View source for American involvement in the 2011 Libyan Civil War

{{Lead too short|date=July 2011}}
'''[[United States|American]] involvement in the [[2011 Libyan Civil War|Libyan Civil War]]''' initially consisted of diplomatic initiatives and sanctions. This was followed by the implementation of the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973|UN-mandated no-fly zone]], the development of diplomatic relations with the rebels as well as humanitarian aid, bombing missions to destroy Gaddafi's military capabilities, and diplomatic assistance to the rebels.
In March 2011, five [[United States Air Force]] bombers (three [[B-2]]s and two [[B-1B]]s) dropped bombs on at least 100 targets in Libya.<ref>{{cite news
| url=http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2011/July%202011/0711libya.aspx
| title=Bombers Over Libya
| work=Air Force Magazine
| date=July 2011
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709215105/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2011/July%202011/0711libya.aspx
| archive-date=2011-07-09
| url-status=dead
}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite magazine
| author=David Axe
| url=https://www.wired.com/2011/07/two-bombers-24-hours-100-libyan-targets-destroyed-ready/#more-51509
| title=Two Bombers, 24 Hours, 100 Libyan Targets Destroyed
| magazine=Wired
| date=July 13, 2011
| access-date=24 August 2014
}}</ref>
In June 2011, bombers thought to be from France killed nine civilians in Libya, including two toddlers.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8585248/Nato-admits-civilians-died-in-Tripoli-bombing-raid.html
|title=Nato admits civilians died in Tripoli bombing raid
|newspaper=The Telegraph
|date=19 June 2011
|access-date=24 August 2014
}}</ref>
Libya did not develop a central government after the military involvement.  <ref>{{Cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/us/politics/hillary-clinton-libya.html
| title = Hillary Clinton, 'Smart Power' and a Dictator's Fall
| last1 = Becker
| first1 = Jo
| date = 2016-02-27
| last2 = Shane
| first2 = Scott
| newspaper = The New York Times
| issn = 0362-4331
| access-date = 2016-02-28
}}</ref>
Libyan rebels had consistently told American government officials that they did not want overt foreign military assistance in toppling Gaddafi. Instead, [[Covert operation|covert military assistance]] was used (including arms shipments to opposition). The plan following Gaddafi's death was to immediately begin flowing humanitarian assistance to eastern Libya and later western Libya, as the symbolism would be critically important. US sources stressed it as important that they would "not allow [[Turkey]], [[Italy]] and others to steal a march on it".{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
==Death of Muammar Gaddafi==
{{see also|Death of Muammar Gaddafi}}
Moments after it was reported that Gaddafi was killed, [[Fox News]] published an article titled "U.S. Drone Involved in Final Qaddafi Strike, as Obama Heralds Regime's 'End'",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/20/obama-qaddafi-death-ends-long-and-painful-chapter-in-libya.html|title=U.S. Drone Involved in Final Qaddafi Strike, as Obama Heralds Regime's 'End'|work=Fox News|date=26 March 2015 |access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref> noting that a U.S. Predator drone was involved in the airstrike on Gaddafi's convoy in the moments before his death. An anonymous US official subsequently described their policy in hindsight as "lead[ing] from behind".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-15393497|title=Gaddafi killed: A new kind of US foreign policy success|work=BBC News|date=20 October 2011 |access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref>
==Development of American relations with the [[National Transitional Council]]==
# On 10 March 2011, [[Secretary of State]] [[Hillary Clinton]] met anti-Gaddafi opposition leaders during a trip to Egypt and Tunisia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/clinton-to-meet-anti-gadhafi-opposition-as-world-weighs-libya-options-1.348385 |title=Clinton to meet anti-Gaddafi opposition as world weighs Libya options |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |date=10 March 2011 |access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> After the meeting between Clinton and representatives of the council, the [[European Union]] and the U.S have decided to talk to the council without officially recognising them, in order to seek further information on the group and its goals.<ref name="google.com">Roland Lloyd Parry, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140225134425/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iLUdYFJDXM0Ye3RPFK4Z2kokeDyw?docId=CNG.961169f10a28e87bb4d2f09c4f548ce0.281 G8 shies away from Libya no-fly plan], [[Agence France-Presse|AFP]], 15 March 2011 </ref>
# On 17 March, ahead of a U.N vote on a no-fly zone, [[Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs|Under Secretary of State]] [[William J. Burns (diplomat)|William J. Burns]] affirmed U.S support for a no-fly zone, as well as more aggressive measures to restrain Gaddhafi, that the U.S is investigating transferring Gaddafi's frozen assets to the rebels, and that the NTC{{who|date=October 2016}} may open an embassy in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]].<ref name="HaaretzembassyinWashington">{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/world/1.1559194 |script-title=he:לוב מאיימת: אם נותקף, נתקוף מטרות אזרחיות וצבאיות |language=he |trans-title=Libya threatens: if we are attacked, we attack civilian and military targets |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |date=17 March 2011 |access-date=31 August 2014 |quote=<bdi lang="he" dir="rtl">בדבריו בפני ועדת החוץ של הסאנט, אמר תת-שרת החוץ האמריקאית, ויליאם ברנס, כי הממשל מבקש לאסור טיסה בשמי לוב, אך גם לאמץ פעולות נוספות מעבר לכך ובהן תקיפות אוויריות נגד מטרות צבאיות. כמו כן, ארה"ב מבקשת לאשר להעביר את נכסיו המוקפאים של קדאפי לידי המורדים כדי שיוכלו להצטייד בתחמושת וכן לחזק את האמברגו על סחר בנשק עם לוב. עוד מסר ברנס כי ייתכן שהמועצה הלאומית של המורדים בלוב תפתח נציגות בוושינגטון.</bdi> [In his speech before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate, Undersecretary of State William Burns said that the administration seeks to ban flights over Libya, but also adopt additional actions beyond that, including air strikes against military targets. In addition, the United States seeks to approve transfer Gaddafi's frozen assets to the rebels so they can stock up on ammunition and strengthen the embargo on arms trade with Libya. Burns also said that the National Council of the Libyan rebels may open a representative office in Washington.] |last1=הידיעות |first1=סוכנויות }}</ref>
# On 29 March, the U.S. confirmed at a conference in London that it will send a formal representative to Benghazi.<ref name="USofficeinBenghazi">{{cite news |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/30/c_13803975.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408110607/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/30/c_13803975.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |publisher=Xinhua |title=Libya's rebels say US appoints Benghazi envoy |author=Mu Xuequan |date=29 March 2011 |access-date=17 June 2011}}</ref> In late April, Ambassador [[Gene Cretz]] said the U.S. was continuing to consider formal recognition of the council, but in the meantime, it is providing strong informal support, including reportedly authorizing international oil deals with rebel-held eastern Libya.<ref>{{cite news|date=29 April 2011 |access-date=30 April 2011 |url=http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?storyid=1093410241 |title=US allows oil deals with Libya's TNC |agency=MENAFN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502034741/http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?storyid=1093410241 |archive-date=May 2, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="USformalambass1">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/27/us.libya.opposition/ |publisher=CNN |date=27 April 2011|access-date=30 April 2011|first=Jill|last=Dougherty|title=U.S. still not ready to recognize Libyan opposition}}</ref>
# On 13 May 2011, US National Security Adviser [[Tom Donilon]] said his government recognized the National Transitional Council as "a legitimate and credible interlocutor of the Libyan people" after meeting with Prime Minister [[Mahmoud Jebril]].<ref name="USinterlocutor">{{cite news |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-05/14/c_13874645.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517033843/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-05/14/c_13874645.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 17, 2011 |publisher=Xinhua |date=13 May 2011 |access-date=10 June 2011 |title=U.S. views Libyan opposition as legitimate interlocutor}}</ref> [[White House]] Press Secretary [[Jay Carney]] said that the U.S. had not yet decided to fully recognize the council as Libya's sole legitimate representative body.
# On 24 May, the NTC opened a formal diplomatic office in [[Washington, D.C.]] (the U.S. had already had an office in Benghazi with a formal envoy for nearly two months).<ref name="USofficeinBenghazi" /><ref name="NTCembassyinWashington">{{cite web |title=NATO airstrikes pound Tripoli |date=2011-05-24 |website=[[CBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908011504/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nato-airstrikes-pound-tripoli-1.1066373 |archive-date=2022-09-08 |url-status=live |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nato-airstrikes-pound-tripoli-1.1066373}}</ref>
# On 9 June, Clinton said, "The United States views the Transitional National Council as the legitimate interlocutor for the Libyan people during this interim period," but Washington and Benghazi indicated that the U.S. still had not committed to the same level of formal recognition as France and several other countries.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/06/09/clinton_edges_toward_recognition_of_libyan_rebels |publisher=Foreign Policy |date=9 June 2011 |access-date=22 June 2011 |title=Clinton edges toward recognition of Libyan rebels |first=David |last=Kenner}}</ref>
# On 15 July, at an international conference on Libya held in Turkey, Clinton stated that the US had decided to formally recognise the NTC as the country's "legitimate authority", allowing the US to divert over $30 billion worth of Gaddafi regime funds frozen in the US to the NTC.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Matthew |title=US recognizes Libyan rebels as Libyan government |url=https://news.yahoo.com/us-recognizes-libyan-rebels-libyan-government-124658625.html? |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Yahoo News |access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Libyan civil war (2011)]]
[[Category:Wars involving the United States|Libya]]