25 March 2011

The Arab League and Libya

Lessee, so far the lessons of Kosovo are being ignored, as airstrikes alone have failed to push back Libyan ground forces.

Western warplanes hit Libya for a fifth night on Thursday, but so far have failed to stop Muammar Gaddafi's tanks shelling rebel-held towns or dislodge his armor from a strategic junction in the east.
Gaddafi's tanks rolled back into Misrata under the cover of darkness and began shelling the area near the main hospital, residents and rebels said, resuming their attack after their guns were silenced in daylight hours by Western airstrikes.
Government snipers in the city, Libya's third largest, were undeterred by the bombing raids though and had carried on firing indiscriminately throughout, residents said. A rebel spokesman said the snipers had killed 16 people.
"Government tanks are closing in on Misrata hospital and shelling the area," said a doctor in Misrata who was briefly reached by phone before the line was cut off.
It was impossible to independently verify the reports.
A loud explosion was heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli early on Thursday and smoke could be seen rising from an area where a military base is situated.


As the Arab League sits on the bench during the fighting. At least warm up some pom-poms and try cheerleading a little from the sidelines guys.

Except for the small Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which is expected to start flying air patrols over Libya by this weekend, no other members of the 22-member Arab League have so far publicly committed to taking an active role. The U.S. has sold many of these countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, billions of dollars in sophisticated military gear over the past decade to help counter Iran's power in the region.

You might agree with more than one option on the poll, but you can only pick one. Expand on your vote in the comments if you want.

By: Brant

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was it the norm in 1986 for the US president (Regan) to address his country when Libya was bombed, but not in 2011? I don't believe I've heard squat from Obama on it.

Brant said...

Just announced on the news tonight that there's one coming up in the next day or so