Libyan stalemate may continue: US deploys drone aircraft

FE Team | Published: April 24, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Zaglul A. Chowdhury
The Libyan scene remains largely inconclusive with no tangible headway in sight by either side in the confrontation and this increases the prospects of the imbroglio being more complicated and long-drawn. As the Tripoli regime of Muammar Gaddafi is hell-bent on maintaining its hold in the western part of the country, the rebels, too, are equally determined in protecting the gains in the east and this makes the scenario complex with neither side being able to make the much-needed push towards a denouement of the crisis. Consequently, the Libyan tangle defies an outcome and stalemate persists with little likelihood of any result that would decide the victor or the vanquished. This scenario notwithstanding, there is no slackening in intensifying the fighting so as to attain the respective targets of both sides, and this in a way makes the scene more atrocious and compelling. The United States, which looked like taking a back seat in the NATO military operations against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi after the initial active involvement, now seems to be coming to the forefront again following pressures being mounted on the Obama administration for a more serious military role. The Americans have now deployed the predator Drone aircraft in Libya and two of such crewless planes have been pressed into service although the initial mission was not successful because of bad weather. This type of the combat planes have been proved very effective in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the United States in hot pursuit of the Islamist militants. The NATO and the American military leaders feel that deployment of this aircraft may give the necessary advantage to the Libyan rebels and their NAO supporters in the battle field and protecting the civilians in several cities from the ever increasing onslaught of the Gaddafi forces. When the United Nations security council authorised international community of using force against the Libyan government forces for protesting the civilians, the US, France and the UK took the lead of air strikes with the Americans at the vanguard of the operations that helped the rebels save their stronghold Bengazi from capture by the Gaddafi forces. However, the US later shifted the leadership to the NATO, which is now dealing with the issue. It appears that Washington preferred not to get itself deeply involved in another Muslim country after Iraq and Afghanistan and probably wanted a make some distance while committing itself to NATO for fighting against Muammar Gaddafi. But the Obama administration also came in for criticism from certain quarters at home for being less serious about the Libyan crisis and such views grew as the rebels failed to take the expected advantage in the fighting, despite being able to put the government troops on the defensive in many places. Senator John McCain of the Republican party and defeated presidential hopeful against Barack Obama, landed in rebel-held Bengazi and favoured stronger military operations against the Gaddafi loyalists. He urged the Obama administration for assisting the rebels in a bigger way while France and UK, two most active members of the NATO in the Libyan crisis, are sending military advisers for the rebels for greater successes. However, he was later reported by an international TV media to have said that the United States should not send its land forces to Libya. Tripoli government has severely criticised the moves by all these NATO members and warned of further complication of the situation. Earlier, the African Union (AU) met Gaddafi in Tripoli and broached the idea of a ceasefire and a political solution to the fighting, which the Libyan leader broadly agreed, but only by keeping himself in the Libyan scene. The rebels outright rejected such overtures and made it clear that there could no settlement with Gaddafi and his sons remaining in the scenario. The AU efforts have fallen flat on its face as the two sides too diametrically opposite positions. Misrata is the last hold of the rebels in the west and the fighting rages as fortunes swings from this side to that one, with the rebels complaining of scant NAO support for them. Clearly, Gaddafi would see it that at least his grip remains in the west so that he could command a part of the country that cover Tripoli and other areas. The top American military officer has said that the air strikes had hobbled the Libyan forces, but he fears a long "stalemate" in the crisis. When admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the military's joint chiefs of command, makes such a remark, it obviously gives credence to the impression of a long inconclusive battle in Libya. This promises the fighting to be more vicious and as a logical assumption to this condition, the stalemate could be longer, with far greater ferocity. zaglulbss@yahoo.com