By Nic Robertson, Paul Cruickshank and Jomana Karadsheh reporting from Tripoli, Libya
A senior Libyan official told CNN that the U.S. is flying surveillance missions with drones over suspected jihadist training camps in eastern Libya because of concerns over rising activity by al Qaeda and like-minded groups in the region but said that to the best of his knowledge, they had not been used to fire missiles at militant training camps in the area.
The revelation follows a failed attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi on Tuesday night, which a shadowy jihadist group claimed was to avenge the death of al Qaeda No. 2 Abu Yahya al-Libi.
The official said that one militant commander operating in Derna, Abdulbasit Azuz, had complained that a drone strike had targeted his training camp in the east of Libya. Last month, there were reports of explosions outside the Derna area in the vicinity of the camps, according to a different source. FULL POST
By CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr and CNN's Jomana Karadsheh
A US defense official confirms forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi fired a short range Scud missile on Sunday at a rebel stronghold, but by all accounts the missile failed to reach its target. The official said the missile was launched from a government held area 50 miles east of Sirte and it landed 50 miles east of Brega in the desert. A senior NATO official called it a ‘desperation’ move by the regime.
In an address broadcast Monday on Libyan state television, Gadhafi urged Libyans to fight opposition forces and "cleanse this sweet and honorable land."
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