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Lack of boots on the ground makes for slow progress in Libya: top soldier
Postmedia News via National Post ^ | 2011-07-18 | Tobi Cohen

Posted on 07/19/2011 7:54:58 AM PDT by Clive

OTTAWA — The NATO mission in Libya has dragged on longer than most had expected and Canada’s top soldier suggests things might be different if the rules of engagement allowed for boots on the ground.

It’s an idea that all involved countries have been adamantly against, but Gen. Walt Natynczyk suggested it can be limiting.

“It’s always about precision and from 20,000 feet, you only get so much precision,” he said in an interview with Postmedia News.

The NATO force, which includes about 650 Canadians, has been able to gather good intelligence with the resources it has, he added, but having people on the ground is “always better.”

That said, the mandate from the United Nations is clear and not unlike the one Canada and other nations operated under in Kosovo.

“Protect civilian lives but you can’t put forces on the ground,” he said.

As such, “collateral damage” is out of the question.

“We’re not pushing the risk factors here because our job is to protect those folks and at the same time trying to stop [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi from shelling civilians,” Natynczyk said.

“The challenge in any of these campaigns is having patience.”

A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed Monday that “we will not deploy boots on the ground in Libya.”

“The Harper government’s position is clear,” said Dimitri Soudas in an email to Postmedia News. “Our government’s approach to protecting Libyan civilians has been under the umbrella of the United Nations in close collaboration with our allies.”

The three-month mission began in March and Parliament recently extended it until the end of September. Opposition parties have clearly stated they would not support the use of ground troops and may not be so quick to rubber stamp another extension should one be sought.

[...]

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...


TOPICS: Canada; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: harper; libya; nato; obama
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To: TigersEye
as NATO dismissed charges of having killed more than 1,100 civilians.

Of course they'd dismiss the charges. We'll never know the truth anyway.

21 posted on 07/20/2011 6:49:25 AM PDT by ScottinVA (As a party that gives Obama what he wants, what again is the GOP`s 2012 selling point?)
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To: ScottinVA

That’s for sure.


22 posted on 07/20/2011 11:31:12 AM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: TigersEye; ScottinVA
Who cares?

You don't care about seeing Kaddafy pay for murdering scores of innocent Americans. So why should I care about Libyans we kill who are between us and Kadaffy? I don't. So go play your violin somehwere else.

23 posted on 07/21/2011 2:15:11 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: DTA

Most of the rebels are monarchists and ex-qadaffists and the entire rebel movement is controlled by the CIA. You want me to support a muslim terrorist Kaddafy who has murdered innocent Americans. I will never do that and I will help anyone kill him no matter who they are. I don’t care who runs Libya. After Kadaffy is dead then they can all fight it out to the death to see who is in charge. The more of them that kill each other the happier I will be.


24 posted on 07/21/2011 2:20:12 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe
You don't care that substantial evidence came to light that shows Gaddafi may not have known of or approved of the Lockerbie bombing.

Libyan foreign minister admits Lockerbie bombing involvement

He went on to say that the compensation payment to the families he helped negotiate on behalf of the regime – while disclaiming responsibility – angered the Libyan leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi. "He used to say, 'We had no role in Lockerbie, so why should we have to pay compensation'," Mr Shalgham said.

Your posts show that you don't care about anyone's lives just your sick desire for revenge. And as far as where I "play my violin" I will post on any thread I feel like posting on. If you don't like that you know exactly where you can stick it!

25 posted on 07/21/2011 6:59:57 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: TigersEye
Your source for Kadaffy's innocence is the claim of none other than Kadaffy himself?

You're serious?

That's funny!

26 posted on 07/21/2011 7:22:29 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe

I’m not surprised that your reading comprehension is less than a third grader. Let me draw you a picture. That was not a Gaddafi quote.


27 posted on 07/21/2011 7:27:56 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: TigersEye
"We had no role in Lockerbie, so why should we have to pay compensation" - That is a quote by Kadaffy.

Putin blasts 'secret' meeting Says leaked minutes of Bush-Schroeder discussions 'blatant lies' - May 24, 2001 - Libya is angered over the report of Gadhafi's involvement in terrorism. According to reports, Schroeder's chief political aide, Michael Steiner, met with Gadhafi on March 17. During that meeting, Gadhafi allegedly told Steiner that he ordered a number of terrorist attacks, including the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, as well as the attack on the La Belle discotheque in Berlin two years earlier.
Now you can take the word of the likes of Moamar Kadaffy and his comrade Vladimir Putin, but I don't.
28 posted on 07/21/2011 8:08:16 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe
"We had no role in Lockerbie, so why should we have to pay compensation" - That is a quote by Kadaffy.

Now why would the tyrant, the supreme leader of Libya, have an argument like that with one of his own, in private, who he had complete power over? Do you use your head for anything but a hat rack?

29 posted on 07/21/2011 8:13:10 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: TigersEye
The fact is that you were against bombing Libya before this unimpressive "substantial new evidence came to light," so of course you want to spin it to cast doubt on Kadaffy's guilt in order to defend the position you already had.

You defended Kadaffy even when you thought he was guilty!

You are a Kadaffy mouthpiece, pathetically repeating his ridiculous claims.

You can no longer deny the label of a Kadaffy cheerleader and apologist.

30 posted on 07/21/2011 8:18:35 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe
You defended Kadaffy even when you thought he was guilty!

That is a lie.

You are a Kadaffy mouthpiece, pathetically repeating his ridiculous claims.

That is a lie and you still are too dense to realize who said.

You can no longer deny the label of a Kadaffy cheerleader and apologist.

I can not only deny it I can call you a liar for saying it. Not that I care what someone who flies the American flag upside down on his profile page, quotes Vladymir Putin and quotes Code Pink to back up his insane positions thinks about me.

31 posted on 07/21/2011 8:26:59 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: TigersEye
You agree with Code Pink. They are against the war like you are.

Opposed to a policy of regime change in Libya:
Michael Moore
Ralph Nader
Noam Chomsky
Cindy Sheehan
Medea Benjamin
Dennis Kucinich
Bernie Sanders
John Lewis
John Conyers
Jerrold Nadler
Charlie Rangel
Jim Webb
Jay Rockefeller
Barbara Lee
Maxine Waters
Raul Grijalva
Michael Capuano
Barney Frank
Cynthia McKinney
Louis Farrakhan
Malik Zulu Shabazz
Fidel Castro
Hugo Chavez
Daniel Ortega
Robert Mugabe
Vladimir Zhirinovksy
Vladimir Putin
Kim Jong-Il
Barack Hussein Obama Junior

32 posted on 07/21/2011 8:34:15 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe

You’re the one who quoted Code Pink, Chief. lol


33 posted on 07/21/2011 8:59:27 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: TigersEye

I’m using my 17,000th post on FR to say—you a Libyan apologist? LOL!

Freepgards.


34 posted on 07/21/2011 9:05:53 PM PDT by exit82 (Democrats are the enemy of freedom. Sarah Palin is our Esther.)
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To: exit82

Thank you. I have told that guy directly that I don’t care what happens to Gaddafi. But he loves 0bama’s little war so much he can’t see anything else.


35 posted on 07/21/2011 9:08:25 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
Israel sees Libya as new source of arms for Gaza

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Libya has become a new source of smuggled weaponry for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday.

With eastern Libya largely held by rebels who rose up against Muammar Gaddafi in February, arms were being brought across the border, through neighboring Egypt, to the Islamist Hamas-ruled territory, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said.

Those would be your friends in eastern Libya using 0bama's war to promote more terrorism.

36 posted on 07/21/2011 9:11:26 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: TigersEye

Kadaffy has trained and armed Palestinian terrorists on Libyan soil for decades. His death will be a great victory for the USA and for Israel.


37 posted on 07/21/2011 9:25:38 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe

And an even bigger one for Hamas and Al Qaeda.


38 posted on 07/21/2011 9:35:07 PM PDT by TigersEye (Wranglers not Levis. Levi Strauss is anti-2nd Amendment.)
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To: Clive

If Canada feels froggy, they should jump.


39 posted on 07/21/2011 9:37:20 PM PDT by Flag_This (Real presidents don't bow.)
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To: TigersEye

Wrong. The rebels are controlled by the CIA, not al-qaeda.


40 posted on 07/21/2011 9:50:45 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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