Is america at war with Libya?

Can a country hit another country with over 120 Tomahawk Cruise missiles in a matter of hours, bomb its air defence radars and guns to smithereens and yet not be at war with it? Despite having all that and more, the US insists it's not at war with Libya. Yashwant Raj reports.

Can a country hit another country with over 120 Tomahawk Cruise missiles in a matter of hours, bomb its air defence radars and guns to smithereens and yet not be at war with it? Despite having all that and more, the US insists it's not at war with Libya

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When asked on Wednesday if the US was at war with Libya a string of officials and commanders demurred, ducking behind euphemisms that seemed strangely similar - not a word out of place.

"What we are doing is enforcing a resolution that has a very clear set of goals, which is protecting the Libyan people, averting a humanitarian crisis, and setting up a no-fly zone," said deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes.