Libyan rebels push west as coalition airstrikes continue

Benghazi, Libya (CNN) — Libyan opposition fighters headed west toward several of Moammar Gadhafi’s strongholds Sunday as coalition airstrikes continued in the North African nation.

Reinvigorated after regaining control of the key eastern city of Ajdabiya, rebel troops had set their sights Saturday on the nearby city of al-Brega, an opposition spokesman said.

Determined to topple Gadhafi’s nearly 42-year reign, they pledged to continue the westward march to Tripoli.

“The dictator has chosen to take the bloody road. … We encourage him to leave or we will force his removal,” opposition spokesman Col. Ahmed Omar Bani told reporters Saturday.

The opposition expects heavy resistance in some towns, spokesman Jalal al-Gallal said, such as Gadhafi’s birthplace of Sirte.

Meanwhile, coalition airstrikes continued as NATO prepared to take command of the Libya mission this weekend.

Coalition officials say the airstrikes are aimed at enforcing a no-fly zone and protecting civilians in Libya.

But Libyan government officials countered that claim, arguing that coalition forces only target troops loyal to Gadhafi.

“The aim is to push our armored forces city by city. This is the objective of the coalition now. It is not to protect civilians,” Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said Saturday.

Coalition planes flew at least 96 airstrike missions in a 24-hour period that ended Saturday, according to statistics released by the Pentagon, and leaders reported damage to Gadhafi’s ground forces.

Opposition fighters chanted gratitude for the coalition’s support after they wrested control of Ajdabiya, considered a gateway to Libya’s vast oil fields and a stopping point en route to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

They were confident that with protective air power, they would be able to hold onto the city they had captured once before but lost to Gadhafi’s army.

The coalition’s air campaign continued Saturday, further limiting loyalist movements. French warplanes destroyed at least five Libyan combat planes and two helicopters over a 24-hour period, the Ministry of Defense said.

Explosions and airstrikes were also reported in Tripoli, Tarhunah and Misrata.

U.S. President Barack Obama defended America’s leadership in the international coalition in his weekly radio address Saturday.

“The United States should not — and cannot — intervene every time there’s a crisis somewhere in the world,” Obama said. “But I firmly believe that when innocent people are being brutalized; when someone like Gadhafi threatens a bloodbath that could destabilize an entire region; and when the international community is prepared to come together to save many thousands of lives — then it’s in our national interest to act. And it’s our responsibility. This is one of those times.”

But Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sharply criticized the coalition’s approach in remarks Saturday, Venezuelan state media reported. The close friend and longtime ally of Gadhafi described the airstrikes as an imperialist military intervention and said “terrorists” had infiltrated groups of Libyan rebels.

“These groups kidnapped and massacred civilians and soldiers who supported and defended the sovereignty of Libya,” he said.

CNN’s Reza Sayah, Arwa Damon and Nic Robertson contributed to this report.