Obama: Libya was my worst mistake
BARACK Obama has admitted that failing to prepare for the aftermath of intervention in Libya has been his biggest blunder as president.
Since the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi, Libya has fallen into chaos and faces a growing threat from Islamic State. Mr Obama insisted that intervening in the uprising had been the ‘right thing to do’ but conceded that ‘failing to plan for the day after’ was probably his worst mistake.
His admission compounds recent criticism of failures by the US and Britain – in particular by David Cameron.
With the Prime Minister vociferously supporting western intervention, Britain joined the US, France and other countries in carrying out military strikes designed to protect civil- ians during the 2011 uprising which resulted in Gaddafi being captured and killed. However, the dictator’s fall was followed by anarchy and civil war between rival militias. The power vacuum and lawlessness created an opportunity for IS to gain a foothold in the country, which has also become a major departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe.
Mr Obama caused surprise in March when he admitted Libya was a ‘mess’ and accused Mr Cameron of taking his eye off the situation there.