UN Security Council Uanimously Votes to End Libya Campaign Within Days
The United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed to end international military operations in Libya within days.
The campaign in Libya will officially come to an end at 11.59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31.
The resolution comes as Libya’s new government declared the country liberated on Sunday after the killing of the country’s tyrant leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi last week.
In March, Gaddafi and his supporters launched a deadly attack on rebels and protesters. The U.N. took action by authorizing “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from Gaddafi.
The vote to end the campaign in Libya was a “milestone towards a peaceful, democratic future in Libya,” said U.K. Foreign Minister William Hague.
The seven-month U.N. campaign has accomplished its mission to protect civilians. NATO has carried out 26,000 sorties and almost 10,000 strike missions, playing a crucial role in removing Gaddafi from his rule in August until his death last week.
The strikes have been opposed by Russia, China, South Africa, India and Brazil but U.S. envoy to the U.N. Susan Rice said history would regard the intervention as “a proud chapter in the Security Council’s experience.”