Skimming fast and low over the ground, bristling with missiles and heavy with armour, the Army’s Apache AH64 attack helicopters are British might incarnate, a muscular show of power and self-assurance from a country that remains (just) in the global premier league of military players.
Yet their presence over western Libya this weekend is also a tacit sign of British failure, the failure of 11 weeks of aerial bombardment to remove Col Muammar Gaddafi from power.
Deploying the Apaches is final proof of something that all but the most partisan of RAF devotees have long conceded: you can start a war from 30,000 feet, but you can only win it on the ground. “Boots on the ground” may have been ruled out, but Britain’s military operation is undeniably moving closer to Libyan soil. » | James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Sunday, June 05, 2011
My comment:
We should never have gone to war with Libya in the first place. This war was caused by Cameron's vanity. The end result will be that British troops will have to go in on the ground, and risk their lives to save Cameron's face. Fools rush in where angels...
Why should we be at war with Libya, but not with Syria or Bahrain? Those two countries also treat their people brutally and shabbily. Perhaps no better than the awful Qadhafi. But for some reason, it's okay to be at war with Libya; but with the other régimes, we just turn a blind eye. Such hypocrisy! – © Mark
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