On March 17, 2011 the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 was adopted allowing the use of "all means necessary short of foreign occupation" to protect civilians. This measure formed the legal basis for military intervention into the Libyan Civil War, calling for both an immediate cease-fire and a no-fly zone over Libya. Although the resolution included an arms embargo, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton argued that arming anti-Qadhafi forces was legal to do so. Shortly after the resolution was adopted, military operations began with American and British naval forces firing over 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles coordinated with naval blockades and strategic air strikes from other coalition members. In April of that year, Qadhafi announced his acceptance of a road map for ending the conflict. After a NATO missile attack in Tripoli killed his youngest son and three grandchildren, Qadhafi renewed a ceasefire, but gave no sign that he would step down. Over the next three months, the Libya rebel Transitional National Council won recognition of the legitimate government of Libya and issued an arrest warrant for Qadhafi , for crimes against humanity. In August of 2011, Qaddafi government supporters put up a last-ditch resistance to fight off the rebels, and Qadhafi vowed to remain in the capital "until the end". Finally on October 20, in the Battle of Sirte, Qadhafi was found hiding in a culvert and was captured by the Transitional National Council and was killed. The NTC initially claimed that Qaddafi died from injures sustained in a firefight, but later videos showed that the rebel fighters beating him before he was shot several times.
In 2012, President Barack Obama spoke with great hope of a positive outcome from these events during his state of the union address.
"As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo, from Sana'a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world's longest serving dictators, a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Asad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed and that human dignity cannot be denied.
How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome."Unfortunately, the outcome did not prove to be so hopeful. After the fall of Qadhafi , many rebel fighters went to Syria to fight alongside militant groups who were fighting Bashar al-Assad and his loyalists in the Syrian Civil War. In 2014, many of the rebels returned to Libya and formed a new faction called the Islamic Youth Shura Council. Over the next few months, they declared war on anyone who opposed them and on October 5, 2014 they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL. In 2015, USA Today claimed that Libya has become the latest ISIL stronghold. According to on counter terrorism analyst sited, “Libya is probably right now the most significant threat to becoming a full-blown sanctuary” for the Islamic State. It's no wonder, regime change in Libya and now Syria has become a hot issue in the 2016 election.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=99000
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_1973
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_Libya
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-events-idUSTRE77K2QH20110822
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Muammar_Gaddafi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant_in_Libya
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/11/30/libya-isil-stronghold/76572148/
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Observer/Columnist/Columnists/2011/10/22/1319303197206/Gaddafi-confirmed-dead-007.jpg?w=1200&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=9f63ec1c70fe0298534b8ef3392fccf9
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/3/29/1301365429254/obama_libya_lg.jpg
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