Libyan Rebel: Destroy Gadhafi's Army for Us! - Wired News (blog)

The U.S. may be trying to dial back its involvement in the war against Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Ali Aujali, the rebels’ representative in Washington, would like America to crank it way, way up. He tells Danger Room that NATO airstrikes need to “destroy” the remaining loyalist army, which has inflicted nearly a week of damaging military setbacks on the rebels.

Visit http://axa-equitable-life-insurance.itpatil.com/ for AXA Equitable Life Insurance Blog, News and Reviews.

And that’s not all that Aujali wants. At the Center for American Progress, Aujali laid out a wish list of aid that he wants from the administration and its allies. On the military front, “missiles against [Gadhafi's] tanks are very important,” he said, but otherwise passed on a question from Danger Room about what specific weapons the rebels need to turn the tide against Gadhafi, saying he was “not a military man.” Not only does NATO have to keep up the attacks on Gadhafi, but it has to “paralyze” his forces before they enter cities, where U.S. pilots have stopped short of attacking for fear of accidentally killing the very civilians they sought to protect. Aujali, Libya’s former man in Washington before abandoning Gadhafi in February, repeatedly said he wants “training” for the rebel forces — apparently beyond the level of whatever assistance the CIA is providing them — to become a more competent army. And small arms wouldn’t hurt, either: “the weapons [rebel fighters] have in hand are not up to date… I am sure that any kind of weapon will be helpful.” About the only thing he doesn’t want is foreign troops on Libyan soil.

Libyan Rebel: Destroy Gadhafi's Army for Us! - Wired News (blog)