The country has a total population of 6 million. Almost all of this population lives in fairly large population centers along the coast, with wide stretches of uninhabited desert separating two narrow belts of cultivation, one in the west and one in the east. The primary cities of Libya have populations as follows:
In rebel hands:
Benghazi - 670,000
Areas west of Benghazi - 600,000
TOTAL: 1.27 million
In Qaddhafi hands:
Tripoli - 1 million
Sirte - 140,000
TOTAL: 1.14 million
Unclear:
Misrata - 550,000
Ajdabiya and environs - 170,000
Zawiya - 270,000
TOTAL: 1 million
Zawiya and Ajdabiya are in the unclear category because they rose up against Qaddhafi but there are now Qaddhafi troops there. Misrata is apparently fighting off a Qaddhafi attack.
There are almost certainly enough anti-Qaddhafi forces in Tripoli itself (like Tajura, the area that was out of his control as late as last week) that a rebel push on the capital would certainly see Qaddhafi's power crumble, assuming that his air assets and vehicles are destroyed. At most I would think close air support would be needed, or perhaps, in a few situations, some discreet helicopter-borne operations with a few special forces briefly on the ground and then out again before anyone really knows what happened. It's more like what we did in 2001 in Afghanistan in the beginning.
Either way, the insurgents have enough manpower that their troops supported by our logistics could wipe out what I assume are some very demoralized Qaddhafi troops. It sounds as though only the 30,000 or so special troops under the command of Qaddhafi's son have really done any fighting.
In rebel hands:
Benghazi - 670,000
Areas west of Benghazi - 600,000
TOTAL: 1.27 million
In Qaddhafi hands:
Tripoli - 1 million
Sirte - 140,000
TOTAL: 1.14 million
Unclear:
Misrata - 550,000
Ajdabiya and environs - 170,000
Zawiya - 270,000
TOTAL: 1 million
Zawiya and Ajdabiya are in the unclear category because they rose up against Qaddhafi but there are now Qaddhafi troops there. Misrata is apparently fighting off a Qaddhafi attack.
There are almost certainly enough anti-Qaddhafi forces in Tripoli itself (like Tajura, the area that was out of his control as late as last week) that a rebel push on the capital would certainly see Qaddhafi's power crumble, assuming that his air assets and vehicles are destroyed. At most I would think close air support would be needed, or perhaps, in a few situations, some discreet helicopter-borne operations with a few special forces briefly on the ground and then out again before anyone really knows what happened. It's more like what we did in 2001 in Afghanistan in the beginning.
Either way, the insurgents have enough manpower that their troops supported by our logistics could wipe out what I assume are some very demoralized Qaddhafi troops. It sounds as though only the 30,000 or so special troops under the command of Qaddhafi's son have really done any fighting.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
So within 24 hours of the 1st UN mandated action in Libya...
- 20/03/2011 04:38:25 PM
1599 Views
The Arab league guy has gone out saying he was misquoted.
- 20/03/2011 05:26:21 PM
841 Views
China and Russian abstained instead of voting No, which is odd.
- 20/03/2011 05:32:02 PM
781 Views
Workplace politics writ large. With more blood. Gads. My hermit instinct is rearing it's head. *NM*
- 20/03/2011 08:35:35 PM
351 Views
I think we should just ignore anything Russia and China says about human rights..
- 20/03/2011 10:15:59 PM
756 Views
Re: I think we should just ignore anything Russia and China says about human rights..
- 20/03/2011 11:12:11 PM
859 Views
Misquoted to the extent of ordering an emergency meeting of the Arab League uh?
- 20/03/2011 05:41:45 PM
805 Views
Apparently Qatar is about to join the fray... it is rather crucial that the Arab world backs this.
- 20/03/2011 05:50:14 PM
842 Views
There is a lot of politics going on in the Arab League, from what I've read
- 20/03/2011 05:52:31 PM
1043 Views
That is a big miscalculation.
- 20/03/2011 06:10:34 PM
914 Views
Not really
- 20/03/2011 06:23:52 PM
931 Views
I dunno.
- 20/03/2011 06:59:18 PM
925 Views
But the people who are going to think that way are going to do it no matter what
- 20/03/2011 10:13:36 PM
790 Views
Seriously. I can't believe Snoop and Rebekah's comments. It's like we had weeks to act.
- 20/03/2011 10:27:40 PM
907 Views
We have had weeks to act
- 20/03/2011 11:15:15 PM
910 Views
The French hit those vehicles in that military convoy 10 miles from Benghazi center.
- 21/03/2011 03:01:06 AM
867 Views
Because when you get involved in what is, unfortunately, an internal matter,
- 20/03/2011 11:18:16 PM
800 Views
Qatar is not part of Libya so it would still be outsiders interfering in an internal matter
- 21/03/2011 12:25:30 AM
820 Views
I have to ask:
- 21/03/2011 03:13:31 AM
989 Views
I don't think the people in Libya give at rat's ass about what the king of Qatar wants
- 21/03/2011 05:12:26 AM
949 Views
Well, that has all shit to do with Qatari participation.
- 21/03/2011 03:02:19 AM
796 Views
Not so.
- 21/03/2011 08:54:31 AM
920 Views
Bullshit.
- 21/03/2011 01:37:32 PM
1042 Views
Well.
- 21/03/2011 06:58:19 PM
830 Views
That's odd. I'm not seeing any of this criticism.
- 21/03/2011 10:55:27 PM
819 Views
It's not about "legitimacy" so much as it is about, to use the ugly word, propaganda.
- 21/03/2011 10:33:12 PM
755 Views
The only support I've seen Qaddhafi get is from the rogues gallery of world pariahs.
- 21/03/2011 11:01:54 PM
854 Views
Is the Qatar involvement as important as the Kuwaiti involvement in the Iraq War?
- 22/03/2011 06:57:27 PM
1259 Views
I don't see a situation where this does not turn into a land war.
- 20/03/2011 10:51:41 PM
870 Views
it is already is a land war if you ask the people on the ground doing the fighting for weeks
- 21/03/2011 12:34:10 AM
858 Views
Yeah, that's what I meant.
- 21/03/2011 12:48:57 AM
792 Views
I doubt it would take US ground troops.
- 21/03/2011 03:16:24 AM
793 Views
Fuck Gadhafi.
- 21/03/2011 05:21:29 AM
735 Views
how full of yourself are you?
- 21/03/2011 12:37:47 PM
922 Views
They're not my people.
- 21/03/2011 02:22:46 PM
866 Views
Wha?
- 21/03/2011 03:55:51 PM
910 Views
Nope.
- 21/03/2011 04:21:21 PM
886 Views
Ok.
- 21/03/2011 04:30:44 PM
835 Views
I challenge you to point out where I'd advocated killing anyone but him and the military...
- 21/03/2011 04:45:05 PM
762 Views
Do something, get whined at. Do nothing and you get Rwanda.
- 21/03/2011 11:19:38 AM
987 Views
I would reply...
- 21/03/2011 11:22:14 PM
721 Views
It is only natural that the girl preferred me to you, but.......
- 21/03/2011 11:36:33 PM
878 Views
And you old enough to be her father, you should be ashamed...
- 22/03/2011 12:17:55 AM
614 Views
She said she prefers experience to enthusiasm.......
- 22/03/2011 12:24:05 AM
730 Views
Funny. She told me it was all down to the size of your.....wallet. *NM*
- 22/03/2011 12:33:33 AM
302 Views
"You old enough to be her father" is usually followed with "I'm impressed and envious"
- 22/03/2011 06:50:27 PM
767 Views


*NM*

*NM*