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UK, France 'accidental heroes' in Libya war, says report

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Sept 23, IRNA -- Britain and France have been left as the “accidental heroes” in the Nato-led bombing campaign in Libya that was “more messy and ambiguous” than politicians like to admit, according to an interim report.

Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Britain’s oldest defence think-tank, said that the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi's regime was due to a mixture of improvisation, innovation and good luck as well as military prowess.

In its interim assessment on the 90-day intervention, entitled 'Accidental Heroes,' RUSI found that Britain's armed forces were overstretched, that the air force nearly ran out of a key missile and the navy had to curb other commitments to deploy warships.

It suggested that the success of the operation was clearly not down to careful planning and said there was still ambiguity as to whether the goal was protecting civilians or removing Gaddafi from power that was never part of any UN mandate.

RUSI director general, Professor Michael Clarke said: 'Prime Minister Cameron and President Sarkozy became “accidental heroes in a civil war, justified - unlike most civil wars - on grounds of principle.”

'Like all military operations, this operation was more messy and ambiguous than politicians like to admit. In this particular case, it reflected a number of new, and sometimes novel, political and military elements,” Clarke said.

The allied operation overcame 'big political risks', as well as 'the improvised use of weapon systems and ambiguous command arrangements' to find success, the report said.

But the mission also raised questions about the cuts in forces and equipment announced in the British government's Strategic Defence and Security Review last year.

While the UK managed without an aircraft carrier, three other nations deployed their carriers and provided 'unique advantages'. There are questions over the decision to scrap Nimrod maritime spy planes.

Even though the costs of the operation may end up being modest compared with Afghanistan, it is expected that Britain's armed forces will still have to pay a price in plugging the gap of lost capabilities and neglected training.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30577708