Gadhafi Vows 'Long War'

And warns that 'oil will not be left' to US, France, Britain
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 20, 2011 12:48 PM CDT
Operation Odyssey Dawn: Moammar Gadhafi Vows 'Long War'
With a female body guard standing behind, Libyan strongman Gadhafi arrives at the Rixos hotel in the capital Tripoli on March 8, 2011.   (Getty Images)

Yesterday, Moammar Gadhafi told President Obama "I would still love you" even if there was a war between Libya and America. Today, he told allied forces to buckle up. In a telephone call to state television, Gadhafi reportedly spoke of a "long war," saying, "We will not leave our land and we will liberate it. We will fight you if you continue your attacks on us. Those who are on the land will win the battle." He also warned that "oil will not be left to the United States, France, and Britain."

The New York Times notes that, rather than showing a photo of Gadhafi during the segment, state television showed an image of a statue of a golden fist—wrapped around a crushed American fighter plane. Benghazi seemed quiet today, the Times says, with some residents returning to the city after fleeing abruptly yesterday. The sounds of antiaircraft fire, fighter jets, and explosions were heard in Tripoli, and US B-2 stealth bombers reportedly struck a major airfield. (More Operation Odyssey Dawn stories.)

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