George Osborne appeared on the Andrew Marr show this morning to introduce the Pledge of his Budget magic trick. But Marr and his viewers wanted talk about the show of military strength over Libya. Osborne reiterated that the government is committed to enforcing the UN Resolution and had no plans to deploy ground troops at this stage. He refused to rule out the use of British ground forces in the future. Privately, officials are trying to dispel the perception that the UN Resolution forbids the use of Special Forces commandos to assist the bombing campaign. The Resolution does not permit an occupation, but it would be very surprising if covert operations were not already being planned against Gaddafi’s military installations and logistical infrastructure.
They airstrikes continue, in all their spectacle. Tomahawk cruise missiles have been fired from allied warships in the area and the French air force continues to patrol the 600sq miles of no-fly zone. Initial reports from allied security briefings suggest that loyalist forces have been well and truly rocked, as one would expect under such firepower and discipline.
More hardware is converging on this patch of desert. The USS Enterprise steamed through the Suez Canal yesterday, its flight deck bristling with materiel in almost pornographic display for the cameras. Other elements of the US Sixth Fleet are heading for the waters south of Malta. The Charles de Gaulle has sailed from Toulon and will reach its station east of Benghazi later today. Fighter jets from Canada, Britain and other allied countries are making for NATO bases in Italy. Gaddafi’s rag and bone military and his ranks of mercenaries (a fair weather beast not like no other) in his ranks, should be anxious of a shellacking.
But, the Obama administration may have given Gaddafi some cause for the fevered optimism he still shouts over state radio. According to the New York Times, Obama would prefer this operation to last days not months. One suspects it may take a little longer than that to bring down the Mad Dog.
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