Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
March 27, 2011
A recent Infowars.com poll reveals that a large majority of readers believe the U.S. and its internationalist coalition will send ground forces into Libya.
87% of respondents to the poll posted last week believe the current airstrikes will be followed by a ground invasion.
On Friday, RIA Novosti reported that the internationalist coalition force is planning a ground operation in Libya that may start in late April, according to a high-ranking Russian intelligence service source.
“Information coming via different channels shows that NATO countries, with the active participation of Britain and the United States, are developing a plan for a ground operation on Libyan territory,” the source told the Russian news agency.
“From all indications, a ground operation will be launched if the alliance fails to force the Gaddafi regime to capitulate with air strikes and missile attacks.”
The Russian source said the ground invasion is predicated on the success of the air campaign currently underway against Gaddafi’s forces attempting to gain control of the north African country and its prized oil resources.
Reports coming from Libya indicate the rebels – apparently including al-Qaeda – have retaken the town of Brega and the oil port of Ras Lanuf. The advance westward has gained momentum since Friday, when coalition bombings allowed U.S.-backed rebels to overcome Gaddafi forces positioned in the strategic town of Ajdabiya for a week, according to The Washington Post.
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
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British SAS teams are on the ground in Libya directing air strikes, according to reports filed with the Daily Mail. “Highly-trained units, known as ‘Smash’ teams for their prowess and destructive ability, have carried out secret reconnaissance missions to provide up-to-date information on the Libyan armed forces,” the newspaper reported on March 21.
“This intelligence was used by British defense chiefs to help RAF Tornado fighters and the Royal Navy’s submarine in the Mediterranean, HMS Triumph, deliver devastating strikes.”
Influential neocons have called for a ground invasion of Libya. Regular Fox News guest Bill Kristol said that “unlike the president, [he] would not rule out ultimately having to go in with peacekeeping and nation stabilizing forces. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we do that at the end of the day.”
Kristol made his remarks after Obama said that U.S. ground troops will not deploy in Libya and that force will not be used beyond protecting civilians.
UN Resolution 1973 rules out a “foreign occupation force” in Libya, but does not prohibit the limited use of troops.
On March 22, British Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey refused to rule out the deployment of British ground troops in Libya. His comments came after Prime Minister David Cameron tried to reassure MPs that Libya would not devolve into “another Iraq.”
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates admitted that Libya did not pose a threat to the United States before the U.S. began its unconstitutional military campaign. “No, no,” Gates said in a joint appearance with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “It was not — it was not a vital national interest to the United States, but it was an interest and it was an interest for all of the reasons Secretary Clinton talked about. The engagement of the Arabs, the engagement of the Europeans, the general humanitarian question that was at stake.”
In February, Secretary of State Clinton said that the government of Libya would be held “accountable for its violation of human rights” and demanded that Moammar Gadhafi leave the country immediately.
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“We are moving quickly on a series of steps to hold the Libyan government accountable for its violation of human rights and to mobilize a strong response from the international community,” she added.
Unlike Mubarak in Egypt, Gaddafi has promised he will not capitulate and says he will wage a “long war” against the U.S.-supported rebels. “All nations are against this foreign intervention,” he said. “If you want a long war, we will be ready.
Confronted with an obstinate Gaddafi and the will of his forces to retake the country, the U.S. is considering expanding the firepower and airborne surveillance systems in the military campaign.
Among the weapons under consideration for use in Libya is the Air Force’s AC-130 gunship, armed with cannons that shoot from the side doors. Other possibilities are helicopters and drones that fly lower and slower and can spot more than fast-moving jet fighters, according to the Associated Press.
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