Libya action is legal, Obama says

President Barack Obama insisted that the current US military action in Libya was legal, rejecting rising criticism from Congress over the goals and justification of the operation, AFP reported.

In a 30-page report to lawmakers, the White House argued that US participation in the NATO-led assault on Muammar Gaddafi’s forces did not require congressional authorization as the US role was only a supporting one.

The report said the US involvement in the UN-authorized operation did not rise to the kind of direct, offensive warfare that needed to be endorsed by lawmakers under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.

"US forces are playing a constrained and supporting role in a multinational coalition," the report said, noting that the use of force was being used solely to protect civilians, enforce a no-fly zone and an arms embargo.

"US operations do not involve sustained fighting or active exchanges of fire with hostile forces, nor do they involve the presence of US ground troops, US casualties or a serious threat thereof, or any significant chance of escalation into a conflict characterized by those factors," the report said.