NATO Denounces Scud Missile Launch by Qadhafi Forces

 

Source: Global Security Newswire, August 17, 2011

NATO on Tuesday blasted Libyan forces for firing a Scud ballistic missile toward opposition fighters, saying the action was a "desperate gesture" that demonstrated the Qadhafi regime was running out of military options in the face of recent rebel victories, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Aug. 16).

An Aegis technology-equipped U.S. warship reportedly detected the the launch of the tactical missile from a location south of Sirte on Sunday. The Scud missile, which lacks a precision targeting system, fell about three miles to the east of the strategic oil town of Brega, "which is currently under the control of anti-Qadhafi forces," Canadian Col. Roland Lavoie stated during a video news conference. No injuries resulted from the missile, the officer added.

The incident marked the first occasion of Scud use by forces loyal to dictator Muammar Qadhafi since the outbreak of the civilian rebellion in February. Qadhafi surrendered his WMD program in 2003 but he is thought to still posses 240 Scud missiles, which can travel roughly 185 miles, according to the journal Jane's Defense.

"The use of such missiles presents a direct threat to innocent people," Lavoie said.

The colonel described the Scud as "a weapon of terror" and said its launch "against an urban industrial area is utterly irresponsible." Using the weapon is the equivalent of "throwing dishes against a wall; it makes a lot of noise, but that's all," Lavoie said.

Even as Qadhafi troops are falling back "often hurriedly" in the face of recent rebel gains, Lavoie admitted that NATO's air campaign in Libya was still "far from over" (Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, Aug. 16).