[On March 2, a series of explosions and fires were reported in Tripoli.
Witnesses said the explosions stemmed from a fuel truck that blew up in the
capital's downtown district, deemed under government control.]
One option was the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya. Officials
said the European Union and United States would send military aircraft that
would be prepared to intercept any Libyan military or other regime aircraft
regardless of its mission.
"A no-fly zone is an option we are actively considering," Ms. Clinton
said on Feb. 28 after meeting EU leaders. "I discussed it today with allies
and partners, and we will proceed with this active consideration."
Officials said a no-fly zone would immediately harm the Gadhafi regime
and its estimated force of 30,000 soldiers. They said Libya would be unable
to transport troops or receive arms shipments from its allies in the former
Soviet Union. Gadhafi was said to have ordered weapons from several former
Soviet republics, particularly Belarus.
The U.S. military has already warned that enforcement of a no-fly zone
would be difficult in Libya, a country much larger than Iraq. On March 1,
Central Command chief Gen. James Mattis said the United States and its
allies would first be required to neutralize Gadhafi's air defense
capabilities, based on Soviet-origin platforms.
"My military opinion is that it [no-fly zone] would be challenging,"
Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "You would have to remove
air defense capability in order to establish a no-fly zone, so no illusions
here. It would be a military operations. It wouldn't be just telling people
not to fly airplanes."
Mattis's assessment was said to reflect that of the Pentagon and Joint
Chiefs of Staff. Officials said NATO has not formed a consensus for any
military option against Libya, including the establishment of a no-fly zone.
"This would be an extraordinarily complex operation to set up," Adm.
Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. "We would have
to work our way through doing it in a safe manner and certainly not put
ourselves in jeopardy in doing that."
Another option, officials said, was for the EU and United States to open
a so-called humanitarian corridor along Libya's eastern and western border.
They pointed out that Gadhafi remained in control over most of the western
border with Tunisia in what has jeopardized the rebellion. On March 1,
Gadhafi forces, backed by air strikes, captured the eastern city of Brega.
"We are preparing for contingencies by moving some assets into the
region, primarily focused on the potential humanitarian contingencies that
are out there," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on March 1.
The administration has already ordered the U.S. Navy to deploy several
warships off the coast of Libya. Officials said NATO, several of whose
members have sent special forces to Libya, could use assets in neighboring
Italy and Malta to counter Gadhafi.
"We have planners working various contingency plans," Pentagon spokesman
David Lapan said. "It's safe to say as a part of that, we're re-positioning
forces to provide for that flexibility. So those forces could be used in any
number of ways."
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