Libyan Revolution Week 20 part 2

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya">AJE Libya Live Blog http://blogs.aljazeera.net/twitter-dashboard">AJE Twitter Dashboard http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/libya">The Guardian http://uk.reuters.com/places/libya">Reuters http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/">Telegraph http://feb17.info/">feb17.info http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks">Libya Alhurra (live video webcast from Benghazi) http://libya-alhurra.tumblr.com/">Libya Alhurra archives and updates http://www.ustream.tv/channel/benghaziradio">Benghazi Free Radio, in Arabic (may have translators present at times) http://www.tributefm.com/">Tribute FM (English broadcast from Benghazi) http://www.libyafeb17.com/">libyafeb17.com

Twitter links: http://twitter.com/#!/aymanm">Ayman Mohyeldin, with AJE http://twitter.com/#!/bencnn">Ben Wedeman, with CNN http://twitter.com/#!/tripolitanian">tripolitanian, a Libyan from Tripoli http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian">Brian Conley, reporter in Libya http://twitter.com/#!/freelibyanyouth">FreeLibyanYouth, Libyan advocate http://twitter.com/#!/LibyaFeb17_com">LibyaFeb17.com twitter account http://twitter.com/#!/ChangeInLibya">ChangeInLibya, Libyan advocate https://twitter.com/#!/TheyCallMeSof">Sofyan Amry (arrived in Benghazi recently) http://twitter.com/#!/KiloFoot">KiloFoot (general Arab Spring news aggregation)

Useful links: http://audioboo.fm/feb17voices">feb17voices http://www.google.com/search?q=time+in+libya">Current time in Libya http://www.islamicfinder.org/cityPrayerNew.php?country=libya">Prayer times in Libya

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1401485">Week 20 part 1 here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixwx_B38678">Marching On in Libya, for the revolutionaries!

A family who fled Tripoli in a refrigerator truck arrived at the Libyan western mountains on Thursday.

Photograph: Samuel Aranda for The New York Times
The people fleeing Tripoli on Thursday http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/world/africa/01flee.html">said that several neighborhoods filled with the sound of gunfire every night.

[joshcryer]

1. Libyan Revolution Day 139 updates below, current time in Libya, 1:37pm Wednesday, July 6

:P

[pinboy3niner]

2. K&R...and I see what you did there :)

:rofl:

:toast:

[joshcryer]

July 4th vid of FFs, fleeing Tripolitians describe protests, west mntns & Misrata make advances

tabatha posted this fantastic video of freedom fighters on July 4th: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI2ncwCCYnM

Note how we don't see much of the "Gaddafi loyalist" fighters. Wonder why that is? There was a post a day or so back talking about Gaddafi's propaganda trip to Brega where no loyalist fighters were allowed to be seen.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/libyans-who-fled-tripoli-1000035.html">Libyans who fled Tripoli describe furtive protests

BENGHAZI, Libya — Rebel sympathizers, driven underground by a security clampdown in Tripoli, have resorted to furtive protests such as writing "No" next to pro-government wall graffiti and releasing balloons with rebel flags attached, according to two Libyans who have escaped the capital.


The two men spoke after reaching the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, offering a rare snapshot of anti-government resistance in the capital. Tripoli residents, fearing regime reprisals, are generally reluctant to speak to foreign reporters based there who can only move with government minders and are almost never allowed access to rebel sympathizers.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/06/libya-mountains-advance-idUKLDE7650HM20110706">Western mountain rebels launch offensive southwest of Tripoli
Hundreds of Libyan rebels launched a massed offensive in the mountains southwest of Tripoli on Wednesday to seize a village held by Muammar Gaddafi's forces and push the front line closer to the capital.

Rebels arrived at the front at first light in scores of Toyota pick-up trucks, many with large-calibre anti-aircraft guns or home-made rocket launchers welded onto the truck beds. Several tanks also came on the backs of lorries.

The rebels began firing rockets and mortars at dawn, cries of "Allahu Akbar!" or "God is greatest!" echoing through groves of olive, almond and fig trees with each outgoing blast.

Gaddafi's forces responded with intermittent volleys of Grad tactical surface-to-surface rockets. Clouds of black smoke came from the hillsides where the incoming rounds exploded.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7650KZ20110706">Libyan rebels say they make advance near Misrata
Libyan rebel fighters based in Misrata advanced about 20 km (12 miles) west towards the capital, rebel commanders said on Wednesday, but government forces were shelling their positions.

...

The advance -- which would be the biggest by the rebels in weeks of largely static fighting west of Misrata -- could leave the rebels exposed because they have not had time to dig in and build defensive positions.

From a field hospital in Dafniya, the sound of the impact from mortars, artillery and Russian-made Grad rockets could be heard every few seconds.

A Reuters reporter at the hospital saw two wounded soldiers being brought in from the front. One was injured in the upper thigh and another had leg wounds.

[joshcryer]

3. Rebels becoming self-sufficient, Gaddafi prepared to go, Obama Libya policy diff. from Bush torture

http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Libya-rebels-becoming-self-sufficient-20110705">Libya rebels becoming self sufficient
Benghazi - Libya's rebels, increasingly confident on the ground, no longer need weapons drops from France, Paris said on Tuesday as a Russian official reported Muammar Gaddafi is conditionally ready to step down.

Meanwhile, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance would like to see to see the United Nations assume the leading role in Libya's transition to democracy in the event Gaddafi leaves power.

"There is emerging a political order distinct from that of Tripoli," French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said. "The (rebel) territories are organising their autonomy... That is why the parachute drops are no longer necessary."

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2011/07/05/gaddafi-prepared-to-go">Gaddafi prepared to go
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said: "Information about negotiations about Gaddafi stepping down or seeking a refuge inside or outside the country is simply untrue."

Despite the talk of a deal, fighting between government forces and rebels continues. A reporter in Misrata, 200km east of Tripoli, said rebel positions in the Dafniya district on the city's western outskirts came under heavy artillery fire yesterday.

Some analysts say Gaddafi is starting to contemplate an exit plan as shortages of cash and fuel, the Nato bombing campaign and rebel military pressure shorten the odds on him being able to hold on to power.

But Western diplomats caution that it is in Gaddafi's interests to send out conflicting signals about possible deals, in the hope that it will sow confusion among the rebels and the fragile Western alliance trying to push him out.

http://www.slate.com/id/2298436/pagenum/all/#p2">The difference between Obama's Libya policy and Bush's torture policy
...

The outcry against the torture memos, from Republicans and Democrats alike, centered on these very broad claims of absolute executive power and right to secrecy even in disregarding statutory commands. The Obama administration has raised no such threat to the fundamental constitutional balance of powers, and indeed has disavowed the Bush approach.

...

Bringing pinboy3niner's latest articles in. Least I can do (I have 20 mins). :hug: :hi:

[inna]

35. "Rebels becoming self-sufficient" - that is one hilarious fucking oxymoron.

Critical thinking? Hello??!! :nuke: lol

[joshcryer]

4. Civilians killed in Misrata shelling, Oil tanker moored at Rebel Port, NATO updates

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/07/2011766657771381.html">Civilians killed in Misurata shelling
At least 11 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in shelling by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, around the besieged rebel enclave of Misurata, the rebels say.

"Eleven people were killed and 57 wounded, almost all of them civilians," a rebel source told the AFP news agency by telephone from Misurata, 200km east of Tripoli, on Tuesday.

The attacks marked another bloody milestone for a city that has been shelled almost continuously since March.

Sources said five rebels were killed in fighting at the western entrance to the city earlier in the day.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-06/oil-tanker-fidias-is-moored-at-rebel-held-port-in-libya-1-.html">Oil Tanker Fidias Is Moored at Rebel Held Port in Libya
Fidias, an oil products tanker, is moored at the rebel-held port of Benghazi in eastern Libya, a sign that enemies of Muammar Qaddafi seeking to end his four- decade rule are still getting fuel deliveries by sea.


The vessel, which has a transportation capacity of 51,277 deadweight tons, arrived late yesterday, according to AISLive Ltd. ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_71994.htm">NATO strikes Tuesday, July 5
Key Hits 05 JULY:

In the vicinity of Brega: 1 Command and Control Center.

In the vicinity of Gharyan: 2 Armed Vehicles, 4 Tanks.

In the vicinity of Misurata: 1 Tank, 1 Command and Control Center, 1 Artillery piece.

In the vicinity of Sirte: 3 Armoured Fighting Vehicle.

In the vicinity of Waddan: 1 Military Storage Facility.

[pinboy3niner]

5. Three days of farce in Gaddafi's Libya (Read all of this, lol!)

5 July 2011 Last updated at 17:38 ET

By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes

BBC News, near Brega

...


"These were innocent people asleep in their beds when Nato killed them," a local official shouted angrily. "Why is Nato killing innocent people?"


But there was something not quite right about the bomb site. Clearly, a house had been destroyed. But, sitting in the rubble, was something very odd - it was an ejection seat from a Russian-built fighter jet.

...


Around the corner we were shown another bomb site. But here the rubble had already been cleared.


"This was the site of a madrassa - 12 people were killed here while they were studying the Holy Koran," the irate official told us.


"They were studying the Koran in the middle of the night?" we asked.


"Yes," we were told emphatically.

...


Disappointment was now turning to anger. We had been dragged more than 700km across the desert to see yet another propaganda display, and a pretty poor one at that.

...


Some 20 minutes down the road, we entered another small town. As we drew up, a large group of people came dashing towards the bus. They were holding up more pictures of Col Gaddafi and chanting. Several of the faces were strangely familiar. Then I realised they were exactly the same people we had seen back at the oil terminal.

...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14035281

[joshcryer]

6. Yes! :)

That's the post I was referring to in #3! Take care pinboy3niner. And yeah, I had to beat you posting the date/time update, just had to! ;) :hug:

[pinboy3niner]

7. SYRIA: Rights group slams Syria for deadly crackdown

Source: Al Jazeera

Government forces reportedly kill 22 in Hama as Amnesty International says Syria guilty of crimes against humanity.

Last Modified: 06 Jul 2011 11:29


Syria drew strong condemnation for its deadly crackdown on protesters in the central city of Hama, with human rights organisations hinting at the possibility of the country's leaders being tried for crimes against humanity.


Tuesday's attack in Hama killed 22 people and left more than 80 wounded as troops pushed through improvised road blocks made by residents, according to human rights groups.


As international condemnation piled on Syria, Amnesty International said a deadly siege in May in Talkalakh, which lasted less than a week, may have amounted to crimes against humanity as a result of deaths of protesters in custody, torture and arbitrary detention.

...


The London-based rights group's report, which was released on Wednesday, said the attacks "appear to be part of a widespread, as well as systematic, attack against the civilian population".

...


Sory and VIDEO (2:27):
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/20117684729673824.html

[pinboy3niner]

8. FACTBOX-Latest developments in Libyan conflict

Wed Jul 6, 2011 12:18pm GMT


July 6 (Reuters) - Following are the latest political and military developments in the Libyan crisis:


• Hundreds of Libyan rebels launched a massed offensive in the mountains southwest of Tripoli on Wednesday to seize a village held by Muammar Gaddafi's forces and push the front line closer to the capital.


• Gaddafi is sounding out the possibility of handing over power, a Russian newspaper reported on Tuesday, but the Libyan government denied it was in talks about the veteran leader stepping down.

...


• Turkey said on Tuesday it was hopeful that Western and Arab governments working with Libyan rebels could forge the framework of a political solution by next month to help bring an end to the Libyan conflict.

...


• Libyan rebel leaders are expected to visit Brussels next week for talks with NATO and EU officials, diplomats said.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7650O520110706?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

9. Libya rebels seize village from pro-Gaddafi forces

Wed Jul 6, 2011 12:26pm GMT


AL-QAWALISH, Libya, July 6 (Reuters) - Libyan rebel fighters took control of the village of Al-Qawalish, south-east of Tripoli, on Wednesday after a six-hour battle with government forces, a Reuters reporter in the village said.

...


There was evidence of a hurried withdrawal by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Near the checkpoint there were collapsed tents, half-eaten bread as well as a van and an electricity transformer station which were both on fire, the reporter said.


http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE7650YA20110706

[pinboy3niner]

10. Q&A: UNHCR team helps women in eastern Libya

Source: UNHCR

6 July 2011


BENGHAZI, Libya, July 5 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency is part of a UN mission deployed in the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi to assist civilians affected by the conflict. The small UNHCR team includes four women who are working to support forcibly displaced Libyans, with a focus on women's protection. Reem Alsalem, who heads the UNHCR team in Benghazi, has been working with UNHCR since 1999. She has worked in the field and in UNHCR's Geneva headquarters, mainly as a protection officer. She now heads the agency's office in Barranquilla, northern Colombia. Alsalem spoke recently by phone with UNHCR's social media coordinator, Alexandra Eurdolian. Excerpts from the interview:

...


Can you describe some of the Libyan women you have met?

Recently, we spoke to a female cleaner about life in Libya and how things have changed for women. As with any country in conflict, there are always pros and cons. On one hand, at least in the east, many women and men feel a lot freer and proud of what their people have achieved. On the other hand they fear for their future security. There are also economic difficulties because their husbands are not working. Women find that they have to go out and work and fend for their families. Like this cleaner, she was the only income earner for her family.


At the same time, there is a huge sense of solidarity and compassion towards each other and also to the larger Arab nation because of what's happening in the region. But they are also aware that this is the first time Libyans have become displaced and they are keen to know and to learn how other countries have responded. I am amazed by the level of openness from the local authorities and average people. We have tried to respond and have conducted three training sessions for the Ministry of Justice, local authorities and NGOs.

...


http://www.unhcr.org/4e1451586.html

[pinboy3niner]

11. Libyan rebels push towards Tripoli on two fronts

Wed Jul 6, 2011 12:20pm GMT


By Peter Graff


AL-QALAA, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan rebel fighters launched offensives on two fronts to the south and east of Tripoli on Wednesday in the biggest push in weeks towards Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold in the capital.


In the Western Mountains southwest of Tripoli, hundreds of fighters advanced towards the government-held village of Al-Qawalish, while on the Mediterranean coast east of the capital, rebels pushed westwards from the city of Misrata.

...


The rebels' aim was to push the 10 km (6 miles) from the town of Al-Qalaa to Al-Qawalish.


The fighters were pushing south-east, away from the capital, but taking Al-Qawalish is strategically important because beyond it, further to the east, is the larger town of Garyan which controls the main highway north to the capital.


< NOTE: A separate Reuters story reported that ff's took control of Al-Qawalish from government forces after a 6-hour battle:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1423826&mesg_id=1424007 >

...


Near Misrata, rebel commanders told Reuters they had pushed 20 km west overnight, taking them to within about 130 km of Tripoli.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE75O1ER20110706?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

12. Libya to charge 21 rebel leaders in special court

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan prosecutors are planning to charge members of the rebels' transitional council with a series of national security crimes and try them in a special court.

A judge assigned to compile the charges laid out his case Wednesday against 21 rebel officials in the east, including the National Transitional Council's head, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.

...


Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim says charges against the defendants "amount to treason." Defendants will be tried in absentia.


http://news.yahoo.com/libya-charge-21-rebel-leaders-special-court-132513767.html

[pinboy3niner]

13. Rebels mounting "apparently coordinated two-pronged offensive"--The Guardian

Chris Stephen in Misrata has more on what he says is "an apparently coordinated two-pronged offensive" by the Libyan rebels – attacking the town of Zintan from the Western Mountains south-west of Tripoli and attacking Zlitan, on the road to Tripoli, from Misrata. Chris writes:

Rebel authorities have refused to confirm that the two offensives are linked, but a Misratan rebel commander, Hassan Duen, told the Guardian "Our forces are now three kilometers from Zlitan; we are pushing onwards."

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=209495235774282418880.0004a5a9b058f2989681a&msa=0&ll=32.49123,13.776855&spn=2.724251,5.059204">This map shows where all those places are.


Chris adds:

Gunfire and explosions from grad rockets echoed every few seconds across Misrata from before dawn, mixing with the wail of ambulance sirens and Islamic chants broadcast from city mosques to comfort the bereaved. The explosions from incoming government rockets continued into the late afternoon.

Misrata's Hikma hospital reported twelve dead and 24 wounded by mid-afternoon as a steady stream of ambulances arrived in the forecourt throughout the day. The death toll is expected to rise – adding to the 17 dead and 32 wounded from two days of fighting around the city.

Chris says the rebels are under growing pressure to produce results, as the Libyan civil war approaches its fifth month and stalemate continues. "Rebel forces face a difficult task in finding the killing power to make a decisive breakthrough, lacking tanks and artillery, and with Nato apparently unwilling to use its jets and attack helicopters in co-ordinated air support roles."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/jul/06/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-17

[pinboy3niner]

14. Report from an anti-Gaddafi rally

A Libyan activist with an English accent, who did not want to be named, has just been speaking to al-Jazeera from Tripoli, about an anti-Gaddafi rally happening in Benghazi at the moment. He said the rally was "crucial .. vital … It's a reply to Gaddafi himself."

We don't want to pay lip service to Gaddafi. He says the power is with the people. Well, now the people have spoken and the world will hear our voice.

Asked about big pro-Gaddafi protests that took place in Tripoli on Friday, the activist said:

It would be incredibly naive and dishonest of me to say that Gaddafi has no support. He has inevitably over the last 42 years amassed some support. (But) the anti-regime sentiment, at least in Tripoli, where I am, is in the majority.

There were "uncountable buses" bringing people from outside of Tripoli to take place in Friday's protests, he said.

I think the inevitable fall of the regime... is not far away. There are a number of different diplomatic and political pathways to achieving our goal of ousting Gaddafi. Our objective is very, very simple: Gaddafi his regime and his family must leave power immediately.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/jul/06/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-18

[pinboy3niner]

15. Kick

[tabatha]

16. C. J. Chivers is back in Libya

. Qaddafi forces fired rockets & mortars for hours, but pulled back from Al Qualish under pressure, leaving behind food, ammo, a few weapons.
. After half-day fight, Libyan rebs tday captured Al Qualish, extending hold in Nafusa mountains. More on NYT w pix by @bdentonphoto
. arrived in zintan, libya with @bdentonphoto. road empty much of the way. checkpoint after checkpoint. but few cars & many abandoned towns.
. Just entered Libya again. With @bdentonphoto. More work ahead.

http://twitter.com/#!/cjchivers

------------- After this post, I will not post more from C. J. Chivers. Iterate does it better.
------------- I have closed my eyes to posts that I find upsetting and totally without substance (using ignore).

I'll be away for a while on work matters.

[pinboy3niner]

18. Thanks for that, Tab

But please don't hold off on posting more of Chivers. Iterate spends time researching issues for which we have little information, and you never know when Iterate may be off on a quest. :)

'Ignore' is probably a good idea. I don't use the feature, but you know that I do usually choose to ignore the rare interloper who pops in here.

But most who may have different views on these issues understand the purpose of these threads and have enough repect not to bring the debate here.

It was mariposalily, a follower of the threads, who said it best:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1401485&mesg_id=1423361

[al bupp]

17. AJE Video: Libyan rebels launch new offensive in Nafusa mountains

From: Al Jazeera English - http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-jul-6-2011-1453">Libya Live Blog

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 - 14:53

Opposition fighters in western Libya have launched a new offensive against Muammar Gaddafi's troops in the Nafusa mountains.

The forces based around Zintan are widely seen as the rebels' best hope for an advance on Tripoli.

Jonah Hull reports from Zintan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IsZCmJbxHQ&feature=player_embedded

[pinboy3niner]

19. Tripoli: a stronghold by day, a battleground at night

The Libyan capital may seem peaceful in daylight, but when the sun sets rebels and Gaddafi's forces clash, locals say


David Smith in Tripoli
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 July 2011 16.56 BST


In daylight there is the pretence of normality: people chatting in cafes, shops open for business, motorists on the move – if they're lucky enough to still have petrol. But at night, Tripoli takes on a more menacing aspect.


"There are drive-by shootings at night here," said one man in the Souk al-Juma district, an opposition stronghold. "People are shooting at the police every night."


Numerous witnesses tell the same story: that when night falls, out come the police checkpoints aimed at locking down restive districts, but so too do rebel militas opposed to Muammar Gaddafi. Under cover of darkness, it is said, they emerge from hiding to ambush his security forces. In some neighbourhoods the gun battles rage every night, but the bodies of those killed and all other traces are swiftly removed.


With security tight and little sign of a major uprising in Tripoli, these audacious guerrilla tactics appear to be the rebels' best hope of chipping away at the Libyan leader's defences.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/06/tripoli-night-battles-rebels-shootings

[Iterate]

20. The Libyan Diaspora And The War

The Libyan Diaspora And The War
Libyans who have left, and others with experience abroad, play a key role for the anti-government forces in coordinating and communicating with the outside world.
By Florent Marcie
LE MONDE/Worldcrunch July 5th, 2011 - 14:07

ZINTAN - For decades, Libyans have been fleeing oppression and authoritarian rule, leaving behind their home country in hopes of finding a better life abroad. This so-called Libyan diaspora has spread across Europe, North America and Australia.

Other Libyans, especially those working for international oil companies, have frequently spent different periods abroad for either professional or language training. When unrest broke out in Libya in mid-February, most of those with foreign connections supported the rebels’ cause, and some ex-patriots even returned home.
...

The first thing rebels set up in villages they control in western Libya are “Media Centers.” Even in Yafran, where power cuts are common, twin brothers Mazigh and Madghis -- who both studied in Australia -- proudly visit the new center. “It only opened a few days ago, but it already has WiFi. Hopefully, we’ll soon be able to welcome lots of journalists.”

Other members of the diaspora go even further, and are taking up arms. “I grew up in Manchester,” says Abdul, a strong-looking man, “but my family is from Yafran. I feel better holding a Kalashnikov than a camera. Most of all, we need military aid.”

more... http://www.worldcrunch.com/libyan-diaspora-and-war/3408

There is just a small bit posted. The entire piece may be more valuable, but it's by subscription. As time goes by perhaps the whole article will show up.

[Iterate]

21. Libya: covert guerrilla war in Tripoli

Libya: covert guerrilla war in Tripoli
A covert guerrilla war, waged by underground rebel cells and fought mainly at night, is increasingly challenging the Gaddafi regime's hold over Tripoli.
By Adrian Blomfield, Tripoli
9:00PM BST 06 Jul 2011

Residents of the Libyan capital have spoken of an upsurge in drive-by shootings, attacks on security checkpoints and frequent gun-battles once darkness has fallen over the city.

Even as it fights opposition forces on three fronts to the east and south of the capital, the Libyan government has insisted that it has pacified Tripoli, presenting it as a bastion of unswerving loyalty to Col Muammar Gaddafi.

By day, there is indeed a veneer of normality and pro-regime loyalty in the capital, a front government minders are keen to emphasise when guiding western reporters on heavily-chaperoned tours of the city.

By night, however, mysterious bursts of gunfire can be heard on a far more frequent basis than the sound of falling Nato bombs.

more... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8620881/Libya-covert-guerrilla-war-in-Tripoli.html

Interesting detail, but we've known for months there was guerrilla fighting in Tripoli.

Gun running with the Libyan rebels
By Sue Turton in Africa onn Wed, 07/06/2011 - 14:13.

As the daughter of a ship’s captain, I’ve been on some strange voyages in my time. But our passage to Misrata in late June had to be the craziest.

Cameraman Nick and I had boarded the 60-foot tug boat Ezzarouk with camera kit, flak jackets and plenty of fruit. We were heading to Misrata, where fruit was in short supply, and you’ve got to get your five-a-day. But fruit was the least of our worries as we rounded the port buildings in Benghazi.

There was the ship’s crew, loading boxes and boxes of ammunition and weapons, including very dodgy looking homemade RPG launchers. The Ezzarouk was fit to bursting point – a veritable floating munitions dump.

Our security consultant took one look at the boat and said with a wry smile, “Do you want me to do a risk assessment of that lot?”

more... http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/07/06/gun-running-libyan-rebels

ETA, I meant to include the AJE call-in from Niz that is a source for many of the current Tripoli articles:
TRIPOLI - FREE GENERATION MOVEMENT ON AJE - 6/7/2011
http://youtu.be/qk2ToFAAIuo

[al bupp]

22. CJ Chivers: Pics from the Capture of Al Qualish, Libya.

Pics from the Capture of Al Qualish, Libya

Rebels opposed to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi captured the town of Al Qualish today, moving closer to Garyan, the city astride the highway running south from Tripoli. I have filed a story that will post soon on the NYT, and Bryan Denton has filed pix. As usual, we’ll post a link here when the story and photos are published.

Meanwhile, here are a few images made quickly as we passed through the positions as they changed hands. This was a bit of graffiti inside a building from which the Qaddafi soldiers had hastily fled.



This next image (below) suggests, as we see again and again, how much ordnance is available to the Qaddafi military forces. Wherever Qaddafi units give up ground, almost invariably these kinds of scenes — mounds of emptied ammunition and ordnance crates — repeat themselves. Each time, quick inventories reveal something more of how the Qaddafi government expended the nation’s money, and of which countries helped him amass his arms and ordnance stores. (More on that another day.)

More at: http://cjchivers.com/post/7315200016/pics-from-the-capture-of-al-qualish-libya

[UnseenUndergrad]

26. Excellent pictures

Now... as to who keeps unreccing these threads.

The Revolution will always have my support.

[Iterate]

23. Video from TripoliCalling demonstration in Misrata,

Today at 6:00 PM local time Misratah, hundreds of Misrahties demonstrated in Sana Mehidly st. and ended up at Freedom Place.
There they made their voices clear to the world, "Gaddafi it is time to leave
http://youtu.be/Ow3H8UtbPYQ

2:45 shows the longest view.

@United4Libya: as of 19:07 GMT: 19 killed & 65 injured in #Misrata today by #Gaddafi's forces.
@LibyanDictator: #Misrata: During #TripoliCalling rally Gaddafi forces shelled residential areas; 3 children and 2 women injured, 1 ten year old girl killed.

Civilians killed in Misurata shelling
Libyan rebels say scores wounded after pro-Gaddafi troops shell besieged rebel enclave in west of the country.
Last Modified: 06 Jul 2011 09:30

t least 11 people were killed and dozens more wounded on Tuesday in an artillery barrage launched by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on the besieged city of Misurata, according to rebel sources.

"Eleven people were killed and 57 wounded, almost all of them civilians," a rebel told the AFP news agency from Misurata after the attack.

The shelling marked another bloody day for a city that has been bombarded almost continuously since March.

Sources said five rebels were killed in fighting at the western entrance to the city earlier in the day.

more... http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/07/2011766657771381.html

[joshcryer]

24. Libyan Revolution Day 140 updates below, current time in Libya, 1:25am Thursday, July 7

[Iterate]

25. Libya Rebels Advance on Two Fronts

Libya Rebels Advance on Two Fronts
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: July 6, 2011

QAWALISH, Libya — Rebels opposed to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi seized control of this village in the mountains on Wednesday, extending their hold in western Libya and inching toward a supply route to the capital that they hope to sever.

After a half-day gun battle, Colonel Qaddafi’s soldiers yielded the town in the early afternoon, firing rockets and mortars to cover their withdrawal. The ordnance exploded on the hillsides around the town with reverberating booms and plumes of dust and smoke that briefly kept the rebels away.

But the rebels flowed in behind the fleeing troops, capturing more than a dozen of them and collecting the departed soldiers’ abandoned ammunition and equipment. Soon they were refueling their cars and pickup trucks at the gas station they now held.

Qawalish changed hands while rebels elsewhere reported making progress outside of Misurata, east of the capital, Tripoli, They said they were advancing toward the city of Zlitan. Those reports could not be independently confirmed.

more... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/world/africa/07rebels.html?_r=2

Map: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=32.0438778&lon=12.882843&z=12&l=0&m=b

Earlier in the week there were reports of ff taking Miskah and Al Asabeah, but it might have been scouts.
GH mentioned Nato attacks on the military compounds in Gharyan. It's located here:
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=32.155214&lon=13.0102587&z=16&l=0&m=b

Amazigh_Libya AmazighLibya
von 4Adam
AJE Video from the capture of Qawalish today goo.gl/vZInj #Libya #Feb17

4Adam Adam
#Jadu's anti Gaddafi demonstration youtube.com/watch?v=UjboAp… #Libya #Nafusamountains #Feb17
vor 8 Minuten
Jadu's anti Gaddafi demonstration
http://youtu.be/UjboApiIgRE

[pinboy3niner]

27. LIBYAN REVOLUTION DAY 140: CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 3:30 AM THURSDAY, JULY 7

Libya time = EDT +6 hours, PDT +9 hours, UTC +1 hour, GMT +2 hours

[pinboy3niner]

28. In Libya, rebels gaining in the west

Source: Washington Post

By Ernesto Londono, Wednesday, July 6, 3:22 PM


GHANIMAH, Libya — Rebel victories in Libya’s western mountains are shifting the focus of efforts to topple Moammar Gaddafi’s regime, as fighters close in on cities that control the government’s main supply routes.


On Wednesday, the rebels claimed a new victory in a march toward the capital that, in recent weeks, has won them tanks, rocket launchers and an large ammunition dump seized from Gaddafi’s military. The rapid gains in the west come in sharp contrast to battlefields in the east, where the front lines have remained largely stagnant for months.


The pace and outcome of the battles have given rebels hope that the tide could be shifting in a campaign that has clearly put Gaddafi’s forces on the defensive. The hours-long battle that began before dawn on Wednesday included thundering barrages of artillery and rockets fired from both sides, and ended as truckloads of rebels returned from the battlefields with a new hoard of captured weapons.


“You can see we are going forward,” said Abu Hakim, a rebel fighter. “If we go on like this, we will get to Tripoli very soon."

...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/in-libya-rebels-gaining-in-the-west/2011/07/06/gIQAmNvA1H_story.html

[AverageJoe90]

29. Just saw this comment on LouisProyect's blog...........

From Binh:

"Reality is a bit more complicated than that, methinks.

In my view, the rebels’ biggest mistake was limiting the fight to overthrow Gaddafi to a purely military dimension instead of trying to mobilize the population, especially through strikes, to bring down the regime, as was done in Egypt. This “mistake” was due to the class politics of the National Council, populated by ex-regime figures, and the fact that the Libyan left/working class didn’t have its own organizations to push its interests to shape the upheaval. They were starting from square one politically and organizationally, unlike in Egypt.

Once they cornered themselves into a purely military struggle, the logical corollary was to call for airstrikes from without since they themselves had no airforce or armored tanks, and if those planes were British, American, French, then so be it. The logic of military conflict is now compelling the rebels to accept NATO military advisers as well, including from the Italians(!!). This will hand Gaddafi a great propaganda victory because he will be able to paint them as imperialist stooges while he is defending Libya’s honor and independence.

I’m 100% against all imperialist intervention in Libya. They are seeking to control and limit the rebellion, and so far, they are succeeding. The U.S. has made clear they do not want the rebels to defeat Gaddafi militarily, which is why NATO’s airstrikes let up every time the rebels make advances and pick up again when they retreat. They prefer a stalemate/partition to locally driven regime change because a partitioned Libya will mean that the rebels in the east are dependent on them to protect them from Gaddafi. The imperalists’ preferred endgame is a military coup that either kills Gaddafi and his family or expels them from Libya after which there would be some type of negotiated settlement or “orderly transition” that incorporates Gaddafi’s state machine and the rebels.

I still think the rebel cause — a bourgeois democracy of some sort — is right and just. They are revolting against a murderous and tyrannical government. However, they are becoming enmeshed with imperialists who have zero interest in making sure the rebels are victorious. Unless they break with the imperialists and find a way to mobilize the masses, I don’t see anything other than a bloody stalemate/partition coming out of this. They were very close to winning too — Gaddafi had lost control of almost every city outside of Tripoli and the rebels were able to repel the first few attempts he made to take back the towns closest to the capital, so it’s simply not true to say the rebels lacked “country wide” support. They had it but they blew their chance."

Frankly I myself can't help but wonder if the revolution IS being hijacked. I also agree with Binh when he said he believed the cause of the rebels was a decent one.

[joshcryer]

30. There's a wealth of information which will tell you that this is really not true.

Here's a massive protest in Misrata just the other day: http://youtu.be/Ow3H8UtbPYQ

They're mobilizing. The problem is that Gaddafi continues to use force and his henchmen have no moral compass to stop from firing upon their own people (or they are misled, but at this point we can kind of tell where it's going, particularly with Saif's recent comments about those who fight for the regime will get the "spoils"). For decades Libya was run as a mob state, heavily corrupted, where no real justice reigns. The fact that they are indeed mobilizing, the fact that they continue to fight and continue to resist within Tripoli itself shows that the imperialist threat is not a foregone conclusion.

[AverageJoe90]

68. I agree.

And why aren't more people on our side waking up to reality? Some have been, but we've got a long way to go.

[Iterate]

31. Do you have a link for that?

I don't want to start typing merrily away for an hour only to find that I'm writing about the wrong Libya.

[joshcryer]

32. It's here:

http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/is-qaddafi-an-anti-racist/

Louis Proyect is one of the rare pro-Libyan Revolution Marxists.

edit: to clarify, it's comment #30, for easier digging.

[AverageJoe90]

69. And good for him.

We need more anti-Gaddafi people on our side. =)

[inna]

33. US-NATO, out of Libya, NOW!

:nuke:
:nuke:
:nuke:

[al bupp]

51. Thank you, ma'am, for the kick

[CJvR]

57. Difficult...

...since neither the US or NATO is in Libya.

Much better to campaign for Gaddafi out of Libya, NOW!!!

[joshcryer]

34. China deepens engagement with Libyan rebels

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/uk-china-libya-idUKTRE7660Q520110707">China deepens engagement with Libyan rebels
A Chinese diplomat met with leaders of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) at their base in Benghazi, state media said on Thursday, building deeper relationships with rebels seeking to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

The visit by Chen Xiaodong, China's foreign ministry chief for North African affairs, was the second official meeting between China and Libyan opposition leaders in less than a month and comes as rebels advanced on Gaddafi's stronghold in Tripoli on Wednesday.

Chen told the deputy head of the NTC Ali Essawi that China considered the faction "an important dialogue partner," echoing comments made by senior Chinese officials on rebel diplomatic chief Mahmoud Jibril's visit to Beijing in late June.

Chen is the most senior official yet to hold talks with the NTC in Libya, although a Chinese diplomat based in Egypt visited the Libyan rebels in Benghazi for the first time in early June.

Between China and Russia who will be first to recognize the NTC? :)

[joshcryer]

36. Gun running with the Libyan rebels

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/07/06/gun-running-libyan-rebels">Gun running with the Libyan rebels
As the daughter of a ship’s captain, I’ve been on some strange voyages in my time. But our passage to Misrata in late June had to be the craziest.

Cameraman Nick and I had boarded the 60-foot tug boat Ezzarouk with camera kit, flak jackets and plenty of fruit. We were heading to Misrata, where fruit was in short supply, and you’ve got to get your five-a-day. But fruit was the least of our worries as we rounded the port buildings in Benghazi.

There was the ship’s crew, loading boxes and boxes of ammunition and weapons, including very dodgy looking homemade RPG launchers. The Ezzarouk was fit to bursting point – a veritable floating munitions dump.

Our security consultant took one look at the boat and said with a wry smile, “Do you want me to do a risk assessment of that lot?”

:)

[CJvR]

56. LOL!

Yeah I can imagine what the insurance company would say about that...

[Dr Fate]

37. God Bless our Glorious Freedom Wars.

Nt

[joshcryer]

38. BBC News' Mark Doyle reports from Nafusa Mountains. 7.7.2011 (discusses Berber-Arab unity)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGe2m2V9q14

Also discusses a tribal conflict that happened, I hope it didn't end very badly. Gaddafi's intent to divide and foment hate within his peoples is unparalleled.

[joshcryer]

39. Jadu's anti Gaddafi demonstration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjboApiIgRE

Jadu is near the front lines in the western mountains. These people would in immediate danger of violating law 19 and 71 which restrict free association, with article 206 rendering the penalty of death. And they're around 100km from Tripoli. These are brave, brave people.

Breathing down your neck Gaddafi.

[pinboy3niner]

41. "Tens of thousands" rallied in Benghazi's main square, according to AP

The story also adds some details on recent developments:

In the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, tens of thousands of rebel supporters poured into the city’s main square for a rally aimed at sustaining momentum for their nearly five-month-old uprising. Fighting began in February when a popular movement against Khadafy quickly escalated.


The civil war has been largely deadlocked, with the rebels controlling the east and Khadafy clinging to large parts of western Libya but unable to retake rebel bridgeheads there. The rebels made some gains yesterday, taking two more towns in the western Nafusa mountains and pushing further from the port city of Misurata, their main stronghold in the west, toward the town of Zlitan, 12 kilometers to the west.


Khadafy’s forces fired more than 500 rockets at rebel positions near Zlitan, from dawn until after nightfall, said Dr. Ayman Abu Shahma, a physician in Misurata. He said 18 rebel fighters were killed and 30 wounded yesterday. He said two civilians, including a 12-year-old girl, also were killed.


NATO, meanwhile, said it struck equipment used to refuel government military vehicles near the key eastern oil town of Brega, which has been a frequent site of clashes.


http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/07/07/libyan_rebels_take_control_of_two_towns/

AJE also aired a report on the rallies, including one in Misrata.

[joshcryer]

43. Thanks for the update. tabatha also posted the video of Misrata's protests:

http://youtu.be/Ow3H8UtbPYQ

I've been trying to find video of Benghazi to no effect.

Did come across this video of the streets being painted / cleaned up in Misrata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-RlHCrkRg

[al bupp]

53. AP: Raw Video: Anti-Gadhafi Rally in Libya

Here you go Josh. Unfortunately, it's less than a minute long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA41wRci-fY&feature=player_embedded

Here's an article from a Pakistani newspaper, which estimates numbers up to 100,000.

http://www.brecorder.com/world/africa/19390.html

[pinboy3niner]

63. MSNBC reports Benghazi crowds numbered "more than 100,000"

More than 100,000 rebel supporters spilled into the streets of Benghazi waving European and rebel flags and chanting slogans against the Libyan leader.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43669490/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pinboy3niner]

42. The Guardian: 'Simmering discontent' in Libyan, Syrian capitals

.... On the surface the capital cities of Libya and Syria are staying loyal to their respective governments. But the Guardian correspondents in both Tripoli and Damascus have uncovered simmering discontent.

First, David Smith in Tripoli:

Numerous witnesses tell the same story: that when night falls, out come the police checkpoints aimed at locking down restive districts, but so too do rebel militas opposed to Muammar Gaddafi. Under cover of darkness, it is said, they emerge from hiding to ambush his security forces. In some neighbourhoods the gun battles rage every night, but the bodies of those killed and all other traces are swiftly removed.

With security tight and little sign of a major uprising in Tripoli, these audacious guerrilla tactics appear to be the rebels' best hope of chipping away at the Libyan leader's defences.

Now Nidaa Hassan, a pseudonym of a journalist in Damascus, describes life in Syrian capital:

Normality belies a city that may not yet have been rocked by the protest movement, but has been torn apart under the surface. The protests and the regime's violent response – which it has blamed on armed gangs of foreigners and extremists – triggered an emotional reaction in the capital that has shifted from denial and confusion to anger and, finally, polarisation...

Everyone knows the calm in the centre may not last. Stories of detention and torture circulate widely, opening eyes to the brutality of the regime, which under Assad's rule has positioned itself as reformist, with some success, far from the dark days of his father's time in power.

A cafe customer tells her:

This country does not belong to Assad and we need to make that clear. Damascus's day will come because the whole country, including here, has already witnessed a revolution in horizons and aspirations.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/jul/07/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-1

[joshcryer]

44. The martyred hero Air Marshal Brigadier Ali Attalah Obeidi (July 6)

http://feb17.info/media/the-martyred-hero-air-marshal-brigadier-ali-attalah-obeidi/">The martyred hero Air Marshal Brigadier Ali Attalah Obeidi
Ali Attalah Obeidi, an air marshal brigadier who announced his defection from the Gaddafi regime in April and pledged allegiance to the revolution, was martyred today, July 6, along with 18 others.

Ali Obeidi is considered one of the top commanders in Misrata on the western front (Dafniya). When Ali Obeidi would address his fellow freedom fighters, they would listen with attentative ears, because he would talk with such pride and dignity.

At least he died knowing he helped free Misrata. :cry:

[pinboy3niner]

45. Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports on the capture of al-Qawalish by rebel forces:

Rebels take village of al Qawalish (1:55)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBGRmAhJiy4&feature=player_embedded


Edited to add link to AJE's written report:

Libyan rebels seize key western town
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/07/20117763916234823.html

[joshcryer]

46. Telecomix: tech support for the Arab spring

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/07/telecomix-arab-spring">Telecomix: tech support for the Arab spring
Electronic mischief-making has come into its own this year. Between WikiLeaks, Anonymous and more recently LulzSec, hacking cults are becoming high-profile irritants.

But Peter Fein, the human face of Telecomix and currently spreading the word about their work, doesn't seem too bothered by his "hacker" label when I meet him at Sheffield Doc Fest, where he was invited to sit on a panel called the Revolution will be Tweeted.

"We're kind of like an inverse Anonymous," Fein said. "We operate in a very similar way to Anonymous not just IRC (Internet Relay Chat – online, open forums where users can meet to chat) but also the non-hierarchical structure. Except they break things and we build them." He laughs.

"I guess you could say it's guerrilla informational warfare. I can just tell you my experience of what happened, and why – I'm not an official spokesman, we just don't have those. I'm not sure what to call us – are we hacktivists? Hacker is such a loaded term … what we're doing is clearly different than LulzSec is doing."

I'll have to check out their IRC channel some time later. :hi: Good stuff.

[pinboy3niner]

47. Libya has accused NATO of backing the rebels' advance on Tripoli

Libya has accused Nato of backing the rebels advance on Tripoli , in breach of the its UN mandate, the Global Post reports.

Deputy foreign ninister Khaled Kaim told AP Nato targeted police checkpoints in the Nafusa mountains southwest of Tripoli ahead of a rebel advance on al-Qawalish.

He claimed rebels were later pushed back from Qawalish. Kaim said: "The aim of these attacks is to help the rebels to advance. But I assure you, it will be another failure for them."

A list of the latest targets hit by Nato appears to show that airstrike are backing the rebels advance.

The Guardian's interactive on the Nato bombing campaign has been updated to include Nato's latest "key hits".

Nato lists them as:


In the vicinity of Brega: 1 Military Refuelling Equipment, 8 Armed Vehicles, 2 Armoured Fighting Vehicles, 1 Truck. In the vicinity of Gharyan: 1 Anti-Aircraft Gun.
In the vicinity of Misratah: 3 Armed Vehicles. In the vicinity of Waddan: 1 Military Storage Facility. In the vicinity of Yafran: 1 Artillery Piece, 1 Armed Vehicle. In the vicinity of Zlitan: 8 Armed Vehicles. In the vicinity of Zintan: 1 Armed Vehicle.

The Middle East analyst Juan Cole, argues that Nato's action falls within the UN resolution.

Gaddafi made his an outlaw state and under these circumstances the UN resolution authorizes Nato action to prevent him from committing further atrocities. The only practical way to do so, given his defiance and aggression with heavy weapons, is to hit them where they are committing aggression and to strengthen the Free Libya forces.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/jul/07/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-5

[pinboy3niner]

48. Libya: Botswana Supports the Warrant of Arrest Issued by ICC

Government of Botswana (Gaborone)

7 July 2011

press release


Gaborone — The Government of Botswana has taken due note of the position taken by the African Union not to cooperate with the warrant of arrest issued against Muammar Gaddafi by the International Criminal Court at the just-ended Assembly of the African Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.


Botswana wishes to reiterate her position in support of the warrant of arrest. This decision was not reached lightly. State and state-sponsored violence and blatant human rights violations by the Gaddafi regime on its own people, which started in February this year, continues unabated to this day.


This is despite international efforts calling on the regime to end its violent campaign against the Libyan people. This campaign of violence, which has resulted in massive loss of live, destruction of property and displacement of people is against all norms of civilized behavior and international humanitarian law. This is a crime against humanity and should therefore be unacceptable to all peace-loving people.


The Government of Botswana pledges to continue to uphold basic human and political rights and hereby calls on fellow members of the AU to support the ICC in carrying out its mandate to apprehend the Libyan leader, as a critical step towards alleviating the plights of the Libyan people, and paving the way for a new democratic dispensation in that country.


http://allafrica.com/stories/201107070633.html

[pinboy3niner]

49. French government urging parliamentary approval to keep Libya campaign going

By The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 12 minutes ago


PARIS - The French government says it is determined to fight Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and will urge parliament to approve an extension of the French military operation in Libya.

French government spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse says France wants to "send a signal to Col. Gadhafi of the total determination of France and its allies" with the parliamentary vote July 12.

...


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/french-government-urging-parliamentary-approval-keep-libya-campaign-110458636.html

[pinboy3niner]

50. In Tunisia, Nations Compete to Aid Libyan Refugees

Source: The Atlantic

Jul 7 2011, 7:01 AM ET

Qatar's lavish camp is currently winning the competition to best provide for Libyans fleeing the civil war, even outperforming the UN, but to what end?

By Marc Herman


TATAOINE, Tunisia -- Libya's civil war has created at least two and perhaps three refugee streams in Tunisia, as well as four parallel efforts to help them. Tataoine, the Tunisian border town that is the home of a vast refugee aid mission, and from which Libyans have constructed a complex supply chain that reaches to rebels fighting against Qaddafi, has three refugee camps. Only one, an hour from the Libyan border, is under UN administration. A second, right on the border, is run by the government of the United Arab Emirates. A third, in Tataoine's soccer stadium, is a project of the kingdom of Qatar.


The four camps have become a sort of market for aid, with refugees choosing between the Emirates, Qatar, and UN camps. "Many people come here because it is very clean," said Nuada Suliman Aker, a 15-year-old who fled Nalut in April and now looks after elementary-age children at a small school housed in a tent at the Qatari camp. Her father, a doctor, stayed behind to treat wounded soldiers in Nilut's hospital. Compared to the Emirates camp, which is nice enough, the Qatar-run camp is spectacular. Qataris know desert shelter, and the camp's tents are lined with a light, red fabric that makes the canvas seem less martial and the Saharan light less blinding. The bathrooms, complete with shower, are reasonably free of odor, and drinking water is segregated between men and women with subtle clarity. A playground, with bright plastic climbing toys and cartoons painted on the wall, adds a note of cheer to a scene that is, by any reasonable measure, miserable.


Shopping for refugee care isn't limited to the camps. At Tataoine Hospital, which had several wounded soldiers in its wards when I visited in late June, administrators had yet to take delivery of $1,000,000 in UNHCR-pledged medical equipment, and had received no money for additional medicine and surgical supplies. The swell of refugees, which doubled Tataoine's population, has overburdened the hospital, which has been pressed into service treating rocket and gunshot wounds. "This goes through protocols," said Kamel Derich of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, who runs that agency's efforts near the crossing, a bit helplessly. "The Tunisian Red Crescent hasn't presented me a budget."

...


http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/07/in-tunisia-nations-compete-to-aid-libyan-refugees/241394/

[pinboy3niner]

52. Talking to the free press in Libya

Source: Al Jazeera

By Sue Turton in Africa
on Thu, 07/07/2011 - 13:48.


Farooq, our Libyan fixer, turned up at the Al Jazeera house here a couple of nights ago and asked me to do him a favour. Would I give a talk to a bunch of budding young Libyan journalists about journalism and, in particular, about how to handle press conferences?


We had been at a 'presser' the night before and I had pushed the Council's Military Head to tell us that he was talking to France about a possible weapons' air drop to Misrata. They wanted to know how to get the best out of these media rituals.


I expected a handful of journalists to turn up. But as we walked into the lecture hall there must have been over one hundred people waiting patiently for a proper lecture.


For me this was a real privilege - talking to journalists who were getting their first taste of working in a society with a free press, their first chance to challenge people in authority or to demand answers on behalf of their fellow Libyans. And even more exciting were the rows of young women sitting in the audience.

...


http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/07/07/talking-free-press-libya

[pinboy3niner]

54. Libyan rebels renew push on Tripoli

Source: Financial Times

July 7, 2011 1:25 pm

By Michael Peel in Abu Dhabi


Libyan rebels aided by Nato bombs have launched another push towards Col Muammer Gaddafi’s Tripoli stronghold, as they seek to break the deadlock in the country’s near five-month conflict.


Rebels have advanced towards the capital from positions to its east and south-west, news agencies reported, triggering a battle on the country’s main coast road and claims by the regime that government forces have fought back elsewhere.

...


Khaled Kaim, Libya’s deputy foreign minister, told AP the latest rebel campaign would fail and accused western countries of targeting civilian infrastructure and funding Colombian mercenaries to fight with rebels in Misrata.


A Nato official dismissed the claims, saying (about) the Colombian mercenaries point that he had “seen nothing to suggest that that is not completely made up”. He said: “We do not target civilian targets and we have been extraordinarily precise in this campaign.”


Nato did admit to killing civilians when a stray missile hit a house in Tripoli last month but the Gaddafi regime has yet to provide convincing evidence of the serious civilian casualties it alleges have been caused by other air strikes.


http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4dfa536c-a886-11e0-8a97-00144feabdc0.html

[CJvR]

55. Yeah...

...you can bet that stray bomb will be blown out of all proportion in any report on NATO bombing in the future.

[tabatha]

58. A lost cause

Barney Mthombothi
Thursday, 7 Jul 2011

President Jacob Zuma was in Moscow this week, not as a tourist or to take in the delights of the Kremlin, but in a desperate attempt to save Muammar Gaddafi’s skin. It is demeaning and frankly sickening to see the leader of a self-respecting country like SA running helter-skelter to save a madman from a crisis of his own making. As president, Zuma carries, and is the symbol of, our hopes and dreams. He shouldn’t be sullying the country’s good name by moonlighting as Gaddafi’s energetic emissary. And our taxes are paying for these futile missions to boot. Gaddafi should be allowed to stew in his own juice.

Despite the best attempts of his lickspittle toadies , Gaddafi is toast. The end is nigh. The only viable solution for Libya is for him to leave, and sooner rather than later. By postponing Gaddafi’s departure, sycophants like Zuma are simply helping to prolong the suffering of the Libyan people.

It’s odd that Zuma should be leading the charge to save Gaddafi. Unlike Zimbabwe, Libya is too far from SA for us to be affected by its repercussions; and Zuma is no head honcho in the African Union. He’s just a willing horse. And he’s got time on his hands, I suppose. So he’s an emissary, a messenger. There have been unconfirmed rumours that Gaddafi donated oodles of money to help fund Zuma’s battles with Thabo Mbeki. Zuma’s desperate missions would seem to lend some credence to such rumours.

For all his public bluster, apparently Gaddafi never said much at AU meetings. He didn’t have to. He had a few of the leaders in his pocket. They’d stand up and parrot his wishes. He owned their voices, and their votes. The practice, it seems, continues. While Gaddafi is hunkered down in his bunker, afraid even to show his face in the streets of Tripoli, his toadies are running around like headless chickens trying to make his case to whoever is prepared to listen. It is a fruitless and nauseating spectacle.

http://www.fm.co.za/Article.aspx?id=147818

[pinboy3niner]

59. Libya tribe members in Egypt, see talks with rebels

Thu Jul 7, 2011 2:21pm BST


CAIRO, July 7 (Reuters) - A delegation of Libyan tribal representatives arrived in Egypt's capital on Thursday and said they would hold talks with rebel leaders to seek to end the country's civil war.

...


Airport sources said Mohamed Ismail, an adviser to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, also arrived in Cairo. It was not clear if Ismail would take part in the talks.


http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/uk-libya-tribes-egypt-idUKTRE76636C20110707

[pinboy3niner]

60. NATO denies trying to aid Libyan rebels' advance

By ADAM SCHRECK - Associated Press | AP – 27 mins ago


TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — NATO is denying a Libyan government claim that the alliance is intentionally using its airstrikes to assist rebel advances.

Wing Cmdr. Mike Bracken, an alliance spokesman in Naples, Italy, says NATO is "not involved in the ground battles," although he acknowledged the alliance is tracking the fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. He says NATO's mandate remains to protect civilians.

Libya's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim accused NATO earlier Thursday of intensifying its bombing campaign and backing foreign mercenaries to lay the groundwork for an advance by rebels trying to topple Gadhafi's regime.

Bracken says NATO doesn't have any information to indicate that mercenaries are helping the rebels.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/nato-denies-trying-aid-libyan-rebels-advance-135004339.html

[pinboy3niner]

61. Libya's rebel street artists take aim at Gadhafi

By SERGEY PONOMAREV, Associated Press – 20 minutes ago

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi is loved in Libya's rebel capital — as a subject for street artists to mock.

Caricatures of the Libyan leader dot walls and buildings across Benghazi in renderings that range from crude sketches to elaborate satire such as Gadhafi being knocked around by a rebel-flagged boot or depicted with a Nazi swastika.

Before Libya's uprising, even a hint of dissent risked a crushing response from Gadhafi's security forces. Now, it's open season on Gadhafi in rebel-held territory.

...


"I cannot fight with arms, but I can kill him with my pencil," said Rida, who declined to give his full name in fear of reprisals from pro-regime authorities.


14 graffiti images here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hzcV5HR_nwKoRqjVuQVcks0BqnpA?docId=af776e3bd13a47928580d0931d0a623e

[pinboy3niner]

62. Polish Embassy in Libya relocated to Benghazi

07.07.2011 15:50

Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has announced that as of today, Poland’s ambassador in Libya resides in Benghazi.


“This is because we consider the provisional council based in that town as the only credible partner for talks,” he said, adding that Poland’s presidency of the EU Council was also an important factor in taking the decision, as the European Union has already opened its delegation in Benghazi.


After the evacuation of the Polish Embassy from Tripoli in March, the Polish ambassador Wojciech Bozek returned to Warsaw, but according to unofficial reports, he has visited Benghazi several times since.


Mr Sikorski stressed that Poland rules out any prospects for cooperation with Colonal Muammar Gaddafi, adding that Warsaw would like to see the conflict in Libya to be resolved through diplomatic means.

...


http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/51137,Polish-Embassy-in-Libya-relocated-to-Benghazi

[al bupp]

64. C.J. Chivers Tweets

• Bright spot in Qawalish - rebs already cleared much of minefield, using wooden rods, bare hands. Pix soon on At War & cjchivers.com.
  6 minutes ago
  
• Dark spot in Qawalish - deliberate Qad minefield of AT & AP mines; 100s of mines in all on flank of one abandoned blocking position.
  7 minutes ago
  
• In Libya, rebs keep tenuous hold on Qawalish, amid occasional shelling from Qad forces a few km to E. Town deserted except for rebs.
  10 minutes ago

From: http://twitter.com/#!/cjchivers

[pinboy3niner]

65. Libya Expels Telegraph Journalist Over Anti-Qaddafi Report

Source: The Atlantic Wire

Adam Clark Estes | 11:12 AM ET


There's a secret war going on in Tripoli, and Qaddafi's regime is going to great lengths to keep it a secret. According to a report from Adrian Blomfield of The Telegraph, the supposed "bastion of unswerving loyalty" to Qaddafi is being challenged, despite great efforts on the government's part to maintain order--or at least the appearance of order. According to Blomfield's Twitter account on Thursday morning, that effort now includes purging journalists who report otherwise:

I have been summarily expelled from #Libya for writing this http://t.co/TWt4dmu and given 45 minutes to pack up and go

adrianblomfield

"Libya: covert guerilla war in Tripoli," the article to which Blomfield links, reports not only on the existence of an underground war...

...


But also, how the Gaddafi regime is covering up the conflict:

Yet many in the suburb seemed reluctant to talk openly, resorting to circumlocution to express their opposition to the colonel.

Explaining the need for euphemism, one said: "It is too dangerous. People are afraid to talk because there are secret police and informers everywhere."

...


Last week, hundreds of Tripoli residents sought sanctuary behind rebel lines in the Nafusa mountains on a single day alone, according to western camera crews.

Those who have stayed say they fear the conflict in Tripoli is steadily worsening and will eventually explode into full-scale bloodletting.

...


http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/07/libya-expels-telegraph-journalist-over-pro-rebel-report/39684/

[Iterate]

66. Music and protest

Gaddafi, bite me.

Rebel of the artist Massoud 07/06/2011 - Benghazi millions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUtzUdMoQA4&feature=related

First Ever Rap song by Libyan Female Artists "Gaddafi Get Ready"
http://youtu.be/m61pOKY0Cso

All nine of my #Libya #London protest videos are now up at http://is.gd/qcHnTu

@4Adam: Our 100m Libyan flag carried through Hyde Park in London on 6.7.11 http://on.fb.me/oVoBRW #Libya #Feb17

Benghazi the 1.5 Million protest 6-7-11 (View from within the crowd)
http://youtu.be/SUZKg-Ge4-M

IbnOmar2005: praying in #benghazi in front of the flags of the world. thank you all for your support. #libya #feb17 http://twitpic.com/5magxl

#Arrujban - Part of Nafusa Anti Gaddafi demonstration that taken place yesterday youtube.com/watch?v=5oXi5K… #Libya #Feb17 #NafusaMountains

Benghazi rallies in show of force for Libya's rebels AFP short again.
http://youtu.be/3dXk4CY12XM

[al bupp]

67. CJ Chivers: Landmines Used By Qaddafi Forces in Nafusa Mountains

When Al Qawalish fell to the anti-Qaddafi forces on Wednesday, the rebels encountered a worrisome hazard — a large minefield along the left flank and, to a lesser degree, the front of a blocking position on the road.

Here, below, is a view of some of the nearly 50 anti-tank mines and 200+ anti-personnel mines the rebels retrieved from the dirt and have set aside, hopefully for eventual destruction. (It’s not immediately clear how the rebels will dispose of these mines. Though the rebel leadership has pledged not to use mines in this war, and to destroy the stocks it has inherited from the Qaddafi government, there is talk of recycling the mines as donor charges for future E.O.D work in Libya, which is now littered with unexploded ordnance that will likely take years to find and clear. So for now it’s not certain what will become of the particular items shown in this frame — they might be destroyed, they might be used for future demolition work, or, in the worst case, the rebels could violate their pledge and put them to darker uses, either using them in the war or selling them on.)



About the pic: Not sure what you are seeing? The anti-tank mines are obvious enough in the frame. The anti-personnel mines are in the red tub in the back left and also mixed in the crate in the right foreground. Never mind those long black sleeves in the center back, beneath the spare tire. They are inert air-to-ground rockets. And that is yet another story.

More at: http://cjchivers.com/post/7350661468/landmines-used-by-qaddafi-forces-in-nafusa-mountains

It's become my opinion that this fellow's work is among the best of all journalists currently in Libya

[joshcryer]

70. What's bad is people call him a hawk but he focuses on arms distribution...

...and is very much anti-war in that regard. He does regular updates about how these weapons can cause more destruction, even Italian-era bolt action rifles! His advocacy for the destruction or sequestering of these arms is a very anti-war position, imo.

[joshcryer]

71. Gaddafi forces shell ghost town after rebel advance

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/uk-libya-alqawalish-idUKTRE76666520110707">Gaddafi forces shell ghost town after rebel advance
The frontline Libyan village of Al-Qawalish was a ghost town Thursday, a day after it was seized by rebels, who said life may return to normal in the area after the exit of Muammar Gaddafi's troops.

The rebels seized the village in an eight-hour battle on Wednesday, pushing Gaddafi's forces east at least 10 km (6 miles) beyond an area of open ground. The advance puts the rebels on the road towards Garyan, a larger southern town controlling a major highway into the capital Tripoli.

The advance also pushed Gaddafi's troops out of shelling range of Kikla and Al-Qalaa, frontline towns in the Western mountains region, where the rebels have been steadily restoring ordinary life to villages as they deepen their advance into Libya.

:rofl:

Who would've thought Reuters would be reporting these kinds of stories? Getting kicked out of Tripoli was the last thing Gaddafi should've done to Reuters. Now they're reporting on real events as opposed to Gaddafi's propaganda.

[joshcryer]

72. Factbox - Latest developments in Libyan conflict

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/uk-libya-nato-idUKTRE7661ON20110707">Factbox - Latest developments in Libyan conflict
* Rebel fighters seized a village south of the Libyan capital and another group advanced towards Tripoli from the east on Wednesday in the biggest push in weeks towards Muammar Gaddafi's main stronghold.

* Tens of thousands of Libyans waving European and rebel flags marched through the rebel capital of Benghazi on Wednesday in a noisy bid to boost morale in an increasingly stalemated war against Gaddafi.

* A Chinese diplomat met with leaders of Libya's National Transitional Council at their base in Benghazi, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, building deeper relationships with rebels seeking to oust Gaddafi.

* The head of NATO said on Wednesday he had no confirmed information that Gaddafi was looking for a way to step down after more than four months fighting a rebellion and sustained Western bombing.

More at link.

[joshcryer]

73. Libyan Revolution Day 141 updates below, current time in Libya, 3:01am Friday, July 8

[joshcryer]

74. Analysis - Rebel gains too slow to hurt Gaddafi badly

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/uk-libya-gains-idUKTRE7662YV20110707">Analysis - Rebel gains too slow to hurt Gaddafi badly
More battlefield gains in rural areas will help raise flagging morale among Libyan rebels impatient for victory but won't shift the military balance decisively against Muammar Gaddafi soon.

Without more outside help, such advances are unlikely to inflict the sort of pressure that would compel him to negotiate a peace settlement in good faith or set off an uprising by rebel sympathisers in the capital Tripoli, Western analysts say.

On Wednesday rebel fighters seized al-Qawalish, a village south of the Libyan capital, and another group advanced towards Tripoli from the east in the biggest push in weeks towards Gaddafi's main stronghold.

The capture of al-Qawalish is important not only for rebel momentum and battlefield morale, but because beyond it lies the larger town of Gharyan which controls the main highway to the capital. Gharyan has came under attack in recent days from NATO warplanes.

[tabatha]

75. Dictator Chic - Colonel Qaddafi—A Life in Fashion

Since completing his transition from international pariah to statesman, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi—the longest-serving leader in both Africa and the Arab world—has brought color and his own eccentric panache to the drab circuit of international summits and conferences. Drawing upon the influences of Lacroix, Liberace, Phil Spector (for hair), Snoopy, and Idi Amin, Libya’s leader—now in his 60s—is simply the most unabashed dresser on the world stage. We pay homage to a sartorial genius of our time.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/qaddafi-slideshow200908#slide=1

[tabatha]

76. nafusatumblr photostream on Flickr

Street demo in Jadu
As we were coming in, hundreds of kids were streaming down the road. I jumped out of the pickup and took these shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nafusa/

[pinboy3niner]

77. House rejects bid to halt funding of military operations against Libya

Source: Washington Post

By Felicia Sonmez, Updated: Thursday, July 7, 5:30 PM


The House on Thursday rejected a measure that would have withdrawn funding for U.S. military operations in Libya, although the amendment drew broad bipartisan support, including from a majority of Republicans.


The measure, which was offered as an amendment to a defense appropriations bill, failed on a 199 to 229 vote. It was sponsored by Reps. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 13 other critics of U.S. involvement in Libya.


The measure states that “none of the funds made available by this Act may be used for the use of military force against Libya.”

...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-rejects-bid-to-halt-funding-of-military-operations-against-libya/2011/07/07/gIQAvNGm2H_story.html

[pinboy3niner]

80. House Sends Conflicting Signals on Libya

Source: New York Times

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

Published: July 7, 2011


WASHINGTON — The House voted down a measure on Thursday that would have prevented the United States military from using force in Libya, but it also blocked military support to the Libyan rebels as Congress continued to wrestle with how to respond to the Obama administration’s decision to participate in the NATO-led air war.


Both of the measures were proposed amendments to a 2012 military appropriations bill, and the votes came after a debate that rehashed arguments over the legality, cost and merits of the intervention in Libya, which President Obama initiated without Congressional authorization.


Most of the discussion focused on the measure that would have prevented the financing of any military force in Libya.


It was sponsored by Representatives Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, and Justin Amash, Republican of Michigan, and was defeated 199 to 229.


The other amendment, which was discussed less thoroughly, was sponsored by Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma. It would prevent the Pentagon from furnishing Libyan rebels with “military equipment, military training or advice, or other support for military activities,” and it passed, 225 to 201.

...


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/politics/08powers.html

[pinboy3niner]

78. Libyan Rebels Aim for Tripoli

Source: Wall Street Journal

JULY 8, 2011

Forces Thrust Toward Misrata in Effort to Reach Capital and Dislodge Regime

By SAM DAGHER


BENGHAZI, Libya—A convoy of fighters, military vehicles and pickup trucks equipped with heavy guns rumbled toward the port here early Thursday to board a ship taking part in what rebels say will be their first major offensive against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's regime in the capital, Tripoli.


A spokesman for the rebels in their Benghazi stronghold in the east declined to comment on the convoy, which still faces major hurdles. But a person close to the rebel leadership said it planned to join up with fellow fighters in the rebel-held western city of Misrata before heading to Tripoli.


The deployment of forces to Misrata, estimated to be in the hundreds, and further military gains in the mountains southwest of Tripoli demonstrate how the rebels have improved tactics, capabilities and coordination since their early days as a ragtag force at the start of the Libyan uprising in February. Rebels believe they would topple the regime with the capture of Tripoli, which accounts for a third of the nation's population.


The developments came as the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday signaled frustration with President Barack Obama's Libya policies by giving broad bipartisan support to a measure to cut off funding for U.S. military operations in Libya—which it narrowly rejected—and passing another measure to block any military funding to the rebels.

...


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304793504576431890391992546.html

[joshcryer]

79. U.N. chief, Libya PM discuss need to solve fighting

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/07/08/uk-libya-un-idUKTRE76707920110708">U.N. chief, Libya PM discuss need to solve fighting
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke with Libya's prime minister by telephone on Thursday about the need to end the current fighting in the North African nation, according to a statement from Ban's spokesperson's office.

Ban and Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi also talked about how to "alleviate the dire humanitarian situation, and work out a transition that could bring peace to all Libyans" the statement said.

[tabatha]

81. Agence France Presse - By Florent Marcie - July 08, 2011 01:36 AM

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court will not accept Gadhafi’s “blackmail” demands to withdraw its arrest warrant before he steps down, an official said.

“It would be blackmail that we would not accept,” ICC deputy prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told AFP in Botswana.

“Investigations were made and the findings gave the ICC judges enough evidence to issue a warrant of arrest and that should not be put on the table to negotiate Gadhafi’s exit.”

...

In addition to the NATO assistance, the West has also thrown its diplomatic and financial support behind the NTC, has been recognised by about 20 countries including Britain, France and the United States.

Poland Thursday posted an ambassador to the rebel bastion.

But alliance member Italy, pressed by the need to cut defense spending, announced Thursday that it was removing the aircraft carrier Garibaldi, its three fighter jets and 1,000 personnel from the Libyan operation.

The Garibaldi would be replaced by a smaller vessel and by warplanes from military bases, Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa said.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Jul-08/Rebels-advance-on-Tripoli-as-US-blocks-support.ashx#ixzz1RUH2fDn5

[pinboy3niner]

82. Libya Soup Kitchen

Source: Al Arabiya

Thursday, 07 July 2011


After an arduous day of fighting the frontline, in Misrata, Libya, volunteers have set up a soup kitchen catering especially to ravenous rebel soldiers.

According to one cook, an estimate of eight to nine hundred meals is prepared on a daily basis, and ingredients are supplied by families in the area.

Libyan rebel fighters continue to battle against Qaddafi loyalist troops, and are edging closer to the capital Tripoli. On Tuesday, five fighters were killed, west of Misrata.


VIDEO report (under 1 min.):
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/07/07/156560.html

[pinboy3niner]

83. Yemen president Saleh appears on TV

Source: Al Jazeera

Ali Abdullah Saleh makes his first appearance after being severely wounded in a bomb blast at his palace last month.

Last Modified: 07 Jul 2011 18:51


Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his face burned and his hands covered with bandages, has appeared on television for the first time since he was wounded in a bomb attack on his palace in Sanaa.


Saleh, who was hospitalised in Saudi Arabia after the June 3 attack, said he had undergone "more than eight successful operations" and called for dialogue in his speech broadcast on Yemeni television on Thursday.


In his brief address, recorded in Saudi Arabia, he said those who have sought to drive him from power had an "incorrect understanding of democracy".

...


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/201177143420256530.html

[pinboy3niner]

84. Libya: Government Lays More Mines in Western Mountains ('Shameful,' says HRW)

Source: Human Rights Watch

Three Antivehicle and Antipersonnel Minefields Discovered

July 8, 2011


(Zintan) - Libyan government forces have placed at least three minefields containing antipersonnel and antivehicle landmines outside the village of al-Qawalish in the western Nafusa Mountains, Human Rights Watch said today.


"The government's blatant disregard for the safety of its civilians is shameful," said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch. "Landmines are a weapon that will claim civilian limbs and lives for years to come."

...


Government forces had apparently been positioned at the boy scout building outside al-Qawalish until rebels seized the area and the village in the early afternoon of July 6, 2011.


All three minefields are in areas with civilian traffic. Anti-government fighters have put up signs and markers to keep people from entering the areas.


Human Rights Watch observed anti-government fighters removing Brazilian-made T-AB-1 antipersonnel mines and Chinese-made Type-72SP antivehicle mines from the two dirt road sites on July 6. The antipersonnel mines had been placed atop the larger antivehicle mines.


By the end of July 7, deminers had cleared approximately 240 T-AB-1 antipersonnel mines and 46 Type-72SP antivehicle mines from the two sites, but more mines remained to be cleared.


Three rebel vehicles had struck mines on the dirt roads earlier on July 6, destroying the vehicles and wounding three people, two of whom were hospitalized.


Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called on the government to halt use of these weapons.


http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/07/08/libya-government-lays-more-mines-western-mountains

[pinboy3niner]

85. Captured Gaddafi soldiers, including foreign fighters, tell of low morale

Source: Washington Post

By Ernesto Londono, Published: July 7


ZILTAN, Libya — Beleaguered by NATO’s bombing campaign, low morale and desertions, the Libyan army is relying heavily on fighters from sub-Saharan Africa as Moammar Gaddafi’s government struggles to beat back rebels forces east and west of the capital, captured fighters said in interviews.


Two Libyan army officers and three sub-Saharan African fighters captured by rebels after a recent battle in the country’s western mountains said Thursday that Libyan troops deployed in the area are running low on ammunition and fuel.


Military leaders, they said, are depending on the foreign fighters because many Libyan soldiers are conflicted about fighting their countrymen and have lost faith in the country’s longtime ruler. In interviews conducted separately at the rebel-run jail in Ziltan, the detainees said that as many as half the forces deployed by the Gaddafi regime to the front lines come from countries such as Niger and Mali.

...


Issa Munir, 22, from Mali, said he moved to the southern Libyan city of Sehba a year ago to work at a farm. Last month, he said, he was among a large group of sub-Saharan African laborers who were taken into custody and moved to Tripoli. In the capital, government officials offered him Libyan citizenship in exchange for taking up arms for Gaddafi, he said.


“I couldn’t refuse,” said Munir, who was wearing olive green pants and a stained white V-neck T-shirt. “Most of us have the same story: We were brought by force.”

...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/captured-gaddafi-soldiers-including-foreign-fighters-tell-of-low-morale/2011/07/07/gIQAGspi2H_story.html

[joshcryer]

86. Confirms my suspicions all along, going by early reports to this effect.

Thanks pinboy3niner.

[pinboy3niner]

87. 'The bitter price of freedom' -- Despite losses, Zintan ready to keep fighting

Source: Al Jazeera

Residents of remote town in western Libya will not accept anything less than the end of Gaddafi's government.

Last Modified: 08 Jul 2011 06:55


Nine rebel fighters have died in efforts to drive Libyan government soldiers out of the town of Qwalish.


Seven of the nine fighters who died on Wednesday were from Zintan, a remote western town of Libya.


The people of Zintan have always had a fearsome reputation. As rebel fighters against government forces, they have been at the forefront of efforts to make this mountain area safe.


They say that they will not accept anything less than the end of Gaddafi's government, even if this equates to their own death.


"We are fighting to die, they are fighting to live," is the slogan they chant.


Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports (1:44):


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/07/20117853828409960.html

[tabatha]

88. Video: Speaking Tamazight again

In the latest report from Dutch news programme Nieuwsuur, reporter Jan Eikelboom visits the Amazighi who are finally able to speak their language again after 42 years. Freely, they can now sing, write poetry, write and present the news in their own language.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/07/video-the-amazighi-speak-tamazight-again/

(Really, really nice video. It helps to understand Dutch a little.)

[pinboy3niner]

89. Guardian correspondent kicked out of Libya after writing about dissent in Tripoli

David Smith, the Guardian's man in Tripoli for the last few weeks, has been thrown out of Libya, after writing this piece about dissent in the capital.

He writes:

On Wednesday, I was ordered to pack my bags and leave the country because officials objected to an article in which I interviewed critics of Muammar Gaddafi.


The government demanded that the Guardian publish an apology "to the Libyan people", which it had itself prepared. The paper refused.


Guardian journalist Xan Rice's spell in Tripoli ended similarly abruptly last month. Reporters from the Daily Telegraph, CNN and Reuters have also been expelled in recent days.


Foreign journalists in government-controlled Libya are obliged to stay at one hotel, the Rixos in Tripoli, and are not allowed to leave the grounds without a government "minder", causing frustration and strained relations. Their output is closely monitored by Libyan officials.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/jul/08/syria-egypt-yemen-middle-east-unrest-live#block-20

[pinboy3niner]

90. Gaddafi's New Forces: The Teenagers and Women Keeping Libya's Rebels from Taking Tripoli

Source: TIME

By Steven Sotloff / Benghazi Friday, July 08, 2011


"They told us al-Qaeda fighters infiltrated the country," the shy 16-year old says, standing in a non-descript building in the coastal city of Misratah where rebels are holding their prisoners. Murad nervously bites his nails as he relates how forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi plucked him out of school and shipped him to fight at the front against a "foreign conspiracy aimed at occupying the country." With half of his country controlled by rebel forces, Gaddafi is having difficulty finding soldiers to fight his battles. Without an effective standing army, he has increasingly relied on teen soldiers, African mercenaries, and more recently women, to defend his 42-year rule.


Since the beginning of an uprising against him in February, Gaddafi has recruited Africans from neighboring countries such as Chad and Niger to fight the rebels. Journalists who visited the eastern city of Ajdabiyah in late March saw dozens of black African corpses of fighting age men. In Misratah, a European told the Associated Press he saw piles of similar bodies, apparently executed in late April. Rebels told him the men were from Mali, Chad, and Niger. A Misrati official with the rebel's political council confirmed this account to TIME. Abd al-Basit Abu Mzirig, in charge of Human Rights for the rebel's Justice division, says he met seven mercenaries who were from Mali, but possessed Libyan identification cards issued after the beginning of the February revolution. Though Gaddafi officials could not be reached for comment, they have previously denied recruiting mercenaries from neighboring countries in the conflict.

...


Nevertheless, international organizations have censured Libya for doing so. In the United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing force against Libya, it deplored "the continuing use of mercenaries by the Libyan authorities" and imposed a travel ban on the country's ambassador to Chad and the governor of a southern province for being "directly involved in recruiting mercenaries."

...


But with a flight ban and stepped-up international surveillance making it increasingly difficult for Gaddafi to import African mercenaries, he has turned to barely trained teenaged soldiers to fill his ranks. At the Hikma hospital in Misrata, Dr. Khalid Abu Falqa said he has treated a dozen teenagers sent to fight the rebels. "One was terribly frightened. He was crying for his mom," related the radiologist as he tended to a six year old girl with shrapnel wounds.

...


http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2081970,00.html

[pinboy3niner]

91. Flights evacuate Chadian migrants from Libya-IOM

Fri Jul 8, 2011 12:33pm GMT

• 370 Chadians airlifted from Libya in IOM planes

• Mines, explosives, pose threat to Libyan children-UNICEF


GENEVA, July 8 (Reuters) - Hundreds of African migrants have been airlifted from government-controlled southern Libya and flown to the capital of Chad -- the first air evacuation by the International Organisation for Migration since the Libyan war broke out.


Some 370 migrants, mainly Chadian, have been evacuated from the Libyan town of Sebha on three flights chartered by the IOM since Wednesday, the agency said on Friday.

...


Handicap International and UNICEF also warned on Friday that Libyan children risked being harmed by playing with the growing number of mines and explosive remnants of war scattered in heavily populated areas.


"Our sense is the contamination in Misrata, Ajdabiyah, Nafusa mountains and some areas outside of Benghazi but less now, poses significant risk to children," UNICEF spokesman Marixie Mercado told a news briefing in Geneva.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/chadNews/idAFLDE7670RM20110708?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

92. Questions Linger: Who Is Fighting For Gadhafi? (NPR on captured mercenaries)

Source: NPR (Morning Edition)

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

July 8, 2011


Among the prisoners held by anti-Gadhafi rebels in western Libya are many sub-Saharan Africans. Rebel leaders have long accused Moammar Gadhafi of recruiting black African mercenaries. Interviews at a rebel prison appear to corroborate the allegations. The prisoners — Libyans as well as sub-Saharan Africans — say Gadhafi's army is running short of food and ammunition, and is plagued by desertions.


Listen to the Story (4:51):

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/08/137695040/questions-linger-who-is-fighting-for-gadhafi

[tabatha]

93. Benghazi the Million protest birds-eye view

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXYxovw2gns
(The song, written and song by Dr. Adel Idris Almsheeti, can be seen here on recording:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuKpV1FCEQM )

Another from the ground:
http://youtu.be/SUZKg-Ge4-M
Mo would have loved this.

So Gaddafi is having another rally under tents, hidden away from satellite cameras --- pity he does not know about IR.
GH: "first view much less people on green sqare ,tents are covering optical ,we wait for infra pictures "

[pinboy3niner]

94. NATO warplanes bomb Gaddafi forces in Western Mountains

NATO warplanes bombed forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in Libya's Western Mountains on Friday at the front line where Gaddafi's troops retreated two days ago from a rebel advance.

The bombs landed about three km east of the village of Al-Qawalish, said Abdul Wahad, a rebel fighter manning the last checkpoint on the eastern edge of the village.

He said they struck four times in the mid-afternoon, says a Reuters report.

Rebels forced Gaddafi troops from the village on Wednesday in one of their biggest advances in weeks, pushing down the highway towards the strategic town of Garyan, which controls the main road south out of the capital Tripoli about 100 km away.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-jul-8-2011-1937

[pinboy3niner]

95. House nixes Rep. Kucinich proposal to tie Libya funding to declaration of war

Source: The Hill

By John T. Bennett - 07/08/11 11:42 AM ET


The House on Friday again defeated an attempt by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to cut off funding for the military intervention in Libya.


Kucinich and other members offered multiple amendments during three days of debate on the 2012 Defense Appropriations Act that would have restricted or totally cut off funds for the controversial military operation.


The amendment the anti-war liberal offered on Friday morning would have prohibited funds in the bill be used for the Libya mission unless Congress formerly declares war against the country. The amendment was voted down 169-251.

...


All of Kucinich’s tries were defeated, though they drew ample GOP support. Young did give Kucinich a nod for staying at it, however, saying: “The gentleman entering the amendment is if nothing persistent.”

...


http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/170397-house-nixes-rep-kucinich-proposal-to-tie-libya-funding-to-declaration-of-war

[pinboy3niner]

96. From deep inside Tripoli, displays of defiance

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• "This is the time for such risks," says rebel leader who torched a poster of Gadhafi

• "This is history in the making," says "Niz"

• "I would be lying if I was to say that I feel no fear"

From David McKenzie, CNN

July 8, 2011 12:11 p.m. EDT


Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The view that journalists get while driving through Tripoli is typically witnessed through the windows of government buses driving along routes selected by government minders that show a pro-government landscape. It's a view the Libyan government wants the rest of the world to see: people united in support for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.


Opposition figures in Tripoli who are not part of such tours, however, tell a different story. They are doing what they can to remake that image.


One of them calls himself "Niz" and asks that his real name not be revealed because he is afraid of government retribution. He said that the government is working hard to convey through the international media the image of being in control, but that that image is cracking.


"It is entirely in their favor to portray Tripoli as a stronghold, that it is a city entirely behind the regime and Gadhafi," he told CNN in an interview carried out through Skype to minimize the risk that government agents might track him down. "It can be considered as nothing but sheer lies."

...


Over several weeks of reporting, it became clear that Niz is not alone in his viewpoint: there exists in Tripoli a large, frightened group of people who oppose Gadhafi. Niz hopes to push them into action.

...


http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/07/07/libya.tripoli.rebel/

[pinboy3niner]

97. Misrata Rebels Say They Captured Libyan Village After Three Days of Battle

Source: Bloomberg

By Chris Stephen - Jul 8, 2011 9:34 AM PT


Rebels in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata said they captured a village on the outskirts of the government-held town of Zlitan after three days of fighting.

Rebel forces entered the village, Souk Tulet, where they were “welcomed by the people,” Radio Misrata reporter Nidal Al Hassan reported today. The claim could not be independently confirmed because foreign journalists have been blocked from visiting frontline areas around Misrata.

...


A battalion of 500 fighters arrived in Misrata from other parts of rebel-held Libya, boosting the rebel brigades in the city, said a spokesman for the rebel force, Ibrahim Betalmal.

Six rebel fighters died and more than 30 people were wounded, some of them civilians, by rockets fired from government lines into eastern parts of the city, Misrata’s Hikma hospital said today.


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-08/misrata-rebels-say-they-captured-libyan-village-after-three-days-of-battle.html

[pinboy3niner]

98. With Guardian and Daily Telegraph expelled, no British or American reporters remain in Tripoli

From David Smith's report on his expulsion:

The Guardian has been expelled from Tripoli for the second time in three weeks as the Libyan regime seeks tighter control over how the conflict is reported to the world.


On Wednesday, I was ordered to pack my bags and leave the country because officials objected to an article in which I interviewed critics of Muammar Gaddafi.

...


.... I was joined by a Daily Telegraph journalist who had committed the same offence. This means that, at least for now, no British or American newspaper reporters remain in Tripoli, although the BBC, ITV, Sky and other international media are still present.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2011/jul/08/guardian-journalist-expelled-tripoli-libya

[pinboy3niner]

99. News stories that got reporters deported by the Gaddafi regime

In the past, reporters have been summarily deported from Libya with no explanation given as to the reason for their expulsion. But in the case of David Smith, a regime official waved his Guardian story in front of his face, the offending passages highlighted in yellow, and tore the story in half. And, like Smith, the Telegraph's Adrian Blomfield was expelled for writing a story about the underground opposition in Tripoli.

These are the stories that led the regime to deport these reporters:


Tripoli: a stronghold by day, a battleground at night (David Smith)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/06/tripoli-night-battles-rebels-shootings



Libya: covert guerrilla war in Tripoli (Adrian Blomfield)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8620881/Libya-covert-guerrilla-war-in-Tripoli.html

[pinboy3niner]

100. Gaddafi threatens 'martyr' attacks in Europe

Posted in LBN by Turborama:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4911797

[pinboy3niner]

101. Libya: Gaddafi army attacks supply route as rebels make advance

Source: The Telegraph

A sustained assault by pro-Gaddafi forces on a vital opposition supply route close to the Tunisian border is threatening to undermine a rebel advance on Tripoli.


By Ruth Sherlock, in Nalut

7:42PM BST 08 Jul 2011

...


One advance from the city of Misurata, to the east of the Libyan capital, has made little progress. But Berber tribesmen in the Nafusa Mountains to the south-west of Tripoli are closing in on Gharyan, a heavily fortified garrison town 60 miles from the capital and strategically situated on Libya’s main North-South road.


The advance is being threatened by a sustained army assault on Wazin, the only border crossing with Tunisia that is controlled by the rebels, and the nearby Berber mountain town of Nalut.


If either were to fall, the Gaddafi regime would stand a strong chance of regaining control of the Nafusa mountains by choking off supplies to the rebels and starving their sympathisers into submission.


For now, government forces seem content to harry the two towns rather than take them. The regular bombardment is causing severe disruption in the distribution of food, fuel and provisions to fighters and civilian populations alike.

...


Although more than 120 miles from the front line, this border supply route is the lifeline for a string of mountain villages vital to the rebel efforts. Recognising the route’s significance, Col Gaddafi has sent his elite Khamis Brigades, led by and named after his son, to recapture it.

...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8626622/Libya-Gaddafi-army-attacks-supply-route-as-rebels-make-advance.html

[UnseenUndergrad]

102. On a Lighter Note

A new Downfall Parody has emerged... and it's actually, pertinant, funny and dedicated to the Libyan People.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2BdL3g1kxI

[pinboy3niner]

103. Sebastian Junger and the world’s policeman

Source: WBEZ Radio

by Robin Amer Jul. 08, 2011

...

One person who has added meaningfully to this conversation over the last two decades is journalist and filmmaker Sebastian Junger. He has spoken up in favor of American intervention, but knows the costs can be high: His friend and partner, photojournalist Tim Hetherington, was killed during the fighting in Libya in April.

...


When Junger spoke in Chicago in June he reiterated his belief that the U.S. should intervene in cases where “doing nothing is amoral.” You can hear him describe the events he’s witnessed that shaped those beliefs – including Hetherington’s death – in the audio at link (2:52).


http://www.wbez.org/story/sebastian-junger-and-world%E2%80%99s-policeman-88908

[pinboy3niner]

104. LIBYAN REVOLUTION DAY 142: CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 12:01 AM SATURDAY, JULY 9

Libya time = EDT +6 hours, PDT +9 hours, UTC +1 hour, GMT +2 hours

[pinboy3niner]

105. Prosecutors ask to cut sentence of Muslim activist (plotted to kill King Abdullah for Gaddafi)

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press


ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to cut the 23-year prison term being served by an American Muslim activist who admitted participating in a Libyan plot to assassinate King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.


Abdurahman Alamoudi, 59, of Falls Church has been in jail since his arrest in September 2003. He pleaded guilty to illegal business dealings with Libya and admitted receiving more than $500,000 in cash from Libyan officials as part of an assassination plot.


According to court records, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi wanted then-Prince Abdullah killed after a 2003 Arab League summit where Gadhafi felt he had been insulted. At one point in the summit, Abdullah wagged a finger at Gadhafi and said, "Your lies precede you, while the grave is ahead of you."

...


It is not entirely clear whether Alamoudi's cooperation is related to the current upheaval in Libya, but it is clear that Alamoudi had extensive connections with Libyan officials in the years before his arrest. Alamoudi made at least 10 trips to Libya between 2000 and 2003, according to court records, frequently meeting with government officials there.

...


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ikBcR8jM4lrwgntYGiagCDf9x-nQ?docId=67afb80ca7c44e9e985014dcf384798d

[tabatha]

106. Defectors line up in Libya's Western mountains rebel stronghold

Formed by defectors from the Libyan army, the Western mountains' first National Army battalion is the most experienced group among opposition rebels fighting at the frontline close to Tripoli.


"We will capture and judge all those responsible for war crimes when we get to Tripoli. And we will be implacable."

Such was the advice of rebel military official, Abdullah al Mehdi, to "all those Libyan soldiers who have not yet defected." A colonel with the Libyan air force until last February, Mehdi was presiding over an unprecedented event in Zintan: the graduation of the first battalion of soldiers based in Libya's Western mountains as part of the newly created National Army.

The austere ceremony was held in the courtyard of Zintan's former school. The green square concrete building was turned into a prison run by the rebel council and, today, it's the headquarters of the National Army in the Nafusa mountains.

"Among the 350 soldiers who deserted the region, 70 re-graduated again this afternoon," Abdulla al Mehdi told Deutsche Welle. The rebel leader added that their training had been fast "because everyone already had military training."

Former Libyan Air Force technician, Mohamed Ali Abusah, was among the 70 chosen.

"I defected at the very beginning of the revolution. It's much easier in the mountains because there is less pressure than in cities like Tripoli or Zawiya," the 47-year-old graduate told Deutsche Welle. He said he would remain as a soldier in the new Libyan army even when the war is over. "I've been a soldier for my whole life, there is nothing else I can do," he added.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15213963,00.html

[Iterate]

107. Daily life in Misrata during war

Video by Rachel Beth Anderson, who says, "Daily life in Misrata, Libya will never be the same after the uprising began and the entire city was under siege. Families try to bring normalcy to their children's lives by taking them out in the streets and reassuring them the war will be over soon. Yet, the parents themselves worry of providing with lack of food, money, and the constant threat of spontaneous attacks happening inside civilian areas."

http://vimeo.com/26181926


Don’t Call Us Rebels
July 9, 2011
Posted in July 2011, News, Week Commencing: July 4 | 00:19

It was getting late for a foray to the front. There was perhaps an hour’s light left in the sinking sun. Not much time to negotiate our way up there and back before dark.

But we had run into the same brick wall that was stopping all the media in Misurata from reporting at the frontline.

The military commanders had universally decided that the press did more harm than good after one of our colleagues gave away rebel positions in his report a couple of weeks earlier.

As we hung out at the makeshift hospital just back from the key checkpoint, one of the local tradesmen, who had supported the rebels with supplies since the beginning, lodged a complaint.

Source- Sue Turton for Al Jazeera English in Misrata
http://shabablibya.org/news/dont-call-us-rebels-2

[joshcryer]

108. Week 21 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1447806