U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the Libya issue with visiting NATO Secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the White House on Friday, the White House said in a statement.

The two agreed that the Libya operation had "saved countless lives" and that NATO will maintain its operations to "protect civilians," according to the statement.

The two also discussed the ongoing NATO mission in Afghanistan, and agreed on the importance of a "sustained NATO commitment" to Afghanistan as Afghan forces start to take over security this year, said the White House.

While answering questions on Thursday at the Washington-based Johns Hopkins University, Rasmussen envisioned a role for the military alliance in the reconstruction of Libya after the government of Muammar Gaddafi is toppled.

The United States handed over control of the military mission in Libya, which started on March 19, to NATO in late March.

NATO has stepped up its bombing campaign and improved coordination with the Libyan opposition in recent days in an effort to break the stalemate on the ground between opposition forces and government troops.