Magharebia

NATO will formally conclude its Libya mission on Monday (October 31st). The no-fly zone and naval blockade enforced by NATO since March 31st will end at 11:59 pm Libyan time.

"We have fully complied with the historic mandate of the United Nations to protect the people of Libya," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement announcing the decision on Friday. "Operation Unified Protector is one of the most successful in NATO history," he added.

The mission was terminated even though Libyan interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil had asked for the alliance to stay until the end of the year, warning that Kadhafi loyalists still posed a threat. Following Moamer Kadhafi's death and the fall of Sirte, NATO deemed that civilians were safe from attacks.