THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi is deliberately curbing the use of ground troops as his commanders are fearful of mass defections, military planners said on Tuesday.
Britain's leading military think tank said on Tuesday that Col Gaddafi could instead use fighter jets and, in particular, attack helicopters to inflict punishing damage on the opposition.
The International Institute of Strategic Studies said that both government forces and the opposition appeared to be "self-limiting" ground attacks, fearful that the chain of command would snap in frontal assaults. Douglas Barrie, the IISS military air expert, said that the reliability and effectiveness of Col Gaddafi's MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets – dozens remain in service – were "debatable" but that helicopter forces remained a potent threat to the opposition.
Helicopter attacks are moreover likely to be unaffected by a no-fly zone enacted by international forces. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, March 09, 2011
