Intervention looms: US repositions naval forces off Libya

Libyan Air Force jets bomb ammunition depots in rebel-held city as the US calls for Qaddafi to 'go now'.

WASHINGTON/ TRIPOLI: The United States on Monday told Muammar Qaddafi he must “go now,” repositioned forces near Libya and raised the prospect of exile for its foe, as it cranked up pressure on his fragile regime.

Washington further stiffened its rhetoric and said it was talking to Libyan opposition groups, apparently seeking to further destabilise Qaddafi after an uprising against his decades-long rule that has killed more than 2,000 people. In addition, it has so far blocked around $30 billion in Libyan assets after imposing sanctions late last week, the largest amount ever frozen, US sanctions czar David Cohen said. According to Cohen, more sanctions could be on the way.

The European Union also imposed the toughest international sanctions yet on Qaddafi’s crumbling regime, ordering an asset freeze and visa ban against the Libyan leader and 25 others for brutalising civilians.

The moves came as Libyan Air Force planes attacked ammunitions depots in two separate locations south of opposition-held second city Benghazi on Monday, witnesses said.

Rebels downed a military aircraft in the meantime as they fought a government bid to take back Libya’s third city, Misrata, a witness said.

Qaddafi’s forces have been trying for days to push back a revolt that has won over large parts of the military. Qaddafi, however, refuses to acknowledge the protests in Tripoli, saying, all Libyans love him, ABC’s Christiane Amanpour said after interviewing the Libyan leader. “During my conversation with Gaddafi, he told me, ‘All my people love me. They would die to protect me,’” Amanpour said in a Twitter message.

The US naval and air forces have moved into position around Libya, the Pentagon said, as Western countries weigh possible intervention against Qaddafi’s regime.

“We have planners working various contingency plans, and I think it’s safe to say as part of that we’re repositioning forces to provide for that flexibility once decisions are made,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters.

The redeployment of “naval and air forces” would give US President Barack Obama a range of options in the crisis, said Lapan.

Pro-democracy protesters said they are determined to unseat Qadhafi without any foreign military intervention, even at the cost of further bloodshed.

With world powers weighing options to end Qaddafi’s 41-year hardline rule, protesters who overran Benghazi, hoisted a banner spelling out their message loudly and clearly: “No foreign intervention, Libyan people can do it alone.”

In a rare Arab call on the Libyan leader to resign, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said: “It is not too late for a decision. It is impossible for anyone to win in this revolution but the Libyan people,” urging a solution that would reduce bloodshed and suffering and avert the destruction of Libya.

A day after the United Nations Security Council on Saturday imposed sanctions on the Libyan leader and his family, an International Criminal Court prosecutor said in The Hague that military attacks against

civilians in Libya could be a crime against humanity and warrant the launch of a full investigation within days.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said an investigation team had been put together in The Hague to collect information and his office was in contact with Libyan officials and army staff to understand command structures and how the Libyan military system worked.

The office of the prosecutor was also liaising with an African Union investigation team and the Arab League with the aim of moving as swiftly as possible, Moreno-Ocampo said.

Rebels holding Zawiyah said about 2,000 troops loyal to Qaddafi had surrounded the city. “We will do our best to fight them off. They will attack soon,” said a former police major who switched sides and joined the rebellion. “If we are fighting for freedom, we are ready to die for it.”

The eastern rebel army is urging young men eager to dash west and engage Qaddafi’s forces to wait so they can turn them into an effective fighting force.

Hundreds from the eastern city of Benghazi are setting off each day across the desert to Libya’s capital, some carrying knives and assault rifles, residents told Reuters.

But rebel officers say many more stayed behind to gather at makeshift training camps in schools and burnt-out barracks.

“We can give them what they need: training in assault, in defending a position. They should know that we are here to protect the youth revolution,” said Marai Lojeli, a colonel in his 50s.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2011.