With the Libyan rebel movement insisting once again that they are on the cusp of “victory” in the seemingly endless civil war, US officials are warning that the regime is preparing for a “last stand” in the capital city of Tripoli.
The claim seems to run along similar lines to comments made by rebel PM Mustafa Jalil yesterday, when he predicted a “veritable bloodbath” in Tripoli during which Gadhafi and his family would face “catastrophe.”
But the “last stand” prediction seems to be an entirely different narrative than what US officials were saying last night, when the said there were indications that far from preparing for a major battle Gadhafi and family were preparing to flee to Tunisia within the next few days.
The comments may be designed to sew uncertainty within Gadhafian Libya, but the reality is that the regime has dramatically more forces in the capital than the rebels have on the outskirts, and both sides have claimed many times to be on the brink of victory only to see it evaporate when their offensive is stretched a little too far. It is this sort of offensive, brimming with confidence, that we have seen many times in five months of war, and that never seem to result in territorial changes.
Seeing that picture of Obama smiling and shaking Gadaffi's hand, I wonder how did the man ever win the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama is as much of a warmongering hypocrite as Bush, Blair and Cameron.
You sow uncertainty. You sew cloth.
"seemingly endless civil war"
It's been 6 months guys,and Tripoli is legitimately surrounded now.
Surely we just don't irrationally be skeptical upon seeing any movement around the globe that has even the smallest form of Western support right,guys?
These people are trying to overthrow Muammar Gadhafi for God's sakes,you'd think as progressives and libertarians we'd be supporting these people(instead of rolling our collective eyes at their triumphs and guffawing at their defeats).But funding our truly never ending War on Poverty and Drugs is apparently more important.
Sheesh.
NATO has reportedly been bombing Qaddafi’s Tripoli compound continuously, though no casualties have been reported yet.
This is Gaddafi's plan. He wants to make the rebels engage in a force-on-force battle that will result in a decisive operation from which rebel forces cannot withdraw. The rebels have no ability to rule Libya and will crumble without African and Arab occupation by puppet regimes. Once they get in te city they will be in a real battle. The close battle fighting will not be able to be as effectivel supported by NATO.
The rebels will be despised by the populous and will be seen as occupiers. The U.S. will provide a great deal of funding for the occupation and pay bribes to the puppet rulers it controls. When Gaddafi arms a hundred thousand tribal militiamen, then we will see how effective the rebels are.
If this degenerates into a failed state, there ought to be war crimes trials for British and American politicians.
Check that. There ought to be war crimes trials now.
Google: "NATO's War on Africa" to learn the truth.