Libya rebels make massive gains with western aid

Rebel fighters in Libya are threatening the home town of colonel Gaddafi. It was reported that a steady stream of rebels aboard pick up trucks with machine guns mounted were making their way to the town of Sirte.

At one time the reports stated that rebels had taken the town but Gaddafi loyal troops were using Sirte as a base to fire rockets so the status of the town, for the moment remains unclear.

The insurgency has, so far lasted for five weeks with gains and losses in both directions but with the support of recent allied air strikes against government ground forces the rebels have gained in confidence and have pushed west along the Mediterranean coast taking a series of towns along the way.

Sirte lies 450km West of the capital Tripoli and is of great psychological importance as the birthplace of Gaddafi, if the town does fall then the road to Tripoli itself lies open.

The large gains made by a poorly armed and uncoordinated force of volunteer rebels clearly show the massive impact on battlefield dynamics made by the western air strikes on Gaddafis forces.

Clearly the western powers have elected to choose sides in this campaign and are aiming for a regime change in the middle east. As long as Gaddafi has been a tyrant and a supporter of terrorists for many years we cannot afford to be dabbling in the internal policies of sovereign states purely for our own peace of mind as to who controls the country’s oil.

Scources; Reuters, various

Tags: battlefield, Gaddafi, insurgency, libya, regime

Category: Rory