DTN News - BATTLE FOR LIBYA: Britain Sending Military Advisers To Libya....NSI News Source Info # 1839LONDON, U.K.
Britain said Tuesday it is sending military advisers to help organise Libyan rebels, even as western powers denied they could soon break their taboo against putting foreign boots on the ground.
The announcement came as France strongly warned against sending any coalition troops into Libya, where a two-month revolt against Moamer Kadhafi's regime has stalled and civilian casualties are mounting.
Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted the addition of about 12 military advisers to Britain's diplomatic team in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi did not breach a UN resolution authorising air strikes against Kadhafi's forces.
"They're not boots on the ground, this is not British ground combat forces going in... There is going to be no ground invasion of Libya," Hague told BBC television.
Hague said the British advisers would not arm or train the rebels, but would help them develop organisational structures, communications and logistics and coordinating humanitarian aid and medical supplies.
"They're people with the expertise in those sorts of things. They're not there, I stress, to train fighting forces, to arm fighting forces or of course to take part in any fighting themselves," he added.
The rebels "clearly lack that organisational experience and, yes, we do think that with that experience they will be able to save lives, in Ajdabiya, perhaps in Misrata," he said.
With thousands clamouring to escape the besieged rebel city of Misrata, Britain said it would charter ships to pick up 5,000 migrant workers after a ferry rescued nearly 1,000 on Monday.
In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Tuesday that he was "entirely hostile" to the idea of sending coalition ground troops into Libya -- even special forces to guide air strikes.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/04/dtn-news-battle-for-libya-britain.html
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