Libya war's end is rare victory for NATO

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"NATO can finally savor a rare clear-cut victory with the death of Moammar Gadhafi, after a decade bogged down in Afghanistan and with no end in sight for operations in Kosovo and piracy patrols off Somalia.

As NATO officials planned an end to the alliance's airstrikes in Libya within days, analysts attributed its success to the fact the bloc remained steadfast over the summer during a long and grinding stalemate and avoided the temptation to send in ground troops.

"They can say unambiguously this was a military and political success," said Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute, a London military think tank. "That's why today is a good day for NATO, and NATO has not had many good days in the last several years."

The initial strikes were launched in March by a U.S.-led coalition that disabled Gadhafi's anti-aircraft defenses, established absolute air superiority and cleared the way for alliance strike jets to rule the skies over Libya. But, within a few weeks the U.S. military pulled back most of its attack aircraft, and for the first time in a major NATO operation turned the campaign over to the Europeans."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/20/2464055/libya-wars-end-is-rare-victory.html#ixzz1bMyqD24A

[BB1]

1. In fifty years this action will be seen

as a bit harsh. No one will give a damn about the quite good living conditions most Lybians were living in.
Thanks, NATO. But no thanks.

[bhikkhu]

2. Yes, one has only to mention Afghanistan to kill the mood...n/t

[Name removed]

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