Fighting has raged between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and insurgents, despite a UN-mandated no-fly zone amid reports that the Libyan leader and people close to the him may be looking for a way out of the conflict.
As a senior US officer said Gaddafi forces were still attacking civilians, doubts persisted over the best way to continue the campaign to stop Gaddafi, and where it was leading.
However, US President Barack Obama said there has been a "significant reduction" in US flights over Libya, and he expected "clarity" on the future command structure of allied military operations "over the next several days."
He was cutting short a Latin America trip to fly home to meet his security team about the Libya conflict, the White House said.
People have 'allegedly reached out' on Gaddafi's behalf: Clinton
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News that people close to Gaddafi have been contacting Libya's allies worldwide to see how they can "get out of this."
"We've heard about... people close to him reaching out to people that they know around the world - Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond - saying what do we do? How do we get out of this?" she said.
"I'm not aware that he (Gaddafi) personally has reached out, but I do know that people allegedly on his behalf have been reaching out," Clinton said according to excerpts of the interview to be broadcast on ABC World News.
France calls on Gaddafi to withdraw troops
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said earlier that future actions of the coalition, which began air strikes on Saturday on Gaddafi military installations, depend in part on the embattled Libyan leader.
"The military operations could stop at any moment. All it would take is for the Tripoli regime to adhere precisely and completely with UN Security Council resolutions, and to accept a genuine ceasefire," Juppe said.
He called on Gaddafi to withdraw troops engaged in military advances and send them "back to their barracks."
NATO to play 'key role' in Libya
US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed NATO should play a key role in the command structure of the Libya mission, the White House said.
Obama telephoned British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the situation in Libya, where the three countries are leading military strikes against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
"They reviewed the substantial progress that's been made in terms of halting the advance of Gaddafi's forces on Benghazi as well as the establishment of a no-fly zone," said White House spokesman Ben Rhodes.
They also agreed that "NATO should play a key role in the command structure going forward," said Rhodes, who was traveling with Obama as he began the final stop of a three-nation Latin America tour in El Salvador.
Libyan anti-aircraft fire opened up over the capital after nightfall, amid the sound of far-off explosions, an AFP journalist reported.
Eight people wounded after jet crash, crew safe
A US F-15 jet crashed in Libya due to a technical fault while enforcing a no-fly zone and both its crew ejected safely, the US Africa command said.
"Two crew members ejected from their US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle when the aircraft experienced equipment malfunction over northeast Libya, March 21, 2011 at approximately 10:30 pm CET (2130 GMT)," the command, based in the western German city of Stuttgart, said in a statement.
"Both crew members ejected and are safe... The cause of the incident is under investigation."
A command spokeswoman, Nicole Dalrymple, told AFP the crew had sustained minor injuries and that one had been recovered while an operation to pick up the second was ongoing.
She said the crash was not a result of hostile action and an investigation to determine the cause of the malfunction was underway.
The other crew member was with rebel forces and was "in good hands," the official said.
At least eight people were reportedly injured after coming under fire as they inspected an area near where the US warplane crashed, medical sources and eyewitnesses say.
The eight, all men, were admitted to Benghazi's Jala Hospital shortly after the US F-15 jet crash-landed in a field in Ghot Sultan, a village about 50km east of Benghazi.
A medical source at the hospital said eight people had been brought in for treatment after the incident, a number confirmed by Abdul Aaty who said he had come into the facility with his father, brother and six others.
None of those injured in the incident could confirm who or what fired the rockets.
Earlier, media reports suggested that an aircraft involved in the rescue of one of the aircrew who ejected from the F-15 before it crashed may have opened fire as it attempted to extract the American pilot.
But eyewitnesses said it was impossible to tell, and they did not speculate about who was responsible.
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