Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Is Gaddafi's Libyan Military About To Defect?



Libya: Gaddafi 'Fearful Of Mass Defections' -- The 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.

Read more ....

My Comment: There is probably a lot of truth in this report. When your most senior officers are at the front lines .... and are getting killed in the process .... you know that there is a problem within your military. The last people who should be killed are your generals and colonels .... but these are the officers that Gaddafi is losing.

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