NATO is running short of precision bombs and other munitions in its Libyan operation against the forces of Libyan leader Gaddafi, as the Washington Post reports.
Citing unnamed senior NATO and US officials, the newspaper said the shortage highlights the limitations of Britain, France and other European countries in sustaining even a relatively small military action.
The scope of the problem was not mentioned.
The shortage of European munitions, along with the limited number of aircraft available, has raised doubts among some officials about whether the United States can continue to avoid returning to the air campaign, the report said.
So far, the NATO commander has not requested their deployment, The Post noted.
But several US military officials said they anticipated being called back into the fight, the paper said.
Washington pulled back around 50 combat planes from Libyan operations last week after handing over control of the mission to NATO, although since then they took part in some missions to take out Kadhafi's air defense systems.
Currently, only six out of 28 nations are conducting air strikes, while France and Britain carry out half of them. The other half are conducted by Belgium, Denmark, Norway and Canada.
A senior administration official said he expected other countries to announce "in the next few days" that they would contribute aircraft equipped with the laser-guided munitions, The Post pointed out.
Gaddafi regime denies use of cluster bombs
Libyan strongman Gaddafi's regime has denied it was using cluster bombs in clashes with rebels in residential areas following accusations by human rights activists and rebels.
"Absolutely no. We can't do this. Morally, legally we can't do this," government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told journalists when questioned on the issue. "We never do it. We challenge them to prove it."
Reporters and rights groups said earlier Friday that pro-regime forces were using the banned bombs in the besieged city of Misrata, as medics reported at least eight people killed there.
"Last night it was like rain," said Hazam Abu Zaid, a local resident who has taken up arms to defend his neighbourhood, describing the cluster bombings.
Ibrahim said, "To use this bomb, the evidence will remain for days and weeks and we know that the international community is coming to our country soon.
"So we can't do this. We can't incriminate ourselves, (otherwise) we are criminals."
The New York-based group Human Rights Watch confirmed the use of the weapons by studying bomblets and speaking to Misrata ambulance drivers who had seen them used in attacks.
"Human Rights Watch observed at least three cluster munitions explode over the El-Shawahda neighbourhood in Misrata on the night of April 14, 2011," the group said in a statement.
The use of the munitions was first reported by The New York Times. A reporting team for the daily photographed MAT-120 mortar rounds which explode in the air and scatter deadly, armour-piercing submunitions below.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the munitions discovered were produced by Spain in 2007. It said the bomblets were believed to have landed 300 metres (328 yards) from Misrata's hospital.
It was not immediately known if any civilians had been killed or wounded by the devices.
Cluster bombs have been forbidden under international law since August 2010 because of the indiscriminate deaths they can cause in civilian populations.
"It's appalling that Libya is using this weapon, especially in a residential area," said Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch.
"They pose a huge risk to civilians, both during attacks because of their indiscriminate nature and afterward because of the still-dangerous unexploded duds scattered about," he said.
Ibrahim branded the reports as "surreal".
"These people we invite them to come and witness things from the other side," he said. "They only choose the rebel side or listen to phone calls who come to their offices in European capitals."
"We are asking HRW who is a very active organisation please come through the door. Come to Tripoli. We will take you to all cities, to Misrata. To be sure that we don't do that."
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