美国说，它将开始在利比亚使用武装无人机实施对卡扎菲(Moammar Gadhafi)部队的导弹攻击，尽管奥巴马政府曾承诺要把这类进攻任务留给盟友来执行。
Defense officials said the airstrikes─which will target Libyan troops hiding near civilians in urban areas─were necessary to respond to a shift in tactics by the Libyan military. Allied aircraft have proved unable to fully protect civilians and rebel forces under heavy attack from Gadhafi loyalists. The drones can get closer, allowing more-precise strikes, and loiter longer, giving them a better chance of finding hidden targets.
美国防务官员说，使用无人机进行空中打击是对利比亚军队所做战术调整的必要反应。打击的主要目标是躲藏在城市地区平民附近的利比亚部队。事实证明，在效忠卡扎菲的部队的猛烈攻击下，多国部队的飞机无法充分保护平民和反抗武装。无人机则可以更加靠近打击目标，进行更精确的攻击，并可以停留更长时间，增大发现藏匿目标的机会。
"The president has said where we have unique capabilities, he is willing to use those," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, as he announced the drone strikes.
美国国防部长盖茨(Robert Gates)周四在宣布用无人机进行空中打击时说，奥巴马总统一直表示，在我们拥有别人没有的能力的地方，他愿意使用这种能力。
The U.S. is putting two Predator drones, each equipped with two Hellfire missiles, in Libyan airspace around the clock. The first Predator attack sorties were launched Thursday, though after the aircraft took off, weather conditions prevented any strikes.
美国将派出两架“捕食者”(Predator)无人机，每架飞机携带两枚“海尔法”(Hellfire)导弹，在利比亚领空全天候进行空中打击。周四发动了第一轮进攻，不过在飞机起飞后，天气条件使进攻被迫中止。
President Barack Obama has based his Libya policy on the notion that the U.S. would take a back-seat role in protecting rebels and civilians from Col. Gadhafi's forces. After leading the initial attacks last month, the U.S. turned over responsibility for hitting armored columns and other ground forces to French, British and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations.
奥巴马对利比亚政策的基本理念一直是，美国在保护反抗武装和平民不受卡扎菲袭击方面将扮演次要角色。上个月领导了首轮进攻后，美国把打击卡扎菲装甲部队和其他地面部队的任务交给了法国、英国和其他北约(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)成员国。
