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Allied forces strike Gadhafi compound; leader's whereabouts unknown

By the CNN Wire Staff
March 21, 2011 9:41 a.m. EDT

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Gadhafi's compound attacked

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The heart of Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli lay in shambles Monday following bombing by the United States and its allies, prompting a debate about whether the allies were trying to kill the Libyan leader.
A coalition military official insisted neither Gadhafi nor his residence were intended targets of the bombing late Sunday. The official -- who was not being identified because of the sensitivity of the information -- said the compound was targeted because it contained command-and-control facilities for Libyan forces.
U.S. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney concurred. "We are not going after Gadhafi," he said at a Pentagon press briefing. Asked about reports of smoke rising from the area of Gadhafi's palace, Gortney said, "We are not targeting his residence."
Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Alec Fraser suggested that Gadhafi might end up being a casualty even if he was not the intended target, but indicated he would not blame the coalition if that happened.
"If he happens to be someplace that they're striking, that's his problem," he said on CNN's "American Morning" Monday.
The British called off a second bombing run targeting the compound for fear of hitting civilians, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told CNN Monday, declining to be named in line with British tradition.
The ministry said earlier that Royal Air Force GR4 Tornados were told not to launch weapons after "information came to light that identified a number of civilians within the intended target area." At the time it did not identify the target of the aborted mission.
Gadhafi's whereabouts -- and his plans after promising a "long-drawn war" -- remained unknown Monday.
The U.S. military mission in Libya may already have peaked, spokesman Vince Crowley said Monday.
"We are moving from the action phase to a patrolling phase," said Crowley, a spokesman for the military's Africa Command. "Our aircraft participation has... plateaued, if not reduced somewhat."
A witness in the Libyan city of Misrata reported "absolute destruction and carnage" by Gadhafi 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, whom CNN is not naming to protect his safety. "He (Gadhafi) 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.
British military spokesman Maj. Gen. John Lorimer Monday dismissed the Libyan announcement.
"Although a Libyan cease-fire was announced again there has been no evidence to suggest there has been a change in their stance," he said.
Also on Monday, the New York Times announced that four of its journalists who had been held in Libya since last week had been released.
The newspaper identified the journalists as Anthony Shadid, its bureau chief in Beirut, Lebanon, and a two-time Pulitzer winner for foreign reporting; Stephen Farrell, a reporter and videographer who was kidnapped by the Taliban and rescued by British commandos in 2009; Tyler Hicks, a staffer who is based in Istanbul and has served as an embedded journalist in Afghanistan; and photographer Lynsey Addario, who has covered the Middle East and Africa.
They are in the Turkish Embassy in Tripoli, Turkey's ambassador to Libya, Levent Sahin Kaya, told CNN. The Times reported Monday that they were released into the custody of Turkish diplomats who were accompanying them out of Libya.
When asked about the possibility of trying to kill Gadhafi to end his regime, U.S. 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 U.N. 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."
Gates studiously avoided mentioning Libya in St. Petersburg, Russia, in his appearance with Russian military officials Monday. Russia has been critical of the air bombardment of Libya.