Western countries face the risk of having to expand their intervention beyond its original goals, as rebel forces fail to make consistent gains, a defence expert says.
Professor Clive Williams, from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University says Western countries involved in Libya's conflict may consider training rebels fighting strongman Muammar Gaddafi's forces, but are unlikely to deploy formed units to help them.
He says the UK and France are committed to having Colonel Gaddafi overthrown, and now have to consider other means than air strikes to achieve this.
"The problem that they have is that the rebel military is a complete shambles ... The people within the rebel forces, most of them are untrained, they're not taking any notice of the people that do have military training. They seem to make advances and then as soon as they come under fire they withdraw," he said.
His comments come after the UK, France and Italy announced they will deploy military advisers to insurgent-held eastern Libya.
France has said its aim is to give the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) technical, logistical and organisational advice.
The TNC has publicly rejected any suggestion of foreign troops on the ground as NATO warplanes enforce a US-mandated no-fly zone designed to protect civilians.
Colonel Gaddafi will not leave Libya willingly because of a lack of viable exit options, Professor Williams says.
He says there are few apparent options for Western forces now apart from training the rebel forces to make them capable of defeating Gaddafi's forces.
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