia. "If we start adding additional objectives, then I think we create a problem in that respect. I also think that it is unwise to set as specific goals, things that you may or may not be able to achieve."
The Security Council resolution, which passed Thursday, allows member states "to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country ... while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory," according to the United Nations.
But not all countries agree with foreign attacks in Libya. The Russian government said the mission has killed innocent civilians and urged more caution. The foreign ministry in Moscow cited reports that "nonmilitary" targets were being bombed, including a cardiac center. China and Venezuela have also spoken out against the airstrikes.
The Libyan government has claimed that 48 people, mostly women, children and clerics, have died in allied attacks.
However, Gortney said, "We have no indication of any civilian casualties."
And France - which conducted the first strike in Libya on Saturday when fighter jets fired at a military vehicle - also disputed claims of civilian deaths.
"There is no information of killed civilians recorded by the French command," French government spokesman Francois Baroin said Monday on the French TV channel Canal+. "We must be cautious of communication campaigns and propaganda."
Ahmed Gebreel, a member of the Libyan opposition, told CNN the Gaddafi government collected bodies of people killed in fighting in the past week and displayed them over the weekend, trying to show they were killed by coalition airstrikes.
The British defense ministry said it halted a mission to attack a target in Libya after information surfaced about civilians in the area.
"As the RAF GR4 Tornados moved into the area, further information came to light that identified a number of civilians within the intended target area," the ministry said in a statement Monday. "As a result the decision was taken not to launch weapons. This decision underlines the UK's commitment to the protection of civilians."
In the coming days, US officials said they plan to hand over operational control of the military mission. The coalition has nine other announced partners: Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Qatar and Spain.
"One of the things that was very much on (US President Barack Obama's) mind is the importance of a meaningful coalition, meaning other countries making serious military contributions so the United States isn't carrying the preeminent responsibility for an indefinite period of time," Gates said.
Obama and his national security team have worked behind the scenes to shore up support within the Arab world for the military mission in Libya, according to senior administration officials.
Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa told reporters Sunday that what is happening in Libya is different from what was intended by imposing a no-fly zone, according to Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper.
"What we want is the protection of civilians and not the shelling of more civilians," he said. He added that "military operations may not be needed in order to protect the civilians."
But Arab League chief of staff Hisham Youssef said Moussa's comments did not signify a shift by the organization.
"The Arab League position has not changed. We fully support the implementation of a no-fly zone," Youssef said. "Our ultimate aim is to end the bloodshed and achieve the aspirations of the Libyan people."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - who met with Moussa other world leaders to discuss Libya on Saturday - said support from Arab leaders was key to the Security Council's decision.
"The strong recommendation by the league of Arab states to take decisive measures - including the establishment of a no-fly zone - figured prominently in the adoption of the Security Council resolution," Ban told reporters in Egypt on Monday. "This decisive measure is meant to protect the civilian population, who are being killed by Col. Gaddafi and his regime."
Gates acknowledged that the mission could potentially be perceived by Arab leaders as a NATO operation.
"I think there is a sensitivity on the part of the Arab League to being seen to be operating under a NATO umbrella, and so the question is if there is a way we can work out NATO's command and control machinery without it being a NATO mission and without a NATO flag," Gates said.
As of Sunday night, the United States and British military had fired a total of 124 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libya's air defense sites, Gortney said.
In a televised speech earlier Sunday, Gaddafi said the strikes were a confrontation between the Libyan people and "the new Nazis." He promised "a long-drawn war."
"You have proven to the world that you are not civilized, that you are terrorists - animals attacking a safe nation that did nothing against you," Gaddafi said.
But many in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi expressed gratitude for the foreign intervention, saying they eventually would have been massacred if not for the operation.
A senior physician said 95 people died in an assault there by Gaddafi troops over the weekend.
The beseiged rebels hope that with the new international support, they can advance their mission to overthrow Gaddafi to the nation's capital - and take the offensive against loyalist troops.
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