Nato agrees to end Libya mission

Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen tonight announced the alliance is to wind down its operations in Libya ahead of a withdrawal at the end of this month.

Following a meeting of the alliance’s governing body, he said it made a preliminary decision to end air operations on October 31, and will make a formal decision next week.

The council took into account the wishes of Libya’s new government and of the United Nations, under whose mandate Nato carried out its operations.

After Libya’s former rebels killed Muammar Gaddafi yesterday, officials had said they expected the aerial operation to end very soon.

Mr Rasmussen hailed the success of the mission, saying it demonstrated that the alliance continues to play an “indispensable” role in confronting current and future security challenges.

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

The daily airstrikes finally broke the stalemate that developed after Gaddafi’s initial attempts failed to crush the rebellion that broke out in February.

In August, the rebels began advancing on the capital Tripoli, with the Nato warplanes providing close air support and destroying any attempts by the defenders to block them.