NATO was on Monday formally ending its Libya mission, which it has hailed as one of its "most successful" yet after its air strikes playing a key role in the overthrow of now-slain despot Moamer Kadhafi.
The no-fly zone and naval blockade, enforced by NATO since March 31, will end at 11:59 pm Libyan time (2159 GMT), as stipulated by a UN Security Council resolution last week that closed the mandate authorising military action.
The mission was terminated even though Libyan interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil had asked for the alliance to stay until the end of the year, warning that Kadhafi loyalists still posed a threat.
But NATO deemed that civilians were safe from attacks after the new regime declared the country liberated following Kadhafi's death and the fall of his hometown of Sirte on October 20.
Western allies are now looking at how they can assist the new regime in Libya.
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