Foreign journalists were ordered not to leave their hotels, and internet service has reportedly been cut off in Tripoli and Benghazi. But some protesters in Tripoli have defied the crackdown. Some 1,000 protesters reportedly streamed out of the Murad Agha mosque in the Tajura district of Tripoli, chanting, *”The people want to bring the regime down.”*

**Obama Orders U.S. Military to be Prepared to Act in Libya**

Speaking in Washington, D.C., President Obama has publicly said for the first time that Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi must leave office. During a news conference Thursday, Obama said he has ordered the U.S. military to be prepared to take action in Libya if needed.

President Obama: *”There is a danger of a stalemate that over time could be bloody, and that is something that we are obviously considering. So, what I want to make sure of is that the United States has full capacity to act, potentially rapidly, if the situation deteriorated in such a way that you had a humanitarian crisis on our hands or a situation in which civilians were—defenseless civilians were finding themselves trapped and in great danger.”*

President Obama also said that he has also authorized the use of U.S. military aircraft for airlifts.

President Obama: *”We are also responding quickly to the urgent humanitarian needs that are developing. Tens of thousands of people from many different countries are fleeing Libya, and we commend the governments of Tunisia and Egypt for their response, even as they go through their own political transitions. I have therefore approved the use of U.S. military aircraft to help move Egyptians who have fled to the Tunisian border to get back home to Egypt. I’ve authorized USAID to charter additional civilian aircraft to help people from other countries find their way home. And we are supporting the efforts of international organizations to evacuate people, as well.”*

**U.N.: Number of Refugees Leaving Libya Decreases**

The United Nations is reporting the number of people trying to flee Libya has fallen as heavily armed government forces intensified their presence on the Tunisian border and on roads leading up to it. Roughly 15,000 people had been crossing the border every day, but on Thursday that number plunged to 2,000.