Ottawa Drafts Plans to Airlift Aid to Libyan Rebels

A humanitarian mission in the fractured country could require troops.

As international pressure against Moammar Gadhafi’s regime grows, western countries including Canada are considering ignoring his claims to territorial sovereignty and sending troops across the Libyan border. Canada will join what is being described as a massive humanitarian effort to assist those in areas held by the opposition forces, but it is unclear as yet whether the mission will require a military element. France is leading the effort and has pledged to send two planes carrying medical teams to the country’s eastern region. Meanwhile British Prime Minister David Cameron is calling for the international community to take steps to impose a no-fly zone over Libya but Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said that was easier said than done.