(National Interest) Benny Morris - Ostensibly, Western air and naval units have been attacking Libyan military facilities in order to protect the rebels and surrounding civilian populations from Gaddafi's murderous onslaught. Many observers suspect that the West's real aim is to topple the Gaddafi regime. An element of revenge is surely at play here, and rightly so. On April 5, 1986, Gaddafi sent a team of terrorists to bomb a West Berlin nightclub, La Belle, frequented by American servicemen. In the explosion, three died and 230 were injured. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 259 passengers and 11 villagers of Lockerbie. The bombing was carried out by two Libyan intelligence agents, tried and convicted in a Scottish court in 2001. On September 19, 1989, a team of Libyans planted a bomb on a French DC-10 airliner flying between Chad and Paris, killing all 171 on board. The U.S., France and Britain have never forgiven Gaddafi for these outrages. What we are seeing now is the long-delayed, but sweet, payback.
2011-03-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive