Libya government forces in retreat and hiding weapons in civilian areas
Image via WikipediaNato sources said regime forces who retreated in the face of the rebel advance have begun locating their armour and artillery inside civilian buildings in Sirte, a tactic designed to make air strikes fraught with risk. Sirte, which Col Gaddafi repeatedly tried to turn into Libya’s capital, is dominated by members of Col Gaddafi’s own tribe, the Qadafdha, who remain largely loyal to the regime.It is hard to execute a siege from the air. Air power is basically transitory and lacks the persistence needed for a siege. I suppose the opposition forces could be menacing enough to attempt a siege, but weapons-wise they are at a mismatch.
Nato has already targeted the two squadrons of obsolescent Su22 Soviet-era jets housed inside hardened bunkers at the Sirte airbase, located alongside the civilian airport.
A senior French Nato official told The Daily Telegraph one strategy could be to starve out the regime forces in Sirte, who do not have the stockpiles of supplies needed to weather a prolonged siege.
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Libyan military convoys traversing the route from Tripoli have already been choked off by air strikes, and Nato has moved in naval assets to close the option of resupply by sea. But a prolonged siege could mean real hardship for civilians. Franco Frattini, Italy’s foreign minister, has said he will be pushing for a plan that involves a ceasefire, a humanitarian corridor and exile for Col Gaddafi.
Libyan regime forces have also been focusing on destroying rebel positions in Misurata, the last opposition stronghold in the western Tripolitania region. Residents said the town, which has been under siege from regime forces for 38 days, was running short of both food and water.
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I sense that government forces are in a retreat from which it will be difficult for them to recover. They will soon be running out of places to run to.
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