Arab countries on sidelines in Libya campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) — As America's NATO allies shoulder a greater share of the mission in Libya, the Arab countries that urged the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone are missing from the action.

Except for the small Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which is expected to start flying air patrols over Libya by this weekend, no other members of the 22-member Arab League so far have publicly committed to taking an active role.

The U.S. has sold many of these countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, billions of dollars in sophisticated military gear over the past decade to help counter Iran's power in the region.

In the latest round of attacks, the international coalition struck at leader Moammar Gadhafi's military sites with jet bombers and more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles, a U.S. defense official said today.

Targets late Wednesday and early today included Gadhafi's air defense missile sites in Tripoli and south of the capital as well as an ammunition bunker south of Misrata and forces south of Benghazi, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.