Prospects fade for military overthrow of Gaddafi

Libyan government forces tried to storm into the besieged city of Misrata yesterday as Nato generals acknowledged their air power was not enough to help insurgents remove Muammar Gaddafi by force alone.
Misrata, a lone rebel outpost in the west of the country, has been under siege by Gaddafi's forces for weeks. Yesterday insurgents said government troops were advancing into eastern districts and fighting street battles with rebels.
"They tried to advance and enter the city from the eastern side, from an area called Eqseer which is a populated area. The rebels confronted them and clashes are continuing," insurgent spokesman Hassan al-Misrati told Reuters.
The head of US Africa Command, General Carter Ham, said on Thursday the conflict was entering stalemate and it was very unlikely the rebels would be able to fight their way into Tripoli to overthrow Gaddafi.
Early hopes that Western air cover and attacks on Gaddafi forces would tip the balance in favour of the rebels have evaporated as government troops sheltered their mechanised forces near civilian areas which Nato fears attacking.
Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu followed a similar line to Ham yesterday.
"We have always made clear there is no purely military solution to this conflict. This is why it is so important to find a political solution and in this there is no stalemate," she said. Rebels have rejected peace talks with Gaddafi.
Lungescu, like other Nato officials, expressed frustration with the difficulty of hitting Gaddafi's troops while avoiding civilian casualties.
"The fact that we see Gaddafi's forces driving around in civilian vehicles means it is hard to tell who is who.
The confusion on the desert battlefield has caused "friendly fire" incidents, the latest on Thursday, increasing anger among the rebels.
Nato acknowledged yesterday its aircraft were probably responsible for the incident.
Nato has said it "strongly regret[s] the loss of life" after a "friendly fire" attack on rebel tanks in eastern Libya which left at least four dead.
Earlier, a Nato commander had refused to apologise, saying that until Thursday's strike, the alliance had not been aware the rebels had tanks.