Gerald
07-26-11, 08:34 AM
"We won't arm cowboys".
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/441/54247914012460791.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/54247914012460791.jpg/)
Ramadan and the summer heat are expected to bring fighting to a near halt.
When Osama, a Libyan rebel commander, heard those words he knew all hope that the US was going to tip the balance on the ground in their favour had disappeared.
This, he said, came from an American government representative during a meeting in Benghazi not long after Nato's air campaign began.
"The truth is, they're worried about getting their weapons back," Osama told me at his headquarters in the besieged port city of Misrata, which has been surrounded and rocketed by Col Gaddafi's forces for months now.
"So, we're fighting with weapons from the 1970s though we're doing pretty well with them," he said.
Next week, Libya will begin observing the holy month of Ramadan.
The European leaders that galloped into this conflict, despite reservations from some of their senior military advisers, expected it to be over by now.
Two things have slowed it down for the rebels.
One is the lack of good weapons and ammunition, the other is that the rebels say Nato has demanded proper organisation and accountability from the fighters on the ground before any agreement on minute-by-minute co-ordination.
Nato has said, with the support of the rebels, it will still bomb during Ramadan if it sees targets, though they will likely be more cautious to avoid civilian casualties.
As for the rebel fighters, Ramadan means progress is likely to grind to a halt. They expect many of their men will still want to fast throughout the day, even though the Koran says fighters are allowed a dispensation.
'Widespread atrocities'
"Ramadan will be tough," Osama tells me.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14247016
Note: 25 July 2011 Last updated at 08:16 GMT
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/441/54247914012460791.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/54247914012460791.jpg/)
Ramadan and the summer heat are expected to bring fighting to a near halt.
When Osama, a Libyan rebel commander, heard those words he knew all hope that the US was going to tip the balance on the ground in their favour had disappeared.
This, he said, came from an American government representative during a meeting in Benghazi not long after Nato's air campaign began.
"The truth is, they're worried about getting their weapons back," Osama told me at his headquarters in the besieged port city of Misrata, which has been surrounded and rocketed by Col Gaddafi's forces for months now.
"So, we're fighting with weapons from the 1970s though we're doing pretty well with them," he said.
Next week, Libya will begin observing the holy month of Ramadan.
The European leaders that galloped into this conflict, despite reservations from some of their senior military advisers, expected it to be over by now.
Two things have slowed it down for the rebels.
One is the lack of good weapons and ammunition, the other is that the rebels say Nato has demanded proper organisation and accountability from the fighters on the ground before any agreement on minute-by-minute co-ordination.
Nato has said, with the support of the rebels, it will still bomb during Ramadan if it sees targets, though they will likely be more cautious to avoid civilian casualties.
As for the rebel fighters, Ramadan means progress is likely to grind to a halt. They expect many of their men will still want to fast throughout the day, even though the Koran says fighters are allowed a dispensation.
'Widespread atrocities'
"Ramadan will be tough," Osama tells me.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14247016
Note: 25 July 2011 Last updated at 08:16 GMT