NATO has released an official statement today claiming that its member nations are “confident” that the war in Libya is making “steady and tangible progress.” Spokeswoman Carmen Romero, who made the statement, also insisted that the strikes had “crippled” Libya’s military and sent ruler Moammar Gadhafi into hiding.
Though attacks like the one that killed Gadhafi’s son have sent Gadhafi into hiding (despite NATO’s claims that the strikes have not targeted Gadhafi), the constant claims that the Libyan military is being “crippled” by the strikes don’t appear to be changing the situation on the ground meaningfully.
Indeed, no city has changed hands in Libya in weeks, and there is no signs of any doing so in the near future. The Gadhafi government continues to make efforts to retake Misrata, with little success, and the rebels continue to hope they can mount another offensive westward, again with little success.
Perhaps the oddest aspect of the statement was a vow that the war would continue until the “threat” to civilians had been eliminated. The vow was made immediately after a claim that the Libyan military was so crippled as to no longer pose such a threat.