As desirable a consumation as dislodging Gaddafi definitely is, I had grave doubts about Operation Odyssey Dawn from the outset; not least because of the wisdom in basing efforts on air and sea strikes.
Boringly, one constituency of gushing support was based on previous opposition to the invasion of Iraq – because, you know, it was all about them – and equally opportunistically, another gaggle suddenly forgot previous appeals to legality and popular opinion when it had come to Iraq, and found other reasons to declare opposition to this.
Not-so-oddly, one group which came-out in open support for current operations was the Muslim Association of Britain: this, of course, had everything to do with Gaddafi’s suppression of the Libyan brand of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Now a jihady-sounding group, the Obaida Ibn Jarrah Brigade has been named as responsible being the assassination last week of National Transition Council leader, Abdul Younis. Any supporters of clerico-fascist groups in Libya must be hoping that they have no links to this.
This is not to say that the more-than-objectively pro-fascist groups who found reasons to object to the legally-mandated and popular Odyssey Dawn have a water-tight case on this one. It would not be the first time that Gaddafi has shown quixotic tastes.