has it revealed the organization 's limitations in terms of resources and political will ? New day for Libya , but one fraught with challenges Within days of the U.N. Security Council 's authorization of Resolution 1973 , with the mandate of protecting Libya 's civilian population , NATO forces were engaged in action by air and sea . The operation relied on three main prongs -- implementing a no-fly zone , enforcing an arms embargo and taking action to protect civilians and civilian areas under threat of attack . Since March 31 , some 9,634 strike sorties , where targets are identified or hit , are among 26,000 sorties to have been conducted , NATO said Friday . Among the targets were Gadhafi 's military command centers , armored vehicles , munitions dumps and underground bunkers . NATO confirmed on Friday that 11 pro-Gadhafi military vehicles were hit by NATO aircraft outside his stronghold of Sirte Thursday morning , after they were seen leaving the city at high speed carrying large amounts of arms and ammunition . NATO did not know at the time of the strike that Gadhafi was in the convoy , which was targeted only because
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- NATO will begin to scale back operations in Libya following Moammar Gadhafi 's death , with the preliminary end date of October 31 , NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday . A formal decision on a definitive end date will be made early next week . `` We did what we said we would do and now is the time for the Libyan people to take their destiny into their own hands , '' Rasmussen said after meeting with officials in Brussels to determine what should happen next . NATO forces will be on standby until the end of the month to continue to provide assistance to civilians if needed , he said , adding that , if requested by the new Libyan leadership , the international body could also help in the transition with regards to reforms to the country 's defense and security sectors . Although Gadhafi was eventually captured by Libyan fighters and apparently killed by crossfire , the seven-month-long western intervention through NATO was a key factor in his downfall . One question is sure to come up : Has the Libya operation presented a model for future NATO missions or