UN OKs ‘All Necessary Measures,’ No-Fly Zone to Protect Libyans

Military action could follow within hours; Gadhafi warns of harsh reprisals

Video

Libya: No fly zone (MSNBC “The Ed Show,” March 17, 2011) — Ed Schultz reports breaking news that the United Nations Security council has voted to allow the U.N.’s member nations to take military action against Libya. Sohel Uddin, NBC News producer from Libya, and Colonel Jack Jacobs, MSNBC military analyst, join the discussion. (11:08)

The Associated Press and Reuters via MSNBC
March 17, 2011

The U.N. Security Council on Thursday authorized “all necessary measures” including strikes by air and sea to protect civilians from attacks by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

The no-fly zone resolution passed 10-0 with five abstentions, including Russia and China, which have veto power, and Germany, India and Brazil. …

The resolution establishes “a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya” while excluding an occupation force. It also calls for freezing the assets of the Libyan National Oil Corp. and the central bank because of links to Gadhafi.

A British lawmaker said British forces could be mobilized as early as Thursday night. U.S. officials, speaking after a closed-door briefing in Congress, said they expected an attempt to ground Gadhafi’s air force could begin by Sunday or Monday and would probably involve jet fighters, bombers and surveillance aircraft. …

The U.N. resolution reflected the past week’s swift reversal of the situation in Libya, where once-confident rebels are now in danger of being obliterated by an overpowering pro-Gadhafi force using rockets, artillery, tanks, warplanes. That force has advanced along the Mediterranean coast aiming to recapture the rebel-held eastern half of Libya. …

Military action could include France, Britain, possibly the United States and one or more Arab states, the French diplomatic sources said. The United States already has warships positioned near Libya. …

Support for the resolution marked a dramatic about-face by the Obama administration, which for weeks hesitated about supporting a no-fly zone, fearing that the United States could get sucked into another war in a Muslim nation.

The United States would likely use bombers and fighter planes, possibly including F-16s, F-15s and F-22s, to strike ground targets, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz has said. …

Full story

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Related reports on this site

Supporters of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi hold a poster of him and applaud as they take part in a pro-government rally in Tripoli, Libya on Thursday, March 17, 2011. (Photo credit: Mohamed Messara / EPA)

Libyan Rebels Advance on Tripoli (March 5, 2011)

Gadhafi Steers Libya to Civil War (Feb. 22, 2011)

Deadly Crackdown in Libya (Feb. 20, 2011)

Middle East Instability Spreading (Feb. 3, 2011)

Fears of Egyptian Domino Effect (Jan. 31, 2011)

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“‘Boring’ might not be the first adjective that comes to mind to describe [Obama], but it was ‘No Drama Obama’ who assured the nation with his steady composure and won the White House. Aubrey Immelman, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the College of St. Benedict | St. John’s University in Minnesota, says the variable that most distinguishes Obama from the two previous presidents is conscientiousness.”