Gawker
Barely two days after U.N. authorization, the vaunted no-fly zone over Libya has been been “officially enforced” by a coalition of U.S., French and British forces. Here’s the latest from the ongoing conflict in Libya:
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s compound was reportedly struck by U.K. forces on Sunday night, though American officials insisted the dictator wasn’t a target. Nevertheless, the mission of the coalition forces “moved beyond taking away his ability to use Libyan airspace, to obliterating his hold on the ground as well,”The New York Times reports. [NYT]
The U.S. is hoping to pass the metaphorical war-baton to either a combined French-British or a NATO command, possibly “in a matter of days.” Italy says it is contributing eight of its jets to coalition forces, and Qatar is expected to join coalition forces in some unspecified capacity on Monday. [AP; The Guardian]
The Arab League, which had initially supported the no-fly zone and theoretically lent military action some degree of legitimacy in the Arab world, appeared to waver on Sunday as strikes went on. Secretary General Amr Moussa released a statement saying “What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone” and specifically condemning reports of civilian casualties. [WaPo]
Also not on board: Russia, India and China, all of which abstained from the U.N. Security Council vote and all of which cited reports of civilian casualties in condemning the airstrikes. [Telegraph]
Related Articles
- As Libya assault intensifies, US claims success (cbsnews.com)
- Libya Coalition Politics (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Allies Target Qaddafi’s Ground Forces as Libyan Rebels Regroup (revolutionwithoutborder.org)
- Arab League now worried about Qaddafi retaliation after supporting Libya no … – Christian Science Monitor (news.google.com)
