Gaddafi's army put NATO at bay

Muammar Gaddafi surprised Western military experts. Unexpectedly, for the NATO countries, his army applied a new tactic, against which the Western coalition has no antidote, reports BBC.

If before the government army relied on Tanks и artillery, now it has adopted the tactics that have brought success to the rebels for several days. The soldiers have moved to small trucks, on which machine guns and mortars are installed. Thanks to the competent actions of the officer corps, M. Gaddafi's supporters are using them most effectively and forcing the enemy to retreat.

British military experts concluded that the cause of the defeat of the rebels under Ras Lanuf and Marsa el-Brega was not so much the lack weaponsas the absence of any competent officers. If the government army during a retreat can, with proper command, stop and start regrouping, then the opposition’s retreat turns into a stampede, which is simply no one to stop.

In addition to coalition aviation it’s much more difficult to destroy small mobile units than tanks or artillery. In addition, NATO aircraft cannot detect the armored vehicles of a government army if they manage to disguise it or place it on narrow streets in populated areas. In this case, air raids invariably lead to a huge number of civilian casualties.

In addition, observers note that in their behavior in busy cities, the rebels are not very different from the supporters of M. Gaddafi. They also act extremely harshly, searching for and destroying political opponents, which does not add to their popularity among those who have not yet decided on their sympathies.

At the moment, the front line passes between the settlements of Ajdabiya and Marsa el-Brega. In the case of the fall of Ajdabiya, the mobile detachments of M. Gaddafi will open a direct path to Benghazi.