Clinton Vows Millions in Funding for New Libyan Regime

Officials Put Overall Figure Since February to $135 Million

Arriving in Tripoli today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised an additional $11 million in US aid to fund the National Transitional Council (NTC) as it moves to establish itself as the new government in Libya.

The aid included medical care for rebel fighters wounded in the conquest of the nation, as well as pledges to help the NTC secure weaponry. The weaponry effort may be too late, however, as large amounts of the Libyan weapons caches have already been looted and shipped abroad for sale at arms markets.

The latest influx of aid brings the total in funding to the NTC from the Obama Administration to $135 million, according to officials. The US is also planning to restart some of its Gadhafi-era aid programs.

A large portion of that funding has gone to a handful of State Department officials deployed to look for the looted weapons. Officials say that there are 14 officials on the ground, and that this program alone has cost $40 million. It is unclear if they found any of the weapons.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.