The Coalition launched air strikes hit several cities in Northern Libya on Monday.

President Obama addressed growing concerns of U.S. involvement in Libya during his visit to Chile on Monday after air strikes hit several Libyan government buildings over the weekend. President Obama declared it is U.S. policy that Gadhafi must go but said that it was not part of the United Nations mandate.

"We had done all the work, and it was just a matter of seeing how Gadhafi would react to the warning that I issued on Friday,” Obama said. “After consultation with our allies, we decided to move forward, and it was a matter of me directing Secretary of Defense Gates and Adm. Mullen that the plan that had been developed in great detail, extensively, prior to my departure, was put into place.”

Coalition forces, which include the U.S. and its European allies, launched air strikes on several cities in Northern Libya on Monday. Gadhafi’s compound in Tripoli is in ruins after a series of bombs hit the capital.

The air strikes were launched after the U.N. passed Resolution 1973. The resolution called for a no-fly zone and the use of all necessary measures to protect Libyan civilians from Ghadafi’s forces.

Army General Carter Ham of U.S. Africa Command General said protecting civilians is a priority and that the air strikes have been successful.

“I assess that our actions to date are generally achieving the intended objectives. We have not observed Libyan military aircraft operating since the beginning of coalition military operations,” Ham said.

Libyan officials claimed coalition forces killed civilians, but no official report was released confirming any civilian deaths. The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, supported the U.N. resolution, but expressed concern over potential casualties by air forces.

House Speaker John Boehner said the mission in Libya is unclear, and he called on Obama to better communicate with Americans before taking more action.

One Libyan resident who wanted to disclose only her first name, Rahma, told ATVN that almost everyone opposing Gadhafi supports the coalition and the actions it is taking.

“90% of our country is for it,” Rahma said just hours after hearing the bombings in Tripoli. “I mean, they did blow up a few buildings that had government weapons, government forces, but in the end, it’s protecting civilians from any harm.”