The Civil War in Libya

Scratch

Captain
British and French attack helicopters have now engaged targets in Brega, including checkpoints, military vehicles and a radar site. These are really tactical strikes again and make most sense in combiation with ground troops. Will we now see the long awaited offensive on the eastern front towards Sirt? After weeks in wich rebels were supposedly trained in the east, this could now be the time to test the newly learned skills.
I think the rebels could make some gains in the western mountains lately and solidified their positions around Misrata, while even probing Sirt from the west.
A two front assault supported by attack helicopters should, hopefully, do the trick. Pushing for Sirt and then Tripoli, without the need to fight for every small city in the desert.

The political aftermath will surly be interesting, but I don't think we'll see turmoil. I'm quite sure there are questionable figures in the NTC and among local authorities wich seek personal benefits. But honestly, that was to be exspected. The state probably won't run totally efficient for some time, similar to Tunesia.
 

delft

Brigadier
If this intervention is successful were likely to see a failed state that might cause more trouble than Somalia
 

RedMercury

Junior Member
Hurray for Iraq 2.0. My prediction is the new government will get sick of being ordered about by NATO and play off other powers against it (i.e. Russia, China), and in the process, the Chinese will get their share of the oil, as before...
 

delft

Brigadier
We are now fed the notion that Qaddaffi is using rape in the war without being pointed to areas that had been occupied and according to theory might be fit to use that tactic. It is even said that soldiers are issued Viagra. Using that would surely take their mind from fighting or , also important, resting. The story probably comes from the same people who sold us Saddam Hussein's WMDs. The fact that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague buys into the story shows this institute to be misused for political ends just as the US it would be!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 
Last edited:

Mightypeon

Junior Member
VIP Professional
Yes, the propaganda campaign is quite hilarious.
Although I am not so sure wether this is an organsied campaign or a case of hysteria.
Perhaps a bit like that "beautifull Syrian-American Queer Girl blogging about oppression in Syria", which then got "captured", which then turned out to be a male 40 year old American in Scotland.

Radio Yerevan springs to mind here.
 

zoom

Junior Member
If this gets Senate approval,i can see UK and France et al jumping ship too.

The US House of Representatives has voted to prohibit the use of funds for US military operations in Libya.

Politicians adopted the amendment to a military appropriations bill by a vote of 248 to 163 late on Monday.

A number of members of Congress have expressed their dissatisfaction at Barack Obama's, the US president, decision to go ahead with operations in Libya in March and to continue without congressional authorisation.

According to US law, the president must seek congressional authorisation to send US troops into combat and must withdraw the forces within 60 days if Congress has not authorised the military action.

The amendment, introduced by Democratic representative Brad Sherman from California, invokes the War Powers Resolution, a 1973 law that limits presidential powers on sending troops abroad into combat zones without the consent of Congress.

Sherman's text states that "none of the funds made available by this act may be used in contravention of the War Powers Act."

Politicians must still approve the appropriations bill as a whole and the measure must still be approved by the Senate.

Al Jazeera Patty Culhane, reporting from New Hampshire, said: "This is going to be a bit of a shock for Obama administration as the vote was so overwhelmingly against allowing him to use the fund in Libya

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 
Last edited:

delft

Brigadier
Dutch radio news just told me that President Obama considers the war against Libya is not a war because Libya can't fight back. So if it isn't a war is it terrorism?
 

delft

Brigadier
Asia Times On Line publishes today an article by Dr. Jian Junbo, an assistant professor of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, Shanghai, China, currently an academic visitor at London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 

Finn McCool

Captain
Registered Member
Here's a bit of inside info from Libya: A rebel assault on Brega probably will not go forward anytime soon. NATO has decided that front is no longer strategically significant.
 

Baibar of Jalat

Junior Member
Here's a bit of inside info from Libya: A rebel assault on Brega probably will not go forward anytime soon. NATO has decided that front is no longer strategically significant.

So they going through Misrata? I had a suspicion they will do that because open sources say they are ferrying untrained men towards the port. Funny strategy though. Or go through mountains.
 
Top