Reluctance to instigate no fly zone over Libya

senojekips said:
I think that there is a lot of fence sitting going on.

People want to see which way the the wind is blowing before flying their kite. No one wants to risk unnecessarily upsetting an oil rich despot.
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"Humpdy Dumpdy fell the **** off a wall and busted his ***, choose a **** side."

Don't remeber where I exactly heard this qoute but it runs right along those lines.

Three thing from all this are going through my mind right now on the situation.

* The news is critisizing President Obama for taking so "long" to use military force. Long? The U.S. was launching missiles at that very statement.

* And what about the East? Does China or Russia or another world power in the oppisite hemisphere carry out mercy missions like this around the world? Seriously I am interested to know if this is a purely western phenomenon.

* And lastly what makes Libya so important? And why does the West care so much now? The one thing going through my head from all this "To prevent atrocities from being committed" is like hearing the French, as well as U.S. or other nations that approved on the UN council is really saying this:

"One of us wants something and we just don't want to make it obivious what it is, oh and we might save some lives in the process"

That's all I am hearing with every press conference here.


Over 30 civil conflicts and mulitple genocides in Africa and the destruction of mulitple goverment bodies and the instailation of many oppressive and brutal ones, and it just seems so strange now that the West Cares so much.

It's just odd to me, maybe some one here can through up some major reasons the western powers feel like they need to Calvary up once again.


I am not saying I don't support their efforts, just I do not want to see my country have another war to fight, let alone some one else's, or see another anti American coalition of terror groups gather up to attack the very powers that saved them...

Can't say that hasn't happened already, Look at Afghanistan.
 
If it wasn't for the political change going on in the region this would not be happening. The West is trying to ride the domino effect, hoping that the entire region changes to democracy. This action is just our way of keeping the wave going.
 
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Well apparently a 100+ US Tomahawks have gone down range and the Greeks and their F16's are coming as well as the Turks.
 
SITREP:

Reports of a B2 bomber strike on a airfield.

Gaddafi's residential compound has been struck. The US is completely denying they did it at this point. Looks like they are trying to pin it on the Brits.

Reports of "covert forces" on the ground. I think everybody knew this was coming.

Rebels are regouping in Benghazi. The libyian troops have gave up on taking the city. Rebels who fled the city yesterday are starting to make their way back in.

Gaddafi has called for another ceasefire but its looking like the West is calling his bluff.

Info is courtesy of FOX news.
 
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A Taliban style resistance couldnt be effective without public support.

Afghanistan is a very special country, they have no strong government, the people are very primitive and sinking in a long history of violence and agression etc etc...

It's very different in Libya.
 
Here's an interesting question. How would Libya actually instigate a 'ceasefire' even if they wanted to? If they stay in the built up areas they get massacred by the rebels, if they drive back in the open desert they get shot up by allied aircraft.

Last night the US military chief was asked this question, and he couldn't reply with a coherent answer.
 
03USMC said:
Well apparently a 100+ US Tomahawks have gone down range and the Greeks and their F16's are coming as well as the Turks.
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According to latest news Turkey will send 5 frigates and 1 submarine to Libya that will control the weapons blockade.
 
What of the Strike Eagle that called it quits and left the crew dangling in silk over the shooting gallery now known as Libya?

Is the crew back in Coalition hands?
 
Yes, the aircraft landed in rebel territory, but the helicopter crew sent to rescue the pilots shot up some of the 'rebels' helping one of them!
 
Yep, and that when they carried the pilots on their shoulders cheereing.

Luckily no fatalities, but from my POV here we can see adrenaline induced target fixture in action that we pilots always got warned about.

Rattler
 
Sweden are contributing 8 JAS 39 C/D Gripens, 1 C-130 gasstation and 1 elint plane (Raven) to the coalition.

The Swedish contribution are there to help keep the noflyzone patroled in the air to air role and are not to be used for CAS and/or bombing missions.
Recon missions can be flewn should the need arise.
 
KJ said:
Sweden are contributing 8 JAS 39 C/D Gripens, 1 C-130 gasstation and 1 elint plane (Raven) to the coalition.
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Gotta test those babies out!

As for the air strikes... I wonder just how aware of this the Arab League and other countries that signed the UN resolution were about them. If there was a breach of trust, it may be extremely difficult to get their support in future.
 
It seems Gaddafi's army are pushing the rebels back were they started.

Rather than large armoured vehicles they seem to be using much the same vehicles as the rebels: cars, vans and pick up trucks. Why can't the aircraft take these smaller vehicles out? Perhaps attack helicopters based on a nearby aircraft carrier is more suitable for this?

Admittedly, there is a danger of confusing the two sides now since no-one wears uniforms.
 
Interesting development, the Libyan Foreign minister Moussa Koussa seems to have flown into the UK and defected. He knows (and may be partly responsible) for many of the atrocities committed by the Libyan regime such as Lockerbie. However, he has such close contacts with British intelligence he feels as if the UK is is best option. So what do you do with him, send him to the Hague for trial, or grant an amnesty in the hope that other defectors will be encouraged to do the same?

Libya minister questioned in UK New

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British officials question Libya's Foreign Minister, Moussa Koussa, following his unexpected arrival near London late on Wednesday
 
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