THE GLOBE AND MAIL: The United States insisted on Tuesday it will hand control of Libyan military operations to its allies within days despite disagreements over NATO’s role in the air campaign against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.Once the initial U.S.-led bombardment of the Libyan leader’s air defenses is complete, military planners still intend to pass on leadership of the UN-mandated mission, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
“I don’t want to get out in front of the diplomacy that’s been going on but I still think that a transfer within a few days is likely,” Mr. Gates told reporters on a visit to Russia. “This command and control business is complicated. We haven’t done something like this. We were kind of on-the-fly before.”
His statement came as on-scene commanders of the international coalition confirmed that civilians are under attack by government forces in Misrata, Libya’s third largest city.
U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear told Pentagon reporters that the coalition is “considering all options” in light of the attacks, but did not elaborate.
As U.S. military officials play down concerns about who will lead the next phase, President Barack Obama has been trying to shore up faltering international backing for the operation by calling leaders in Europe and the Middle East.
Mr. Obama, wary of getting bogged down in another Muslim country as he tries to wind down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said on Monday that NATO would have a coordinating role once the first heavy phase of military action was complete. » | The Associated Press, Paris | Tuesday, March 22, 2011
