ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center
SOURCE: DEBKAfile
04April2011 2:00amEST
GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The United States has quietly withdrawn its air and sea assets from Libya and virtually ended its military intervention against Muammar Qaddafi's armed forces. This action over the weekend exposed NATO and its leading powers Britain and France as badly short of the air and sea capabilities necessary for halting Muammar Qaddafi's military advances, enforcing a no fly zone over the territory he controls or maintaining a sea blockade on Libyan ports.
Debkafile's military sources report that US Air Force AC-10 Thunderbolt and AC-130, which are designed for attacking tanks and other ground targets, disappeared from Libyan skies Saturday, April 2. They were followed Sunday by the departure of all 100 American fighter-bombers from the Libyan war arena. (read full report)