NATO allies on Friday, October 28, formally agreed to end the seven-month mission in Libya on Monday, AFP quoted a diplomat as saying.

NATO ambassadors meeting in Brussels agreed "by unanimity to end OUP (Operation Unified Protector) on October 31," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

NATO made a preliminary decision last week to end operations on Monday after judging that civilians were essentially safe from attacks following Gaddafi's death and the fall of Sirte.

The formal decision Friday came one day after the UN Security Council unanimously voted to end the mandate that authorized military action in Libya from 11:59 pm Libyan time (2159 GMT) on October 31.

Alliance warplanes flew more than 26,000 sorties and bombed almost 6,000 targets in an operation that began in March and helped a ragtag rebel force oust veteran ruler Moammar Gaddafi.