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NATO says mission in Libya 'still necessary'

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"Despite the fall of the Kadhafi regime and the gradual return of security ... NATO's mission is not finished yet," Colonel Roland Lavoie, the operation's military spokesman, told a news briefing.

"We remain fully committed to our mission and keeping the pressure on the remnants of the Kadhafi regime," Lavoie said.

The operation "may well evolve" over time but "will remain important until the population is no longer under threat," he said.

A decision to end the mission will be based on an analysis of the threat posed to civilians, not whether Kadhafi is captured or not, Lavoie added.

 

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011