The head of Britain's armed forces has told the BBC that Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi is "absolutely not" a target for military action.
Gen Sir David Richards said that was "not allowed" under the UN resolution authorising military action to protect civilians in Libya.Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said targeting Gaddafi could "potentially be a possibility" .
But the US Defence Secretary said that would be "unwise".
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Richards told the BBC on Monday he was "delighted" that RAF Tornados aborted their mission because civilians were in the target area as Col Gaddafi was trying to set a "propaganda trap".
"We're very very alert to our responsibilities to the civilian population," Gen Richards said.
Asked whether Col Gaddafi could become a target himself, he said: "No, absolutely not. It's not allowed under the UN resolution and it's not something I want to discuss any further."
The issue was raised in an interview with BBC Radio 5 live on Sunday when UK Defence Secretary Dr Fox was asked whether Col Gaddafi himself was a legitimate target.
