Bombing successful, results unclear

 WASHINGTON (AP):

The United States has claimed initial success two days into an assault on Libya that included some of the heaviest firepower in the American arsenal - long-range bombers designed for the Cold War.

But American officials yesterday said it was too early to define the international military campaign's end game.

The top US military officer suggested that Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi might stay in power in spite of the military assault aimed at protecting civilians, calling into question the larger objective of an end to Gadhafi's erratic 42-year rule. Other top US officials have suggested that a weakened and isolated Gadhafi could be ripe for a coup.

A second wave of attacks, mainly from American fighters and bombers, targeted Libyan ground forces and air defences, following an opening barrage Saturday of sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Pentagon officials yesterday said they were studying the extent of damage done and the need for further attacks.

early judgement

One senior military official said the early judgement was that the attacks had been highly successful, while not fully eliminating the threat posed by Libyan air defences. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence data.

The systems targeted most closely were Libya's SA-5 surface-to-air missiles, Russian-made weaponry that could pose a threat to allied aircraft many miles off the Libyan coastline. Libya has a range of other air defence weaponry, including portable surface-to-air missiles that are more difficult to eliminate by bombing.

Yesterday's attacks, carried out by a range of US aircraft - including Air Force B-2 stealth bombers as well as Marine Harrier jets flying from an amphibious assault ship in the Mediterranean - demonstrated the predominance of US firepower in the international coalition.

By striking Libyan ground forces, coalition forces also showed that they are going beyond the most frequently discussed goal of establishing a no-fly zone over the country.