BRUSSELS: Nato’s secretary general has announced on Monday that the NATO Mission in Libya has moved significantly closer to success and will end soon.
Rasmussen told to a Press conference that “Our operation to protect civilians has moved significantly closer to success, but we are not there yet, I believe it will come soon".
He said the Libya mission, which is in its sixth month, had provided Nato vital lessons as it showed the Western alliance’s strengths but also its heavy reliance on US military power.
He also fell short of announcing a precise date for the mission’s end but told that It will be up to Nato’s decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, to determine when Operation Unified Protector can end, based on the assessment of military commanders.
The rebels, who have taken control of Tripoli and most of Libya, are readying for battle in Qadhafi’s last strongholds of Bani Walid and Sirte.
The deposed Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi’s capture would not be a “decisive factor,” the Nato chief added.
The Qadhafi regime has accused Nato of killing more than 1,000 civilians, the alliance rejected such claims,
The United States, France and Britain led an international coalition to launch the first salvos against Qadhafi’s regime on March 19, but the US military retreted into a support role when Nato took over 12 days later.
Although the United States operated out of the limelight, the US military provided key assets including drones, intelligence and refuelling aircraft, Rasmussen said.
No comments:
Post a Comment