Nato admiral signals end of Libyan operation

Admiral Jim Stavridis made the announcement yesterday before a meeting of the alliance’s North Atlantic Council. He called it “a good day for Nato, a great day for the people of Libya”.

The recommendation comes a day after Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi was killed.

Officials earlier said they expected the aerial operation to end very soon, but the North Atlantic Council may also decide to keep air patrols flying for several more days until the security situation on the ground stabilises.

The final decision will depend on the Military Committee, the group’s highest military organ.

Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen hailed the success of the mission, saying it demonstrated that the alliance continued to play an “indispensable” role in confronting current and future security challenges.

Nato planes have flown about 26,000 sorties, including more than 9,600 strike missions. They destroyed Libya’s air defences and more than 1,000 tanks, vehicles and guns, as well as Gaddafi’s command and control networks.

The daily air strikes broke the stalemate that developed after Gaddafi’s initial attempts failed to crush the rebellion. In August, the rebels began advancing on Tripoli, with Nato planes providing close air support and destroying any attempts by the defenders to block them.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy said “the operation has reached its end”. But how to draw down the campaign will be decided “with our allies and also with input from the [interim government]”.

Nato said its commanders were not aware Gaddafi was in a convoy that Nato bombed.

The success of Nato’s seven-month operation has reinvigorate the alliance and polished the reputation of France and Britain, the two countries that drove it forward.