NATO: No Boots On The Ground In Post-Gadhafi Libya

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungesu told reporters Tuesday that there are no plans from the international military alliance to send ground troops into Libya after the embattled Gadhafi regime falls.

“The leading role in the post-Gadhafi period in supporting the Libyan people rest with the United Nations,” Lungesu said from NATO headquarters in Brussels. “NATO will have no troops on the ground.”

Lungesu added that any future involvement from NATO beyond Operation Unified Protector, which tasks the alliance solely with protecting civilians and ensuring the entry of humanitarian supplies, will have to come by request.

Although Lungesu was clear that NATO will withhold ground troops, she noted that other member countries could unilaterally send in military personnel.