By Carlo Munoz
Libya’s arsenal of mobile air defense systems in the south and western part of the country could pose a threat to American and coalition forces as they look to expand a no-fly zone toward Tripoli and beyond, the top U.S. commander leading the effort said yesterday.
The U.S. and NATO-led mission to patrol the skies of Libya will push past the eastern area of the country where rebel forces are based, and stretch deeper into Libyan territory, Army Gen. Carter Ham, head of U.S. Africa Command, said during a Pentagon briefing.
The command is leading the American task force assigned to head up enforcement of the United Nations-mandated no-fly zone in the country. Members of the U.N. Security Council last week approved the establishment of the zone, to protect civilians from attacks by government troops looking to quash a violent rebellion against Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi.
Coalition forces plan to shift the no-fly zone to the east, past Benghazi to the coastal town of Al Bayda, and to the west to Misurata and eventually to Tripoli, ending in a roughly 1,000-kilometer area of denied airspace to Libyan government planes and bombers, Ham said.
“The extension of the no-fly zone, essentially across the coastal part of the country, from almost boundary to boundary will allow us to have a greater freedom of movement, and the other thing it provides is a greater ability for humanitarian assistance to be delivered in those areas…for which it may be required,” Ham said from AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. However, as U.S. air and naval forces push further into government-controlled areas, coalition commanders expect to encounter more resistance from mobile air defense systems and anti-aircraft weapons fielded by pro-government troops.
“So as we extend the no-fly zone…I think it is likely that we will encounter some of the regime’s mobile air defense systems, and where we encounter those we will certainly attack them.”
But the use of those mobile air defense systems poses a number of risks for American and allied forces, because they can be easily moved to avoid detection by U.S. and NATO warplanes and can be stationed in heavily populated, civilian areas, increasing the chances of collateral damage for any potential strike.
With that in mind, Ham said aircrews carrying out strike missions against government targets in the expanded areas of the no-fly zone were working under strict rules of engagement, designed to minimize civilian casualties while still keeping to the enforcement mission.
“We have been very precise in the instructions to the aircrews about what they may and may not do, and we are very, very conscious about limiting civilian casualties,” Ham said during yesterday’s briefing.
Additionally, expansion of the no-fly zone across the country’s coastline would not result in a subsequent expansion of the enforcement mission into a more offensive-driven operation to support gains made by anti-government forces.
Extension of the no-fly zone would simply ensure “freedom of air movement” for coalition assets enforcing the no-fly zone–which is the linchpin for any future humanitarian or support operations in Libya–and that there were no American troops on the ground in Libya.
“Our mission is to protect civilians from attack by the regime ground forces,” the AFRICOM chief said. “Our mission is not to support any opposition forces.” While coalition forces have received informal reports from sources claiming to be associated with anti-Qaddafi troops, neither American nor NATO commander have had “no official communication or formal communication” with those forces, he added.
Since the beginning of those operations, U.S. and NATO forces are “generally achieving the intended objectives” of the U.N. mandate, according to Ham.
No Libyan air assets have been flown in support of government ground troops, Libyan ships have begun to to return to their home ports and the offensive against the rebel stronghold of Banghazi has been stopped, Ham said, adding that pro-Gadhafi forces have “little will or capability” to continue operations.