Wednesday, April 13, 2011

PANW Editor Interviewed by Press TV: 'US to Use al-Qaeda as Allies in Libya'

'US to use al-Qaeda as allies in Libya'

Tue Apr 12, 2011 6:22AM
presstv.ir

A Libyan warplane struck the Libyan oil port of Ras Lanouf on March 7, 2011.

The US frustration over the Libyan war has forced Washington to consider supporting al-Qaeda operatives and deploying ground troops in the North African country, a political analyst says.

“I think the US forces and NATO forces are becoming frustrated [in Libya],” said the editor of Pan-African News Wire, Abayomi Azikiwe, in
a Press TV interview.

“The US has seen the futility of the air operations against the Libyan government. This is for the simple fact that it has not been able to win any territory for the opposition forces in the Eastern part of Libya,” he added.

“That's why General Ham who is the new Commander of the US African Command came out several days ago, and said he does not rule out the deployment of ground forces in Libya,” Azikiwe pointed out.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the analyst noted that Americans have been supporting groups of opposition forces fighting in Eastern Libya.

“The Libyan government has stated repeatedly that there is a faction within the opposition that had some alliances with the al-Qaeda
organization,” he added.

Azikiwe went on to say that the American people are shocked by the fact that in Libya the US government is backing the very organization (al-Qaeda) that has been cited as the major enemy in the so-called war on terror.

“This of course raises serious questions about the credibility and political character of the war that is being waged right now inside Libya,” the analyst argued.

Libyan troops have allegedly killed thousands of civilians since the revolution against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime began in
mid-February.

Many civilians have reportedly been killed as well since the US-led coalition unleashed a major air campaign against the regime's forces
on March 19, under a UN mandate to protect the Libyan population.

Meanwhile, the US-led forces have admitted to killing rebel forces and civilians in a fresh airstrike in eastern Libya.

The Western military alliance, however, has refused to apologize for the deadly
bombardment.

Rebel forces have criticized the US-led forces for their failure to prevent the killing of civilians by Gaddafi troops.

The rebels have recently threatened to plead with the United Nations Security Council to suspend the NATO mission in crisis-hit Libya if
the military alliance fails to do "its work properly."

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