The Pentagon disclosed Wednesday that U.S. aircrafts dropped bombs in Libya following the military hand off to NATO earlier this month.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Col. David Lapan, the operations were aimed at enforcing the no-fly zone, and unlike military action aimed at protecting civilians; do not require a special request from NATO.
11 air crafts, consisting of six F-16s and five EA-18s, have flown 97 Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses sorties since the hand off earlier this month. Ordnance was fired three times.
The news comes as rebel leaders campaign for a larger American presence in Libya.
“When the Americans were involved the mission was very active and it was more leaning toward protecting the civilians,” Mahmoud Shammam, a spokesperson for the Libyan rebels, told the AP recently.