The Libyan Civil War: Gadafi's Mercenaries Being Trucked In From Mali

The BBC reports large numbers of trained, equipped, and very well-paid (thus highly-motivated) mercenaries are being trucked in from Mali, over the southern border of Libya.

Members of the Tuareg community in Mali say a large number of men from the Tuareg ethnic group have left Mali in the last week to join pro-Gaddafi forces in Libya.

"About 2-300 have left in the last seven days," said a senior elected official, who did not want to be named, from the Kidal region in the north of the country, where many Tuareg live.

Another Tuareg man from Kidal said: "It's true many young men are leaving. It all started about a week back."

He said he had spoken to a convoy of 40 vehicles who are in southern Algeria waiting to cross the border into Libya.

The elected official said: "They are being paid about $10,000 (£6,000) to join up and then I've heard they are being told that they will get $1,000 a day to fight."

Much more, and much more chilling, to be read at the link.

Gadafi has decided to stand and fight it out. All he has to do is:

1. Not get killed or injured.
2. Inflict massive bloodshed and chaos, thus wearing down any who might oppose him.
3. Hunker down, and not lose for a year.
4. Spike oil prices ToTheMoonAlice.
5. Export some chaos while he's at it, just to keep the West busy.

He saw what has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is not stupid, just evil.

He knows that, even if we had the resources to launch some sort of massive military initiative (which the US, UK and NATO together now lack), there is no willingness to undertake it. No sane US politician is going to risk the life of a boy from Topeka to guard the border between Libya and Mali, attempting to stem the flow of fighters and arms.

Not. Gonna. Happen.

If we had our own domestic sources of oil, gas, coal, and nuclear, and thus impervious to the crazies who run oil-exporting countries, we would save countless lives around the world. If the Gadafis and Chavezes and Iranian kooks can't hold the world hostage, the world settles down. Lybia, Venezuela and Iran may still be terrible places, but the misery is localized, not an item for export.

Of course, we have a President who steadfastly is ignoring a federal court order to allow drilling to resume, and who will not will not will not allow this country to do the simple things necessary to secure its energy needs domestically.

Do we ever ponder why he seems to embrace chaos and poverty, when a path to prosperity and order is obvious?