Time for an update on Obama’s war in Libya! The good news is, it might not be a quagmire much longer. The bad news is, that’s because Qaddafi is winning.
As the AFP news service reports, “Regime forces bombarded rebels west of Ajdabiya on Sunday, forcing hundreds of residents and some fighters to flee the key crossroads town, as a refugee rescue operation in the besieged city of Misrata prepared to get underway.”
Pleading for NATO intervention, a civilian resident of Ajdabiya named Milud Ghait wailed, “Quaddafi's forces are on the western outskirts of Ajdabiya, but NATO is doing nothing. Where is NATO? What are the French, British and Americans doing?”
Well, Mr. Ghait, they’re writing some mighty tough editorials, in which they declare they will not tolerate the massacre of civilians, and specifically demanded Qaddafi end the “medieval siege” of Ajdabiya and Misrata. Now it looks like Qaddafi has pushed the rebels out of Ajdabiya. I don’t think that’s how Obama, Cameron, and Sarkozy envisioned the “medieval siege” ending.
Noting the huge mass of refugees from Qaddafi’s forces camped outside Misrata – including ten thousand non-Libyans, who are “the least looked after by the local population” – a representative of the International Organization for Migration said “the fact [Misrata] keeps getting shelled is grave.”
AFP quotes Cameron ruling out the idea of deploying ground forces, insisting that “what we've said is there is no question of an invasion or an occupation, this is not about Britain putting boots on the ground, this is not what we are about here.” NATO can’t seem to break Qaddafi’s siege of these devastated cities with air power. The rebels are retreating. Open letters and fiery editorials aren’t going to dislodge Qaddafi. It’s a good thing the media lost all interest in this story, and feels no urge to interrupt President Obama’s latest round of golf by asking him what happens next.
