Libya: US drones to carry out missions
Predator drones have been used to target militants on the border between Afghanistan and PakistanArmed US Predator drones are set to carry out missions in Libya, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said.
Mr Gates said their use had been authorised by President Barack Obama and would give "precision capability" to the military operation.
US drones are already used to target militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Libyan rebels have been battling Col Gaddafi's troops since February but have recently made little headway.
"President Obama has said that where we have some unique capabilities, he is willing to use those," Mr Gates told a news conference.
He said two armed, unmanned Predators were being made available to Nato as needed.
Mr Gates denied that the drone deployment was evidence of "mission creep" in Libya and that there was no plan to put US "boots on the ground" in Libya.
He said they marked a "modest contribution" to the military operations.
Gen James Cartwright, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the first mission had taken place on Thursday but turned back due to bad weather.
He said the drones - which can fly at a lower altitude than conventional fighter jets - were "uniquely suited for urban areas", providing improved visibility of tanks and other potential targets.
Post captured
Earlier on Thursday, Libyan rebels seized control of a border post on the Tunisian border after government soldiers fled, say reports.
The move marks a rare advance against government troops in the west of the country and followed intense fighting in the western mountain region.
Fierce fighting is also continuing in the western city of Misrata, where medics say more than 1,000 people have died.
Rebels in Misrata claim to have found remnants of cluster bombs but the Libyan government has so far denied the charge.
The BBC's Orla Guerin in Misrata says she has seen the bombs herself and that doctors have told her they are causing increasingly horrific injuries, with some civilians losing limbs.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Libyan authorities to "stop fighting and stop killing people".
He said the UN's priority was to bring about "a verifiable and effective ceasefire" to enable humanitarian work and political dialogue to take place.
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