by Stephen Lendman

Obama is an unindicted war criminal. So is Clinton. More on her staged photo-op theater below.

On October 18, NATO deputy spokesperson Carmen Romero said:

"We are very close to (ending the Libya operation), but there are still threats to the civilian population and as long as these threats persist we will continue" the campaign.

Fact check

Libya's only threat is NATO's presence with its army of paid mercenaries. The country was mostly calm and peaceful until terror bombing began on March 19. It's been ongoing daily for seven months.

Widespread areas have been ravaged. Tens of thousands have been killed, many more injured and displaced.

About 100,000 residents once called Sirte home. Under intense daily bombardment and shelling, it's in ruins. Remaining inhabitants are now homeless refugees.

Imagine turning Libya's showpiece of urban development into a ghost town. Nonetheless, loyalists defend it courageously, besting air and ground attacks. They control most of the city.

Nonetheless, NATO military spokesman Col. Roland Lavoie claimed "(m)ost of Sirte in now under (TNC) control and fighting is limited to a very small area where a few remaining Gaddafi fighters are vainly trying to hold their positions."

He lied about Sirte and Bani Walid, claiming "significant (rebel) advances....As of this morning, it appears that Gaddafi fighters are unable to sustain significant offensive capability."

False. They control most of Sirte, Bani Walid, Tripoli, Benghazi and most other cities and towns across Libya. NATO's desperation is palpable. Without victories, they're manufactured out of whole cloth.

Major media scoundrels report them like gospel. On October 18, New York Times writer Kareen Fahim headlined, "Battle for a Holdout City Stalls Healing in Libya," saying:

Sirte "was supposed to be a postscript to the Libyan conflict....Instead, it has stretched into one of the war's most bitter periods....While the long fight is now winding down, it has underscored the problem Libya's weak transitional government faces as it tries to stitch together a country divided by war...."

In fact, Libya's war rages. A protracted struggle remains. If the country replicates Afghanistan and Iraq, expect years more conflict. NATO never quits. Neither do committed loyalists throughout MENA countries (Middle East/North Africa) and Central Asia struggling to be free.

On Tuesday, Clinton showed up in Tripoli for a brief staged photo-op. One day, Libyans alone will take victory laps. On October 19, NSNBC imagined a logistical nightmare to get her in safely.

Heavy fighting around Tripoli's airport and Abu Salim made landing a plane too risky. Likely, "she was smuggled" in by boat. Meeting with puppet TNC executive board chairman Mahmoud Jabril, smug arrogance defined her visit.

Complicit media scoundrels loved it. CNN and other sources quoted her saying, "We hope (Gaddafi) will be captured or killed soon."

NSNBC stresses what's increasingly apparent. NATO desperately needs a victory. Press conference lies and headlines like the Washington Post on October 18 saying, "NATO says it is 'very close' to decision to terminate Libya operation" wore thin long ago.

As protracted conflict rages, as loyalists best intense NATO ferocity, and as mass sentiment refuses to accept Western colonization and exploitation, reality will eventually dawn on most people that firepower won't defeat people determined to live free.

However, victory won't come easily or quickly. "Tripoli and Abu Salim were again" heavily bombed. Even though Sirte is largely destroyed and intense fighting rages, loyalists hold most parts of the city.

Sustained attacks also targeted Bani Walid. Terror weapons have been used, including depleted uranium (DU), thermobaric fuel-air bombs and white phosphorous able to burn flesh to the bone. Israel used illegal weapons against Gaza. Washington uses them in all imperial wars.

On October 19, Mathaba headlined, "Libya: Rebels Were Planning to Attack Misrata, Sirte with Biological Weapons," saying:

"This proves that the war waged by (NATO and) rebels against civilians is a dirty war with no qualms."

Rebel fighters "sent a group into Sirte to disperse anthrax (to) kill the (remaining) population," and then blame an epidemic for mass casualties.

Algeria ISP reported that "Hello Misrata" has evidence that "a large amount of anthrax was brought into Libya illegally, transiting the Aljagbob region from Egyptian territory."

Only NATO and complicit allies like Egypt have supply sources and ways to do it. Daily war crimes define their campaign. Illegal weapons and mass slaughter compound them.

Major media scoundrels ignore them. Instead they highlight humanitarian intervention successes, alleging victory is near.

Washington's New Middle East project plans redrawing the entire region into Central Asia to Russia's borders. If successful, it won't be fit to live in.

Already, imperial ravaging decimated Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. For months, imported insurgents attacked Syria. Perhaps Algeria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran are next.

Violence, instability, chaos, destruction, and slaughter plague targeted countries. More can erupt anywhere anytime. Israel is a rogue partner. So aren't Britain, France, and regional despots.

Iraq is the region's forgotten war. Afghanistan gets scant coverage. Libya gets most attention when anything about America's wars is reported.

Despite multiple regional conflicts, NATO's sustained only by major media regurgitated propaganda. For how long, who can know.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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