Of course this is mission creep. How can anyone argue that it's not? The Independent:
One of the most battle-hardened commanders in the British Army, with extensive experience of combat in Afghanistan, is being sent to Libya to organise the rebels in their flagging campaign against Muammar Gaddafi's forces, The Independent has learnt.
The senior officer will be part of a team of 20 civil and military advisers based in the opposition capital Benghazi to try to bolster the opposition, which is beset by severe humanitarian problems and is failing to make any military headway.
Armed British troops are being sent to Libya for the first time to help rebels to break the increasingly bloody deadlock in the battle for control of the country. The colonel, a "high-flyer" whose identity cannot be disclosed for security reasons, has been decorated for bravery and leadership in Helmand where troops under his command took part in one of the most fierce and sustained periods of action by any UK unit in recent times. Dispatching the officer, along with a team hand-picked for their track records in their specialist fields, is seen as a sign of Britain's commitment to the provisional government. It will, however, bring accusations of "mission creep" with the possibility of ground troops being deployed in the bloody civil war.
