NATO member states on Wednesday agreed to a three-month extension of their airstrike campaign in Libya after a meeting in Brussels, according to media reports.
“Operation Unified Protector was just extended for 90 days,” a diplomat, who wished to remain unnamed, told Al-Arabiya television, referring to the NATO mission in Libya.
The current operations were set to expire on Sept. 27 and the decision on Wednesday marks the second three-month extension agreed upon by NATO. Military operations began on March 31 in order to support a United Nations Security Council decision to protect civilians.
Libyan rebels effectively control most of the North African nation except for two cities, Bani Walid and Sirte, which are controlled by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.
Gadhafi’s 42-yearlong rule came to an end last month when rebels took control of Tripoli and forced him into exile. His whereabouts are currently unknown and he has released messages to his last remaining followers to resist rebel advances.
A NATO diplomat told Reuters that the threat pro-Gadhafi forces pose to civilians is minimal. However, NATO supported keeping the “mission going as long as civilians are under threat, and we still see civilians are under threat from actions on the ground,” the diplomat said.
In a recent audio message broadcast on Arrai Television, Gadhafi said the new interim government headed by the National Transitional Council “is a charade which can only take place thanks to the air raids, which will not last forever,” according to The New York Times.
