NATO to Take Over Full Libya Mission

This must be music to President Obama's ears. The U.K. foreign secretary, William Hague, says NATO will take over command of the entire military operation within days. So far, NATO has agreed to take over only the no-fly zone, which they may do as early as the weekend, so for the time being the U.S., Britain, and France are still responsible for strikes against Gaddafi's ground forces. NATO's limited takeover of military operations is partly the result of differences among the NATO allies about what the operation should be and what its goals are, with France pushing regime change and Turkey balking at aggressive bombing. In the meantime, French and British forces continue to strike Gaddafi's forces, bombing an artillery battery and armored vehicles near the town of Ajdabiya. The coalition gained two Arab members: Qatar, which is sending planes to enforce the no-fly zone, and the United Arab Emirates, which reversed its earlier decision not to send planes.