‘Gaddafi deliberately curbing ground troops over fears of mass defections’
March 9th, 2011 - 4:37 pm ICT by ANILondon, Mar 9 (ANI): Britain’s military think tank has said that Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is deliberately curbing the use of ground troops because his commanders are fearful of mass defections.
They also said that Gaddafi could instead use fighter jets, and helicopters to deal with the rebels.
The Telegraph quoted the International Institute of Strategic Studies as saying that both government forces and the opposition appeared to be “self-limiting” ground attacks.
Douglas Barrie, the IISS military air expert, said that the reliability and effectiveness of Gaddafi’s MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets, were “debatable”, but helicopter forces remained a major threat to the opposition. He also said that helicopter attacks are likely to be unaffected by a no-fly zone enacted by international forces.
Brig Ben Barry, an IISS army analyst, said Gaddafi’s statements suggested that he was “delusional” about the strength of his ground troops, because evinces have shown that his soldiers were joining the rebels rather than fighting at the front line.
“It’s just not clear how motivated his forces are,” he added.
Gaddafi’s son, Saadi, had said on Tuesday that the regime was holding back in its attacks fearing that it would make Libya’s powerful tribes hostile.
“The tribes are all armed … The situation is not like Tunisia or Egypt. The leader has given special instructions to the army not to intervene, save for the protection of sensitive sites, and to be ready to repel foreign intervention,” he said. (ANI)
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