World | Moammar Gadhafi NATO: Gadhafi Is a Legitimate Target UN resolution authorizes killing leader, official says By Rob Quinn Posted Jun 10, 2011 2:41 AM CDT Copied Smoke billows from an area near Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli after NATO airstrikes earlier this week. (Getty Images) As NATO jets continue to pound Tripoli, a senior military official in the alliance refused to tell CNN whether Moammar Gadhafi was being directly targeted. He did, however, stress that the leader, as head of the Libyan military, is a "legitimate target" to protect civilians. The UN resolution authorizing NATO's action in Libya says forces can use "all necessary measures" to protect civilians. Gadhafi may still make it out of Libya alive: Hillary Clinton says people close to the leader have approached other countries in an attempt to negotiate his exit. Read These Next Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. Supreme Court gives Trump big win on national injunctions. Report an error