Britain May Soon Deploy Ground Troops in Libya

It was obvious when British officiers were helping the rebels get their act together that the formal ground troops will soon follow. We have been there now for over 4 weeks and the war isn't over yet?

(Telegraph) — Britain “may have to look at” deploying ground troops in the Libya campaign in order to establish safe havens for civilians, Liam Fox has said.

Fears of a humanitarian crisis have grown as food imports into Libya’s rebel-held east have been hit while the National Transitional Council struggles to establish lines of credit and foreign traders fear they will not be paid.

Dr Fox, the defence secretary, was asked if soldiers would be needed for humanitarian purposes or to protect safe havens in Libya or its borders and if this would require a new United Nations mandate.

In response to the question by Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP MP, Dr Fox accepted that it was “something we may have to look at”.

NATO Bomb Rebels Again and With No Apology

NATO and the Libyan rebels have no formal form of communication. Who would have known rebels were able to seize Gaddafi's tanks? In fact, NATO shouldn't be blamed for blowing the tanks to pieces and killing more rebels. NATO didn't know rebels have the knowledge to drive the tanks. As the crisis enters into the third week, the war has shifted dramatically to Gaddafi's advantage. Rebels are upset because NATO is helping Gaddafi instead of them. It's going to be a very long year as this crisis doesn't seem to have an end date.

(Mail Online) Libyan rebels turned their fury on Nato yesterday after at least 13 fighters were killed and dozens wounded in an airstrike.

Rebel commanders said tanks and military hardware captured from Colonel Gaddafi’s forces had been attacked in daylight with missiles despite being marked on the top in yellow as requested by Nato.

Four missiles hit the 30-vehicle convoy, which included a bus packed with fighters, on the outskirts of the eastern oil port of Brega, according to one rebel commander.

Nato said last night it was investigating the claims that, if confirmed, would be the third time rebels or civilians have been killed after being mistaken for pro-Gaddafi forces.

NATO Accidentally Killed More Libyan Rebels, AGAIN

This is NATO. What do you expect? Incompetence is the norm, but I don't blame them. The rebels and Gaddafi are both the same; a bunch of terrorist.

(BBC) Rebels in eastern Libya say their forces have been mistakenly hit in a Nato air raid.

Doctors in Ajdabiya told the BBC at least 13 rebel fighters had been killed by the strike on a rebel tank position.

The BBC's Wyre Davies reports chaotic scenes on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, with rebel forces in retreat reporting being hit by Nato air strikes.

It is the third such incident in recent days involving international forces deployed to protect Libyan civilians.

One rebel commander told the BBC he saw at least four missiles land among rebel fighters.

Many people have been killed and many more have been injured, he said.

Civilians are reported to be fleeing Ajdabiya in their thousands, according to the latest wire reports, after rumours spread that pro-Gaddafi forces were preparing to attack the city.

There is considerable anger among rebel troops after what appears to have been a terrible mistake.

They are asking why rebel units were hit, when they could be seen clearly advancing in a westerly direction towards the front line.

"It is unbelievable," said one Benghazi resident. "Nato, with all the equipment they have - is this the second mistake? Is it really a mistake or something arranged secretly?"

In Libya, Rebel Fighers Now But al Qaeda Back Then

It is now official. The Libyan rebels are al-Qaeda members and supporters. This is the same group Obama wanted to arm with US weapons to fight Gaddafi. It is pathetic that we don't know who is the enemy. At this point picking the lesser of two evils, I pick Gaddafi. If we allow NATO to continue to kill the rebels "accidentally," Gaddafi can just sit back and wait till the international coalition implode. The Libyan war is a total joke.

(ABC News) Less than four years before Libya's popular opposition movement took up arms and revolted against Moammar Gadhafi with enthusiastic U.S. backing, anti-Gadhafi fighters chose another tactic to hit back at the hated dictator: they joined al Qaeda and tried to kill American soldiers in Iraq, according to U.S. documents.

In 2007 the U.S. Department of Defense snatched more than 600 records of al Qaeda's foreign fighters in Iraq and discovered nearly a fifth of the foreigners were from Libya, according to a report by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center released later that year. Within those records, the total put Libya second only to Saudi Arabia in total fighters and "far and away" the largest provider of foreign fighters per capita to the terrorist organization.

The report ties the surge of Libyan recruits to a formal pledge of allegiance to al Qaeda by a major anti-Gadhafi group in 2007.

A day before President Barack Obama authorized covert support of the rebels in Libya, NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe U.S. Admiral James Stavridis said officials will watch potential terrorist presence in the opposition "very closely," but had so far only seen "flickers" of it.

Doubts About NATO in Libya as U.S. Takes Backseat

It is not a good sign when the good guys have doubts about the mission. There is a good chance it will be a "stalemate," which is a Gaddafi victory. This war is an ultimate waste of blood and treasure and money. If there was ground troops, the Libyan war would have ended in couple days. The war is now over two weeks old with no end in sight.

(ABC News) With the U.S. pledge to shift the majority of combat actions to Britain, France and other NATO allies, there is hope that a barrage of assaults on Gadhafi's strongholds will bolster the disjointed rebel forces after several days during which they have lost much of the ground they gained in the first days of the strikes.

A number of U.S. combat forces will cease operations on Sunday, including U.S. Navy destroyers and submarines that have been launching Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean. Also beginning Sunday no U.S. aircraft will be flying strike missions -- though planes and naval vessels will be on standby.

Military experts said that America's reduced role in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone could cripple efforts to keep Gadhafi's forces from battering the rag-tag army trying to topple him.

They said they fear that without U.S. willingness to go after Gadhafi's troops and equipment from the air, and without U.S. ground controllers pinpointing targets, the effort to shield the rebels will fail.

"The idea that the AC-130s and the A-10s and American air power is grounded unless the place goes to hell is just so unnerving that I can't express it adequately," said Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C. "The only thing I would ask is, please reconsider that."

Even Defense Secretary Robert Gates wondered out loud whether the NATO airstrikes can succeed without the United States in the lead.

"They certainly have made that commitment, and we will see," Gates said.

Officials said Gadhafi's army has lost as much as 25 percent of its firepower, but it still outnumbers the Libyan opposition by 10-to-1.

NATO Forces Accidentally Kill 15 Libyan Rebels, Injure 7

Oops! This is NATO and I'm not surprise of their incompetence. I think the commander of the NATO forces is a Canadian.

(ABC News) NATO forces accidentally struck a convoy of five cars belonging to rebel forces west of Ajdabiyah today, reportedly killing at least 15 Libyan rebels and injuring seven.

A plane enforcing the international no-fly zone hit the rebel vehicles, including an ambulance, between Brega and Ajdabiyah when an anti-aircraft gun was fired into the air, the BBC reported.

The accidental hit was a result of NATO forces, who are aiding Libyan civilians, confusing forces loyal to strongman Moammar Ghadafi and rebel groups. Forces on both sides are using civilian vehicles and not wearing uniforms, while most are wearing civilian clothing, according to rebel forces.

NATO officials said they are aware of the reports of the attack and are investigating, according to the BBC.

Representatives of the rebels have told ABC News correspondents that rebels they are not angered by the incident. They say they understand that collateral damage is to be expected and that they want NATO to keep up the pressure on Ghadafi.

Another opposition spokesman, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, told the AP the incident was an example of the rebels' lack of coordination, which has hindered them in their fight against Gadhafi's troops. The accident today, however, was the second in two days. Seven civilians were killed Friday near Brega, including three sisters, according to the BBC. A doctor interviewed in the area told the BBC that despite the casualties he wants the airstrikes to continue.

Gaddafi to al-Qaeda Rebels, CHECKMATE

Libyan Rebels seek cease-fire after US vows to withdraw jets from further action. Since NATO has taken full control of the situation, any further assistance from the US would need NATO approval. It is comical as the Libyan rebels retreat calls for a cease-fire with demands. Well, Gaddafi is now in full control and there is no negotiations with the al-Qaeda operatives (rebels). Since NATO took control, it is certain that Gaddafi will crush the opposition. It is determined that there are 1000 untrained rebels fighting against Gaddafi. With that diminutive size, it won't take long before Gaddafi destroy the rebels and mock the international coalition. At this point, the international coalition is breaking apart from the seams.

(Bloomberg) Libya’s opposition called for a cease-fire after the U.S. said it’s withdrawing aircraft used to attack Muammar Qaddafi’s forces following adverse weather that prevented strikes allowing Libyan loyalists to push back rebels.

Libya’s rebels would accept a cease-fire if their demands for freedoms are met, said Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the rebel National Transitional Council, during a news conference televised today from their stronghold of Benghazi. Any agreement would have to involve Qaddafi’s fighters withdrawing from cities and their surrounding areas, he said.

Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. jets, won’t be flying with NATO forces over Libya after April 2. Mullen said planes would be made available only if requested by NATO.

Rebels have been in retreat for three days as Qaddafi’s troops regain the initiative after almost two weeks of allied air strikes against them. Mullen said poor weather over the past three days in Libya meant pilots “can’t get on the targets; they can’t see the targets.”

U.S. political and military leaders said they’re unwilling to start providing arms and training for rebels fighting against Qaddafi. Mullen said there are “plenty of countries who have the ability, the arms, the skill set to be able to do this.” Gates said the U.S. doesn’t know enough about the insurgent groups beyond a “handful” of leaders.