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March 7, 2011 / 6:56 PM

Petraeus, Gates joke about Libya strike

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, Commander, U.S. Central Command, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 17, 2010. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg

1 of 2 | U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, Commander, U.S. Central Command, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 17, 2010. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg | License Photo

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus and Defense Secretary Robert Gates engaged in a bit of war zone military humor Monday in Afghanistan.

The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan welcomed Gates upon the defense secretary's arrival in Kabul.

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Not realizing their conversation could be picked up by media microphones, Petraeus quipped to his boss, "Flying a little bigger plane than normal -- you gonna launch some attacks on Libya or something?"

"Yeah, exactly," Gates said, Politico reported.

The United States and other nations around the world are considering possible options for dealing with Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, who is using his military to put down a bloody home-grown rebellion.

President Barack Obama said Monday NATO is considering a "wide range of potential options, including potential military options" against the Libyan dictator and his forces.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said, however, attacking Libya with ground forces "is not at the top of the list at this point" for the U.S. military.

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