McCain hails Libyan rebel forces

US Senator John McCain has said Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi's troops are his heroes. The top Republican on the US Senate Armed Services Committee made the remark after arriving in the opposition capital of Benghazi in the rebel-held...

US Senator John McCain has said Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi's troops are his heroes.

The top Republican on the US Senate Armed Services Committee made the remark after arriving in the opposition capital of Benghazi in the rebel-held eastern Libya.

Mr McCain said he plans to meet with the rebel National Transition Council, the de-facto government in the eastern half of the country, and members of the rebel military.

The former Republican presidential candidate spoke as he was walking out of a local hotel in Benghazi. He is travelling in an armoured Mercedes jeep and had a security detail. A few Libyans waved American flags as his vehicle drove past.

Mr McCain has been one of the strongest proponents in Congress of US military intervention in Libya.

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