NATO has accidently bombed a rebel convoy on the road to Brega. Casualties are
understood to have been heavy and, judging by footage, the rebels at the scene are pretty exercised: lots of angry tears, outraged rhetoric and shooting in the air.
An emotional response is understandable in the aftermath of tragedy, especially in the fraternal fever of rebellion. However, the response does reveal something about the rebels’ military sense and capability: firing guns in the air without thought to what may be above is symptomatic of the martial indiscipline hampering their efforts.
NATO is conducting an inquiry into this affair, but it seems that the flight turned on the convoy in self-defence after taking what’s being described by broadcasters as ‘light anti-aircraft fire’. Friendly fire is an unfortunate fact of any conflict, but it must be apparent to the rebels that Gaddafi’s airpower has been eliminated. There are only friends in the sky. Perhaps it is, and those who died on en route to the lines at Brega were enthusiastically discharging their weapons skywards.
As Daniel argued a couple of days ago, arms are the last thing the rebels need: first they must have discipline and cohesion. Gaddafi is unlikely to succumb to a rag tag of brigands.
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