Tweet
NATO commanders believe ex-Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi no longer commands forces loyal to him and his supporters are on the verge of defeat in his hometown of Sirte, a senior US defence official said on Saturday.
Alliance officers conveyed their assessment of Gaddafi’s weakening position to US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in closed-door talks in Naples, the senior defence official told reporters.
“He (Gaddafi) effectively doesn’t exercise command and control over militias loyal to him,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
There is “no indication” that Gaddafi is leading a national, organised force, the official said. As forces backing the country’s new rulers closed in on Gaddafi loyalists in their last two strongholds, Sirte and Bani Walid, alliance commanders told Panetta that the battle in Sirte could be over “very soon,” within days or weeks.
The defeat of Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte will be “a key factor” in deciding when to wrap up the NATO air war, which was launched in March and would likely serve as a “bellwhether,” the official said.
The outcome of fighting in Sirte between Gaddafi supporters and forces backing the National Transitional Council (NTC) will frame “future recommendations on ending the operation,” he said.
Ending the air campaign also will hinge on the ability of the security forces under the new leadership to maintain order in the aftermath of Gaddafi’s regime, and it was likely they would need outside assistance, the official said.
Alliance officers conveyed their assessment of Gaddafi’s weakening position to US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in closed-door talks in Naples, the senior defence official told reporters.
“He (Gaddafi) effectively doesn’t exercise command and control over militias loyal to him,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
There is “no indication” that Gaddafi is leading a national, organised force, the official said. As forces backing the country’s new rulers closed in on Gaddafi loyalists in their last two strongholds, Sirte and Bani Walid, alliance commanders told Panetta that the battle in Sirte could be over “very soon,” within days or weeks.
The defeat of Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte will be “a key factor” in deciding when to wrap up the NATO air war, which was launched in March and would likely serve as a “bellwhether,” the official said.
The outcome of fighting in Sirte between Gaddafi supporters and forces backing the National Transitional Council (NTC) will frame “future recommendations on ending the operation,” he said.
Ending the air campaign also will hinge on the ability of the security forces under the new leadership to maintain order in the aftermath of Gaddafi’s regime, and it was likely they would need outside assistance, the official said.
