| Who is this 'West' of whom you speak? |
David Cameron and other Western leaders are on the brink of ordering military action against Col Muammar Gaddafi amid fears that the Libyan dictator could use chemical weapons against his own people.
The Prime Minister disclosed that he would not rule out “the use of military assets” as Britain “must not tolerate this regime using military forces against its own people”. Britain and America are also thought to be considering arming rebel forces in Libya.
Adding to growing concern about the crumbling regimeÂ’s ability to commit last desperate acts of mass murder, British sources have disclosed that Libya still has stocks of mustard gas chemicals.
Mr Cameron told MPs that Britain and its allies were considering using fighter jets to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, patrolling and shooting down Libyan aircraft ordered to attack protesters.
The Pentagon announced that the Americans had begun “repositioning forces” around Libya to provide “flexibility”.
| Good, since the carrier in the Sixth Fleet is in the Red Sea right now. |
The French also announced that they would back a possible military intervention with Nato partners.
Despite a promise in 2003 to give up weapons of mass destruction, Gaddafi is thought to have retained as much as 14 tons of the chemicals required to create mustard gas. The stocks are said to be stored in secret secure facilities in the Libyan desert. The chemicals would need to be mixed and loaded into shells before they could be used as weapons, but are “still a concern,” said a senior British government source. “We want to make sure they’re destroyed.”
| The SAS has been busy 'rescuing British nationals' in the desert lately. I'm beginning to wonder if that was a cover story. |
The disclosure came after a Gaddafi spokesman was said to have warned that there would be a sea of fire hundreds of thousands of deaths if the country descended into full-blown civil war.
If the no-fly zone is agreed, experts believe that western governments may launch bombing raids on Gaddafi forces if he continues to attack protesters.
Good luck with that. The Brits would need to base aircraft in Malta and Cyprus to be effective, though Cyprus is a little far away. Typhoons and Tornadoes could indeed lead such a strike mission, and I suppose Cameron is strong enough to go for it, but right now I think it's for show. Sarkozy? Ditto; it's not like the Chicken of the Sea Charles DeGaulle will leave port. The U.S.? We need a carrier in the Med, or else we need to move a big strike package with tanker support to Aviano. I don't see Obama ordering that. The Italians? They won't bomb their former colony. The Germans? They won't leave home. The Spanish? Not a chance. |
Libyan opponents of Gaddafi are calling for Nato air strikes, amid growing fears that they are too weak to overwhelm his still-powerful military on their own or defend liberated cities from attack.
Mustapha Gheriani, a spokesman for an organising committee of lawyers, judges and professionals in Benghazi, the leading city of the revolution, said: “We can’t protect ourselves at the moment from tanks and aircraft, let alone organise a march on Tripoli to topple Gaddafi.
“If there are just a few air strikes, his loyalists will leave him and his time will be numbered in hours. Otherwise he could survive for a long time and there could be terrible bloodshed.”
Mr Cameron said: “If Col Gaddafi uses military force against his own people, the world cannot stand by. That is why we should be looking at a no-fly zone.” Gen Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, has been asked to draw up options for British military operations in Libya.
Any British involvement in a no-fly operation could see Tornados and Typhoons flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The Libyan air force is equipped with French-built Mirage fighter-bombers, but British planners are more concerned about the regimeÂ’s military helicopters, which include Soviet-made Mil Mi-24 gunships.
| The Chadians demonstrated back in the 1980s that the Libyans had a hollow military. Qadaddy never trusted them and they have the usual in'shallah maintenance. The Libyans pilots, furthermore, likely do not have a death wish. |
Sources said Gen RichardsÂ’ military options paper will also look at British ground operations. Those were likely to be contingency plans to deal with the extraction of RAF pilots in the event of planes crashing or being shot down.
Another option would be giving weapons and other support to groups inside Libya. Mr Cameron said Gaddafi’s departure was Britain’s “highest priority”, adding: “If helping the opposition would somehow bring that about, it is certainly something we should be considering.”
Since the Libyan crisis began, the Coalition has faced repeated criticism over the decision last year to decommission HMS Ark Royal and the Royal NavyÂ’s Harrier jets, leaving Britain without a functioning aircraft carrier.
Dr Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, insisted that such criticism was a “red herring” because the base in Cyprus meant Britain could still operate jets over Libya if required. He said: “There has been no need for us to have a carrier, there has been no need for us to use fast jets, but we have the ability to use them if required.”
The Pentagon is believed to be considering moving a US aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean to take up a position off Libya. The USS Kearsage, an amphibious assault ship, could also be redeployed. “We’re repositioning forces to provide for flexibility once decisions are made,” said a Pentagon spokesman. |