McCain wants increased support for Libya's rebels

In the Libyan capital, meanwhile, a senior official said government troops would step back and allow local armed tribesmen to deal with rebels in the besieged city of Misrata.The action came a day after the US began flying armed drones to bolster NATO airs trikes, and having the tribesmen take up the fight could make it harder for the Predators to distinguish them from Misratas civilians or the rebels.Early on Saturday morning, two apparent NATO airstrikes struck Gaddafis sprawling Bab Aziziyah compound in Tripoli, leaving behind a small crater in a walled-in parking lot. Later about two dozen Gaddafi supporters waved flags there in support of the regime.McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the United States and other nations should recognise the oppositions political leadership as the legitimate voice of the Libyan people. The White House disagreed, saying it was for the Libyan people to decide who their leaders are.McCain also called the rebels patriots with no links to al Qaeda, in contrast to what some critics have suggested, and added they should receive Gaddafi assets that were frozen by other countries.