NATO ends Libya mission Monday, "ready to help" new leaders

Oct 28, 2011, 12:11 GMT

Brussels - NATO on Friday stood by its decision to end its nearly seven-month military operation in Libya on October 31, but said it is 'ready to help' the country's new leaders 'if needed and requested.'

The news came a day after the United Nations Security Council - following the death of former Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi - voted to put an end to NATO's mandate over Libya, starting from Monday.

The 'operation in Libya will end on 31 October 2011. Our military job is now done,' NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen posted on twitter.

But NATO has yet to say how it intends to respond to a request from Libya's new transitional rulers for a continued presence to help with securing borders and combat illegal migration.

'NATO stands ready to help, if needed and requested. To help Libyans reform the security and defence institutions that all democracies need to remain free and safe,' Rasmussen said in a separate statement.

An official said the alliance would only move if authorized by the UN, stressing that a request for help by the Libyan National Transitional Council was not enough.

NATO ambassadors approved ending the Libyan mission 'Unified Protector' at a meeting in Brussels, which confirmed a provisional decision that had already been announced last week.

The campaign had started on March 31, when NATO took over from an impromptu international coalition led by France, Britain and the United States, which had launched air raids on March 19 to stop attacks on civilians.

Rasmussen characterized the operation - which included a naval embargo and a no-fly zone as well as airstrikes on pro-Gaddafi forces - as 'one of the most successful in NATO history.'

'We launched this complex operation faster than ever before. We conducted it effectively, flexibly and precisely with many partners from the region and beyond. And we are concluding it in a considered and controlled manner,' he insisted.

France and Britain carried out most of the airstrikes, with the United States providing backup and critical reconnaissance technology - which reportedly helped NATO jets spot and attack a convoy in which Gaddafi was travelling, leading to his death on October 20.

NATO insists that it did not wage a war against Gaddafi, but implemented a UN mandate to 'take all necessary action' to protect civilians. Before it intervened, the regime had launched a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests that had started in February.

NATO operations were supported by non-NATO members Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Norway, while some European members of the alliance, like Germany and Poland, were criticized for holding back.

Read more about NATO