Washington, Mar 27: US today claimed major success in the campaign in Libya, with both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Robert Gates saying that Gaddafi's military capacity had been substantially decimated with indications that his forces were retreating to the west. The implementation of the no-fly zone over Libya as mandated by the UN Security Council is complete, both officials said in a joint appearance on ABC News' Sunday talk shows wherein they responded to questions on Libya. “Now it will need to be sustained, but it can be sustained with a lot less effort than what it took to set it up,” Gates said.
He claimed the intervention had prevented the large-scale slaughter that was beginning to take place and had even taken place in some places.
“So I think that we're at a point where the establishment of the no-fly zone and the protection of cities from the kind of wholesale military assault that we have seen certainly in the east has been accomplished, and now we can move to sustainment,” Gates said.
“I think we have made a lot of progress on the humanitarian side, and his ability to move armour, to move toward a Benghazi or a place like that has pretty well been eliminated.
“The reality is, they're under a lot of pressure, there are some signs that they're moving back to the west, away from Ajdabiya and other places,” he said. Echoing Gates, Clinton said the mission in Libya is on the “brink” of having been accomplished. “There is not a perfect option when one is looking at a situation like this. I think that the (US) President ordered the best available option.
“The United States worked with the international community to make sure that there was authorisation to do what we have helped to accomplish,” she added. She said it was remarkable that NATO was assuming the responsibility for the entire mission as this would mean the United States will move to a supporting role. “Just as our allies are helping us in Afghanistan, where we bear the disproportionate amount of the sacrifice and the cost, we are supporting a mission through NATO that was very much initiated by European requests, joined by Arab requests,” Clinton said.
Gates said that the US has started the planning of drawdown from Libya.
“We in the Department of Defense are already beginning to do our planning in terms of beginning to draw down resources, first from support of the no-fly zone and then from the humanitarian mission”.
“Now, that may not start in the next day or two, but I certainly expect it to in the very near future,” he said. PTI
He claimed the intervention had prevented the large-scale slaughter that was beginning to take place and had even taken place in some places.
“So I think that we're at a point where the establishment of the no-fly zone and the protection of cities from the kind of wholesale military assault that we have seen certainly in the east has been accomplished, and now we can move to sustainment,” Gates said.
“I think we have made a lot of progress on the humanitarian side, and his ability to move armour, to move toward a Benghazi or a place like that has pretty well been eliminated.
“The reality is, they're under a lot of pressure, there are some signs that they're moving back to the west, away from Ajdabiya and other places,” he said. Echoing Gates, Clinton said the mission in Libya is on the “brink” of having been accomplished. “There is not a perfect option when one is looking at a situation like this. I think that the (US) President ordered the best available option.
“The United States worked with the international community to make sure that there was authorisation to do what we have helped to accomplish,” she added. She said it was remarkable that NATO was assuming the responsibility for the entire mission as this would mean the United States will move to a supporting role. “Just as our allies are helping us in Afghanistan, where we bear the disproportionate amount of the sacrifice and the cost, we are supporting a mission through NATO that was very much initiated by European requests, joined by Arab requests,” Clinton said.
Gates said that the US has started the planning of drawdown from Libya.
“We in the Department of Defense are already beginning to do our planning in terms of beginning to draw down resources, first from support of the no-fly zone and then from the humanitarian mission”.
“Now, that may not start in the next day or two, but I certainly expect it to in the very near future,” he said. PTI
