Response to damning report by MPs says action against Gaddafi was ‘entirely appropriate’, but committee chair warns lessons have not been learned

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The British government has rejected criticism of its intervention in Libya, arguing its involvement saved civilian lives and claiming the Islamic State group has been weakened in the country.

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The government’s comments follow a September report in which the parliamentary foreign affairs committee published a damning assessment of the 2011 intervention alongside France.

The report said the UK’s strategy was based on “erroneous assumptions and an incomplete understanding of the evidence”, accusing the government of selectively taking the threats of dictator Muammar Gaddafi at face value.

But in its response, published on Friday, the government argued its actions “undoubtedly” saved civilian lives in Libya.

“Gaddafi was unpredictable and had the means and motivation to carry out his threats. His actions could not be ignored, and required decisive and collective international action,” the government said in its written response.

Gaddafi was ousted and killed during the uprising and Britain was criticised by the foreign affairs committee for expanding its mission to protect civilians to a policy of regime change, a charge rejected by the government.

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“Our objective remained clear at all times: to protect civilians and to promote stability in Libya,” the government said, adding that it was “entirely appropriate” to target military sites after the Gaddafi regime failed to implement a ceasefire.

The 2011 bombing campaign came after Gaddafi loyalists pounded the eastern city of Benghazi, raising fears of an imminent massacre in the rebel stronghold.

Britain’s then prime minister, David Cameron, was blamed in the report as “ultimately responsible for the failure to develop a coherent Libya strategy”.

He declined to give evidence to the foreign affairs committee, which heard from key players including former defence minister Liam Fox and former prime minister Tony Blair.

The government confirmed Blair had spoken to Gaddafi, and said efforts for a political solution “were unable to make progress”, dismissing the committee’s claim that the government should have made better use of this direct line of communication.

Five years after the intervention, Libya is run by two rival administrations and remains embroiled in violence including the presence of extremists such as Isis.

The British government should have been aware that militant extremist groups would attempt to benefit from the rebellion, the committee report said.

Defending its decision-making, the government said the vast majority of people opposed to Gaddafi were not linked to extremism and claimed Isis was losing ground.

“Daesh are now on the back foot in Libya,” the government said.

But the chair of the foreign affairs committee, Crispin Blunt, said the goverment’s response showed it had not learned the lesson of the intervention.

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“The committee accepts that, as the government response suggests, UK policy in Libya was initially driven by a desire to protect civilians. However, we do not accept that it understood the implications of this, which included collapse of the state, failure of stabilisation and the facilitation of Islamist extremism in Libya …

“This suggests the government has yet to appreciate the lessons from our experience in Libya, including our lack of country knowledge amongst those drafting and deciding policy. This is troubling, because Libya should inform the development of future UK foreign policy,” Blunt said.

“I believe we are about to repeat the failure to have adequate plans and resources for stabilisation in Mosul. Libya should have taught us these lessons.”