Libyan Revolution Day 82

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0">AJE 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.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=439x1067350">Day 81 here.

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

A Libyan refugee who fled unrest in Libya stands at a refugee camp near the southern Libyan and Tunisian border crossing of Dehiba.

Photograph: Reuters

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/world/africa/10libya.html?_r=2">Libyan Rebels Advance on Misurata
QARYAT AZ ZURAYQ, Libya — Rebel fighters made significant gains Monday against forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in both the western and eastern areas of the country, in the first faint signs that NATO airstrikes may be starting to strain the government forces.

In the besieged western city of Misurata hundreds of rebels broke through one of the front lines late on Sunday, and by Monday afternoon were consolidating their position miles to the city’s west.

The breakout of what had been nearly static lines came after NATO aircraft spent days striking positions and military equipment held by the Qaddafi forces, weakening them to the point that a ground attack was possible, the rebels said.

While not in itself a decisive shift for a city that remained besieged, the swift advance, made with few rebel casualties, carried both signs of rebel optimism and hints of the weakness of at least one front-line loyalist unit.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/05/09/uk-libya-arbaeen-idUKTRE7485PE20110509">Libyan rebels claim kill 57 Gaddafi soldiers - report
Libyan rebels killed 57 soldiers and destroyed 17 military vehicles during a major battle west of the insurgent-held city of Ajdabiya Monday, a rebel military commander said.

The commander, whose claim could not immediately be verified, also said two rebels were killed in the firefight.

Hamed al-Hafi told Al-Jazeera television in a live interview that the fighting took place on the outskirts of al-Arbaeen, a small outpost halfway between Ajdabiya and the strategic oil port of Brega, where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces are entrenched.

"Over the past 20 days, we had reorganised our forces. The real clash happened two hours ago, on the outskirts al-Arbaeen," Hafi said.

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/09/libya-end-indiscriminate-attacks-western-mountain-towns">Libya: End Indiscriminate Attacks in Western Mountain Towns
Libyan government forces have launched what appear to be repeated indiscriminate attacks on mountain towns in western Libya, Human Rights Watch said today.

Accounts from refugees who fled the conflict say the attacks are killing and injuring civilians and damaging civilian objects, including homes, mosques, and a school. Human Rights Watch called on Libyan forces to cease their indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas.

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 50 refugees from Libya's western Nafusa mountains in Tunisia from April 26 to May 1, 2011, as well as doctors and aid workers assisting those in need. The refugees gave consistent and credible accounts of indiscriminate shelling and possible rocket attacks in residential areas of the rebel-controlled towns of Nalut, Takut, and Zintan. Human Rights Watch could not confirm the refugees' accounts due to government restrictions on travel in western Libya but, taken together, they describe a pattern of attacks that would violate the laws of war.

"Accounts from refugees paint a consistent picture: Libyan government forces are firing indiscriminately into towns and villages of the Nafusa mountains," said Nadya Khalife, Human Rights Watch researcher, who interviewed Libyan refugees in Tunisian hospitals and refugee camps. "The scale of the attacks, which have damaged mosques, homes, and landed near hospitals, suggests the government has made little or no attempt to focus on military targets."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704681904576311492781200746.html">Libya Tribal Appeal to Rebels Falls Flat
TRIPOLI, Libya—Col. Moammar Gadhafi has turned to Libya's tribal leaders in a new effort to erode a Western-backed insurgency, but the initiative, including the promise of an amnesty, is having no immediate impact on the stalemated conflict.

The rebel leadership dismissed an appeal by hundreds of tribal elders to engage in peace talks. And the tribal chiefs, who held a nationally televised conference in Tripoli, stopped short of pledging armed followers to back up the Libyan leader's military campaign.

http://www.newsinenglish.no/2011/05/09/norway-set-to-cut-libya-involvement/">Norway set to cut Libya involvement
Defense Minister Grete Faremo told the Norwegian Parliament on Monday that if NATO continues its UN-backed military intervention in Libya beyond its initial three-month commitment period, Norway’s involvement would be “different and less comprehensive” than its current contribution.

Norway was quick to support the UN Security Council’s decision in March to try to protect Libyan civilians by providing air cover for forces opposing Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Norway sent six F-16 fighter jets and support personnel to join the assault, initially putting them under US command on March 23 until NATO took over the operation.

Since then, the Norwegian jets have been involved in numerous bombing raids, also reportedly in recent attacks on Gadhafi’s headquarters. Faremo confirmed on Monday that the Norwegian jets have participated in 315 attacks on Libyan targets and have dropped 289 bombs.

Iterate has http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1067350&mesg_id=1070562">compiled a comprehensive post about this pull back.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=433761&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17">Delegates declare loyalty to rebellion at UAE conference
Representatives from 25 cities that have remained under the control of Libyan leader Mummar Gaddafi’s regime, including Tripoli, pledged allegiance to the rebellion in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

“As we continue our support for the 17th February uprising and, in defiance of the regime’s claims, we announce unequivocally our allegiance to and trust in the National Transitional Council (NTC),” they said in a statement.

“In support of the struggle of the Libyan people to establish a modern civil society, (70) members of various local councils—which represent the different western, central and southern regions and tribes of Libya—have come together in Abu Dhabi,” they said. Ali Zaidan, one of the representatives at “the Conference of the Regional Councils of Libya,” told AFP the group would “intensify our struggle to liberate our regions” from Gaddafi’s control.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAF7LDE74828K20110509">Rebels say fighting in Tripoli, govt denies it
TUNIS May 9 (Reuters) - A Libyan opposition newspaper said on Monday rebels were leading an uprising in the suburbs of Tripoli after being supplied with light weapons by defecting security service officers; the government denied the report.

A Reuters reporter said he could hear no gunfire and was unable to verify the report, posted on the website of the opposition newspaper Brnieq.

Brnieq quoted witnesses who said a full-scale uprising against the rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was taking place in the suburbs of Tripoli.

A government official in Tripoli denied the report.

There are a lot of reports today about a Tripoli uprising, I do not want to post those because they appear highly unconfirmed for now, I will certainly post more about it and highlight the discoveries if the reports turn out to be true. We'll have to wait and see, all.



http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/25/world/middleeast/map-of-how-the-protests-unfolded-in-libya.html">Click here for updated map


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x594751">A topic on the women of the revolution, dispels myths about the treatment of women in Benghazi.

Videos to bring the Libyan Revolution into context
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0vChMDuNd0">The Battle of Benghazi. BBC Panorama on Libya http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyaPnMnpCAA">Part 1, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMzwQvcx62s">Part 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwWwOeZqz6M">Video of the convoy sent to take Benghazi, taken from a dead soliders cell phone (shows how massive the operation was). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAclhhHv43s&feature=player_embedded">Arab Awakening: Libya: Through the Fire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD5tu5bJWKc">Tea of Freedom Song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z41kQvx4uKw">Libya: Part 2 - The Uprising

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-10-0">March 10 7:28pm Saif al Islam Gaddafi says "the time has come for full-scale military action" against Libyan rebels. He goes on to say that Libyan forces loyal to his family "will never surrender, even if western powers intervene".

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x677397">Text of UN resolution 1973. How will a no fly zone work? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWEwehTtK2k">AJE reports.

Belgium: http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/monde/2011-03-21/les-f-16-belges-dans-le-feu-de-l-action-829588.php">Six F-16 Falcon fighter jets of the Belgian Air Component. Bulgaria: The Bulgarian Navy Wielingen class frigate Drazki http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2011-03-23&article=35828">will participate in the naval blockade. Canada: Canadian Forces Air Command has deployed http://www.cefcom-comfec.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/mobile/index-eng.asp">a total 440 military personnel as well as the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Charlottetown are participating in operations. Denmark: The Royal Danish Air Force http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/ECE1227910/denmark-to-send-squadron-on-libya-op/">is participating with six F-16AM fighters. France: French Air Force which realizes 25% of NATO's strikes http://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/autres-operations/harmattan/libye-debut-des-operations-aeriennes-francaises">is participating in the mission with 51 Mirage and Rafale Aircraft. Greece: The Elli-class frigate Limnos of the Hellenic Navy http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2011/03/20/greek-defence-ministry-no-participation-in-operations-outside-the-nato/">is currently in the waters off Libya as part of the naval blockade. Italy: Four Tornado ECRs of the Italian Air Force http://www.corriere.it/esteri/11_marzo_20/tripoli-bombardamento-chiesta-riunione-onu_2e95d102-52c0-11e0-a725-dbe20f0ba2b5.shtml">participated in SEAD operations. Jordan: Six Royal Jordanian Air Force fighter jets http://www.allheadlinenews.com/briefs/articles/90043651?After%20hesitation%2C%20Jordan%20joins%20in%20Libya%20no-fly%20campaign">landed at a coalition airbase in Europe on 4 April to provide "logistical support." NATO: E-3 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) http://www.adressa.no/nyheter/nordtrondelag/article1606878.ece">aircraft operated by NATO. Netherlands: The Royal Netherlands Air Force http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/dutch-f-16s-operational-over-libya">provides six F-16AM fighters and a KDC-10 refuelling plane. Norway: The Royal Norwegian Air Force has http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/libya/artikkel.php?artid=10091294">deployed six F-16AM fighters to Souda Bay Air Base. Qatar: The Qatar Armed Forces are http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123248695">contributing six Mirage 2000-5EDA fighter jets and two C-17 strategic transport aircraft. Romania: The Romanian Naval Forces http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-politic-8423876-traian-basescu-sustine-declaratie-presa-ora-21-00-dupa-sedinta-csat.htm">will participate in the naval blockade with the frigate Regele Ferdinand. Spain: The Spanish Armed Forces are http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Espana/intervendra/cazas/F-18/fragata/F-100/submarino/avion/vigilancia/maritima/elpepuint/20110319elpepuint_14/Tes">participating with four F-18 fighters. Sweden: The Royal Swedish Air Force will http://www.swedishwire.com/politics/9050-sweden-offers-eight-fighter-jets-for-libya-mission">commit eight JAS 39 Gripen jets for the international air campaign. Turkey: The Turkish Navy http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/03/24/general-libya-diplomacy_8373237.html">will participate with five ships and one submarine in the NATO-led naval blockade to enforce the arms embargo. United Arab Emirates: The United Arab Emirates Air Force http://www.wam.org.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1300255413630&p=1135099400124&pagename=WAM%2FWamLocEnews%2FW-T-LEN-FullNews">sent six F-16 Falcon and six Mirage 2000 fighter jets to join the mission. United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force has http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/TyphoonJoinsTornadoInLibyaGroundAttackOperations.htm">deployed 12 Tornado and 10 Typhoon fighters, surveillance aircraft, and air refuelling tankers. United States: The United States has http://www.webcitation.org/5xJ8qNGGe">deployed a naval force of 11 ships and are using MQ-1 Predator UAVs to strike targets in Libya on 23 April.

"One month ago (Western countries) were sooo nice, so nice like pussycats," Saif says in a contemptuous sing-song tone."Now they want to be really aggressive like tigers. (But) soon they will come back, and cut oil deals, contracts. We know this game." - http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2058389,00.html">Saif Gaddafi

(Yeah, Saif, as if you weren't "cutting oil deals, contracts" with western states. Who are the 'tigers' now? Bombing your own people.)

http://english.libya.tv/2011/04/25/eastern-libyans-believe-in-national-unity-distrust-au-and-turkish-mediation-survey-reveals/">The first free public opinion poll ever conducted in Libya reveals clues to Eastern Libyan sentiments
* 98 percent of the respondents do not support the division of Libya as a part of the political solution for the current conflict with the Gaddafi regime. Around 95 percent also don’t see any role for Gaddafi or his sons in a transitional period, and think it is impossible to implement any political reform in Libya if Gaddafi or one of his sons stays in power

* Around 96 percent of those polled, believe that the 17th of February revolution can consolidate the national unity of Libya and support the model of a democratic Libya based on a constitution which respects human rights

* Al-Qaeda has not played any role in the 17th of February revolution, say 94 percent of the Eastern Libyans, and 91 percent thinks it’s impossible for Al-Qaeda to play any political role in the new Libya

* The National Transitional Council is seen by 92 percent of those surveyed as “expressing the views and wishes of Libyans for change”

This is equivalent to 17% the entire population of Libya, doing the numbers very conservatively.

http://jenkinsear.com/2011/03/19/a-legal-war-the-united-nations-participation-act-and-libya/">A Legal War: The United Nations Participation Act and Libya
The above link is to an overview of why Obama's implementation of the NFZ and R2P is perfectly legal under the law. I will not post it entirely here, however, all objections come down to the misinformed position that Obama, by using forces in Libya, was invoking Article 43 of the United Nations. This is wrong. Obama invoked Article 42, which does not require congressional approval to implement. Proof of this is that Article 43 has http://www.un.org/en/sc/repertoire/actions.shtml#rel5">never been used.

It goes like this: The US law (Title 22, Chap. 7, Subchap. XIV § 287d) grants the President the right to invoke UN Article 42 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode22/usc_sec_22_00000287---d000-.html">without authorization, the War Powers Act (Title 50, Chap. 33 § 1541) grants the President permission to act without authorization under http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/50/1541–1548.html">"specific statutory authorization" which, by definition, is what 287d does. § 1543 of the War Powers Act requires the President to report to Congress, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/obama_explains_libya_mission_to_congress/2011/03/03/ABU9377_blog.html">which he did. One can argue all day and night about the legality of the War Powers Act, doesn't change the fact that under the law as it is written, the President acted within the law.

Editorials worth reading.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2011/03/2011328194855872276.html">Libyan Karzai? Chalabi? Forget it, http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/04/04/110404taco_talk_anderson#ixzz1HvS7iW22">Who Are the Rebels?, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/29/vision-democratic-libya-interim-national-council">A vision of a democratic Libya, http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/is-qaddafi-an-anti-racist/">Is Qaddafi an anti-racist?, http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2011/04/20/left-slipping-towards-qaddafi">The left: slipping towards Gaddafi?, http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2011/04/27/once-again-“stop-bombing”">Once again on "stop the bombing", http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/an-open-letter-to-the-left-on-libya.html">An Open Letter to the Left on Libya, http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/top-ten-ways-that-libya-2011-is-not-iraq-2003.html">Top Ten Ways that Libya 2011 is Not Iraq 2003, http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/09/110509fa_fact_anderson">Sons of the Revolution

Mohammed Nabbous, killed by Gaddafi's forces while trying to report on the massacre in Benghazi

"I'm not afraid to die, I'm afraid to lose the battle" -Mohammed Nabbous, a month ago when all this began

I'm struggling to come up with something to say about this man. I was not aware of the Libyan uprising until I saw Mo's first report, begging for help, posted here on DU. I was stricken. Here was a man giving everything he had to explain a situation that clearly terrified him, I would not call him a coward in that moment, but you could see the fear in his eyes, and desperation in his voice. For 30 days Nabbous would spend many hours covering the uprising in Benghazi. For many nights I would go to sleep with the webcast of Benghazi live on my computer screen, looking to it occasionally to be sure it was still 'there.' Mo treated the chat room as if we were his friends, and in some way, we were. I never signed up to LiveStream to thank him for all his work and it seems somewhat shallow to do so now, given that I was a lurker for so long. Ever since I took over posting these threads "Libya Alhurra" has been linked as a source of information. It wasn't until last night, when I posted, and twitter posted on Mo's adventures out into Benghazi to try to determine the truth of the situation, that Mo's webchannel became a hit, over 2000 people were watching him stream live. This was curious to him because he'd done many reports like this in the past but he appeared somewhat bemused that the view count exploded as it did. Last night Mo became a star. This is a man who first started out with a webcast replete with fear and desperation finally overcoming that aspect of himself and losing that fear, to become someone who was a fighter for the resistance just as much as those who held the guns. Reporting on the front lines of Benghazi became his final act, and for that he should never, ever be forgotten. I'm so sorry Mo that I never got to know you better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EXALI60hg">Mo's first report, which many of you may remember, begging for help.

Mo leaves behind a wife who is with child, she had http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/23/a_bright_voice_from_libyas_darkness">this to say about the No Fly Zone and R2P UN resolution:

We started this in a pure way, but he turned it bloody. Thousands of our men, women, and children have died. We just wanted our freedom, that's all we wanted, we didn't want power. Before, we could not do a single thing if it was not the way he wanted it. All we wanted was freedom. All we wanted was to be free. We have paid with our blood, with our families, with our men, and we're not going to give up. We are still going to do that no matter what it takes, but we need help. We want to do this ourselves, but we don't have the weapons, the technology, the things we need. I don't want anyone to say that Libya got liberated by anybody else. If NATO didn't start moving when they did, I assure you, I assure you, half of Benghazi if not more would have been killed. If they stop helping us, we are going to be all killed because he has no mercy anymore.

[joshcryer]

1. Current time in Libya, 3:32am Tuesday, May 10

[joshcryer]

2. Libya: Part 2 - The Uprising

This was added to the OP under the Libyan Revolution context videos, but it deserves highlighting in the thread itself, since it will likely go overlooked there. Thanks to tabatha for finding it!

http://youtu.be/z41kQvx4uKw

[pinboy3niner]

3. K&R

[pinboy3niner]

4. NATO jets carrying out heavy bombardment in Tripoli

Jets carried out eight strikes in roughly three hours in an unusually heavy bombardment of Tripoli, which is usually hit by at most two or three strikes at a time.

Four explosions rocked the Libyan capital shortly after 2:00 am (0000 GMT) on Tuesday, shaking the windows of a hotel housing journalists.

They were quickly followed by two more blasts. Sirens and shouts could be heard in the distance following the air strikes, as sporadic shots from assault rifles and heavier weapons rang out and jets continued to overfly the city.

3:55am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[joshcryer]

5. Interesting observation of Libya's internet, by Google:

From http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/traffic/?r=LY&l=EVERYTHING&csd=1297962000000&ced=1300381200000">here. I believe I posted this before but it's telling.

[pinboy3niner]

6. With Help From NATO, Libyan Rebels Gain Ground

Source: New York Times

By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: May 9, 2011



QARYAT AZ ZURAYQ, Libya — Rebel fighters made significant gains Monday against forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in both the western and eastern areas of the country, in the first faint signs that NATO airstrikes may be starting to strain the government forces.


In the besieged western city of Misurata hundreds of rebels broke through one of the front lines late on Sunday, and by Monday afternoon were consolidating their position on the ground a few miles to the city’s west.

...


While not in itself a decisive shift for a city that remained besieged, the swift advance, made with few rebel casualties, carried both signs of rebel optimism and hints of the weakness of at least one frontline loyalist unit.


But more potential signs of loyalist weakness emerged in a battle near the eastern oil town of Brega, where rebel fighters killed more than 36 Qaddafi soldiers and destroyed more than 10 vehicles, according to a senior rebel military official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about military operations. Six rebel fighters died in the battle, the official said, adding that the rebel troops retreated east from Brega after the attack on orders from NATO, presumably in advance of airstrikes.

...


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/world/africa/10libya.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

[Yosarian71]

11. So what actually happened in Tripoli last night?

Just some skirmishes?

I still think the increasing level of guerrilla activity in Tripoli and Zawiya is promising, particularly as the Misurata forces push out along the coastal road. Zlitan will be tough to liberate. It does seem like the regime forces in Brega are seriously compromised.

It appears that even the loyalists are figuring out an exit strategy. The early defectors to the revolution did so because of philosophy. The last defectors will do so because of practicality. They are determining the point at which they can defect with the minimum risk to themselves. The NTC can make some pronouncements to turn up the pressure on wavering officers. Regardless, it appears that some of Gaddafi's security forces are helping the rebels in Tripoli.

[pinboy3niner]

12. Actually, I'm just catching up

I got some much-needed sleep today, so I got my news from you and Tabatha and Iterate when I reviewed the last thread.

The Reuters correspondent reported hearing no gunfire in Tripoli, despite the twitter reports, so it's not clear how much in those tweets was accurate. Still, it looks like something positive is happening there.

You're about as on top of this as anyone, with a good sense of where things stand.

In case you haven't seen it, check out this L.A. Times report from Ajdabiya:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-deadlock-20110510,0,2158182.story

[Yosarian71]

14. Reuters and LA Times: FAIL

I don't believe anything that comes out of Reuters on this story. There has been fighting in Tripoli every night for weeks. For him to claim he didn't hear any gunshots destroys his credibility.

The LA Times article is more of the same "stalemate" meme that is being proven false every day. The rebels had a successful attack near Brega against a regime army hanging by a thread, Yefren was cleared, there is increasing guerrilla activity in Tripoli and Zawiya and the Misurata rebels are engaging whatever constitutes the Khamis Brigade now in Zlitan. All of that reported through mainstream sources.

The rebels have gone from regular citizens to defeating Gaddafi's forces within 2.5 months. Most revolts take years.

[pinboy3niner]

15. I agree

In fact, I was just about to post the LAT story with similar comments.

[joshcryer]

7. cjchivers: Homemade Libyan Weapons (look at this shotgun!):

http://cjchivers.com/post/5345796698/on-the-nyt-libyan-rebels-advance">On the NYT: Libyan Rebels Advance.
Even as the fight moves down the roads again, some of the sights are head-spinning. Today a rebel commander proudly — ok, maybe mischievously — pulled me aside to show me a new weapon. Have a look.

These are sections of scored pipe, packed with explosives and closed with plumbers’ fittings to become home-made pineapple grenades. The commander, who does not want to have face shown, had a bag of them.

Or how about this? It’s a shotgun, sort of. Basically it’s a section of framing lumber fashioned into a stock, and joined to a threaded pipe (I mean, barrel) and outfitted with a simple home-made trigger. It has a cocking mechanism as well, which draws and locks back a spring-loaded firing pin that the trigger releases, causing this “weapon” to “fire.”

More at link.

[pinboy3niner]

8. Eman al-Obeidi: Father of alleged Libyan rape victim says she is in Qatar

By the CNN Wire Staff
May 9, 2011 -- Updated 2317 GMT (0717 HKT)


STORY HIGHLIGHTS

•Eman al-Obeidy accused Libyan security forces of rape in March

•She crossed into Tunisia on Thursday, she tells CNN
She is hoping for protection from a Western government

•Her father says she is now in Qatar, declining to provide more detail

(CNN) -- The father of the woman who was dragged away by officials loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi after telling journalists that some of his troops had beaten and raped her said Monday that his daughter is in Qatar.

Eman al-Obeidy, who garnered worldwide attention for her vocal allegations against Gadhafi's regime, had told CNN she fled Libya, fearing for her safety.

Her father declined to provide further details about her whereabouts, but said he spoke to her Monday and she told him she is in Qatar.

Al-Obeidy told CNN in a previous interview that she crossed into Tunisia on Thursday with the help of a defecting military officer and his family.

...


http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/09/libya.rape.case/index.html?hpt=T2

[Yosarian71]

40. "alleged"?

Unless CNN has some credible information otherwise, Ms. Obeidy is a "rape victim". There is nothing alleged about it.

[pinboy3niner]

9. Libya: Misrata rebels 'push back troops'

Source: BBC

9 May 2011 Last updated at 23:31 ET


The rebels say Misrata remains surrounded, but that they have advanced about 30km (18 miles) to the west.

An AFP correspondent in Misrata said the rebels were now in control of a stretch of coastline heading towards the capital.

A rebel spokesman, Mohammed, told the BBC: "We've pushed Gaddafi away from Misrata."

He said the morale of the rebels was high, and that "they want to keep going".

...


A Red Cross ship successfully docked in Misrata on Monday, bringing medical equipment, baby food and spare parts for electrical and water systems.

...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13341143

[On the Road]

10. Excellent News

I think there's going to come a breaking point in the next couple of weeks after which things will start to move fast again.

[tabatha]

13. Source newlibya

1. NATO requested from the pro-democracy Fighters to withdraw from the area between Ajdabiya and Brega all the way back to Ajdabiya because it wants to bomb new forces that showed up in Brega. Aljazeera showed hundred of military vehicles mounted with weapons and fighters heading toward Ajdabiya. This a good sign of cooperation between NATO and NTC.

2. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) said that it destroyed the major heavy weapons of Gaddafi near Western Mountains. It destroyed 8 bases of Russian made long range missiles type SCUD-B that can reach 300 Km. This is good since it will strip Gaddafi of a long range weapon he would have used when desperate.

3. The pro-democracy Fighters gained more land against Gaddafi forces. Today, they liberated the town of Zureiq, 25 Km from Misrata. After inflicting heavy casualties on Gaddafi forces. This is a major victory since it shows that the fighters are now reaching beyond Misrata and it could be the beginning of the defeat of the forces in that area.

4. Now, after Zurieq, the pro-democracy Fighters are set to go toward the strategic village of Dafina, 35 Km from Misrata.

5.Fighting continued in Misrata area between the pro-democracy Fighters and Gaddafi forces near the airport, military academy, and Bou Ruqiya. They said they strengthened their control of Bou Reqiya.

6. There is also reported fighting near. The pro-democracy fighters were able to reach the crossroad leading to the town Zleitin at a time when the food and medical supplies are becoming scarce in the city.

7. NATO Planes continued bombing the ammunition and weaponry storages near Zintan.

8. The pro-democracy Fighters denied the denied the false news broadcasted on the Libyan state TV that some of the fighters in Misrata surrendered and turned themselves on. The spokesperson Ahmad Hassan said that these are the lies of the regime and no one surrender or will surrender, and we are firm with full confidence to continue the fight even if we have to do it with our nails and teeth.

9. The Libyan Red Crscent accused Gaddafi forces for using the logo signs of Red Cross and Red Crescent to attack the people of Misrata. Fawziya Al-Farjani requested from the International Red Cross and the International Red Crescent to condemns the act which has happened few times before.

10. The harbor of Misrata has been reopened after continuous attempts by Gaddafi forces to destroy it.

11. Volunteering specialized teams and experts started cleaning the area of Misrata and the neighboring area from land mines that Gaddafi forces deployed in the area prior to withdrawing.

12. The same teams are also removing the unexploded bombs and rockets that resulted from bombing the city by Gaddafi forces. Usually they blow them up. This step is in preparation for the return of the people of Misrata who fled during the siege that lasted two months.

13. NATO Planes bombed convoys of four wheel drive cars equipped with weapons in the Jiyara area (As-Sabkhah) when it was trying to reach the harbor.

14. NATO planes also bombed the area of Shantin (Tmeina) east of Misrata.


Source: http://newlibya.com/?p=81

[pinboy3niner]

16. Libyan rebels caught in an uneasy lull

Source: Los Angeles Times

Rumors of renewed fighting with Kadafi's troops abound in Ajdabiya. The stalemate born of NATO's airstrike aid continues with no end in sight.


By Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times
May 10, 2011
Reporting from Ajdabiya, Libya—


Rumors of renewed fighting circulate in the mostly abandoned city of Ajdabiya in eastern Libya, even without any recent pitched battles between rebels and forces loyal to longtime leader Moammar Kadafi.

...


Atia was among the steady trickle of residents starting to return to the once-bustling city of more than 100,000.


Control of Ajdabiya, about 100 miles south of the de facto rebel capital of Benghazi, shifted several times before rebels opposed to Kadafi's autocratic rule assumed control in March after NATO air attacks against his forces. The front line moved 20 to 30 miles west, on the coastal highway toward the oil refinery town of Port Brega, where Kadafi forces have been digging in.


The rebels say they are using the lull in fighting to train recruits and, at some point, prepare a coordinated offensive for a breakthrough to the west. A visit to Ajdabiya this week, however, revealed little evidence of a pending military push: No command centers, supply depots or large-scale troop movements were visible.

...


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-deadlock-20110510,0,2158182.story

The stalemate meme persists, even after the gains in the Nafusa Mtns. and the new breakout at Misrata.

The Ajdabiya report is disappointing, as we expected active staging there for a breakout on the Eastern front. At the same time, how much of their preparations would the opposition allow the press to see?

[pinboy3niner]

17. Airstrikes Hit Government Sites in Tripoli

Source: Wall Street Journal

MAY 9, 2011, 11:41 P.M. ET
By RICHARD BOUDREAUX


TRIPOLI, Libya—Warplanes from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization struck the Libyan capital late Monday and early Tuesday, demolishing parts of at least two government buildings in an intensifying campaign to halt Col. Moammar Gadhafi's attacks on rebel-held civilian areas.

There were no reports of fatalities in those buildings but doctors said two blasts shattered windows in a hospital near one of the targets, injuring a 6-year-old boy.

The attacks came hours after NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that time was running out for the Libyan leader, who he said "should realize sooner rather than later that there's no future for him or his regime."

...


At least four explosions were heard after 2 a.m. Tuesday. Two airstrikes hit a four-story building that government escorts said had once been an intelligence headquarters but now belonged to the Agriculture Ministry.

...


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576314140966451606.html

[Tx4obama]

18. I'm getting upset with The New York Times, they haven't updated their map in a long time

anyone have a link to a newer map than the one in the OP?

[joshcryer]

20. Reuters has one that was updated a week ago:

http://uk.reuters.com/places/libya

Otherwise no, basically no updates because ... nothing is happening as far as control is concerned.

I prefer the graphical representation of NYT even though Reuters is a few days ahead there's no information there conveyed that NYT isn't conveying.

[Tx4obama]

22. Ah, okay. Thanks for the info. I thought maybe the NYT's map guy went on vacation or something

It didn't dawn on me that there weren't any changes, there for awhile it was changing everyday.

[tabatha]

19. NATO warplanes strike Libyan capital in heaviest bombing in weeks

TRIPOLI, LIBYA—Rebels battled Moammar Gadhafi's forces on a deadlocked front line in eastern Libya, and NATO warplanes struck Tripoli early Tuesday in the heaviest bombing of the Libyan capital in weeks.

Overnight, NATO warplanes struck at least four sites in Tripoli, setting off crackling explosions that thundered through the Libyan capital.

One strike hit a building that local residents said was used by a military intelligence agency. Another targeted a government building that officials said was sometimes used by parliament members.

It was not immediately clear what the other two strikes hit, but one of them sent plumes of smoke over the city. Libyan officials would not say what that strike hit but the smoke appeared to come from the sprawling compound housing members of Gadhafi's family.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/988597--nato-warplanes-strike-libyan-capital-in-heaviest-bombing-in-weeks?bn=1


A rebel fighter reacts after hearing the news of a dead comrade during fighting against Moammar Gadhafi's forces, in Ajdabia, Libya, Monday, May 9, 2011. Rodrigo Abd/AP

[pinboy3niner]

23. Witnesses reported a series of strikes on Bab al-Aziziya, Gaddafi's compound

The Libyan capital Tripoli has experienced a series of heavy blasts and gunfire by what is thought to be Nato air missile strikes.

Eyewitness reports say the five blasts took place in quick succession and are reported to have targeted the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi’s compound.

http://feb17.info/media/heavy-explosions-rock-tripoli/

[tabatha]

25. This was predicted by Gerhard Heinz.

I have found no follow-up posts since then.

[pinboy3niner]

26. You've posted some good reports from him

Thanks for those. This is the endgame he talked about. I hope we'll se more reports from him soon.


:hi:

[catchnrelease]

21. K&R

[tabatha]

24. Gaddafi's crimes

Gaddafi Crimes since 1969

Credits for this go to @MsEntropy. If you wish to add or edit anything convo her or me (here on FB or on twitter @MushuThaLohari).

Sources, among others, include: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, The National Front for the Salvation of Libya, Reuters, and family requests.

Important Note: This list is by no means exhaustive. It represents merely the most notorious crimes of Gaddafi’s regime, and those that have the clearest documentation—quite difficult in such a repressive and closed system. Please add your own (verifiable) to the list, and preserve chronology and details whenever possible: all names deserve to be recorded.

1969
1969: Gaddafi seizes power, declares political parties illegal, begins to murder dissidents & decimates civil society. Thus begins a 42-year reign that will break countless hearts inside and outside Libya.

1970s: Decade Overview
As Gaddafi consolidates his strangehold on power, the decade is marked by public hangings, harassment of those suspected in political party affiliation, and televised executions which school children are forced to watch.

http://newlibya.com/?p=84#more-84

(Never heard of this site before today. Seems as though they have been on Facebook for a while.
"Featured collections from the "Free Libya" facebook group.)

[pinboy3niner]

27. U.N. Urges Ships to Help Migrants in Mediterranean

Source: The New York Times

Tuesday, May 10, 2011
By ALAN COWELL and ELISABETTA POVOLEDO


PARIS -- The United Nations refugee agency has urged the crews of ships in the Mediterranean to keep watch for unseaworthy vessels carrying migrants from war-torn Libya after a report that a ship with 600 people on board broke up just off the port of Tripoli on Friday.


Witnesses in Tripoli said the ship was only 100 yards from shore when it broke up, Sybella Wilkes, a spokeswoman for the Geneva-based organization, said Monday. "It's not clear how many people died or drowned," she said, but 16 bodies -- including those of two babies -- had been recovered.

...



Ms. Wilkes said there had been a "dramatic increase in the number of boats making this terrible journey," as migrants, many of them from sub-Saharan Africa, tried to flee Libya's turmoil, heading for sanctuary on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

...


Some officials said the ships arriving from North Africa have been larger and more overcrowded than in the past. "They're unfit boats sailed by unskilled crew, and they're overcrowded -- the risk has grown exponentially," Ms. Boldrini said. At least three ships sailing from Libya are believed to have sunk since March, she said.

...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11130/1145464-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml#ixzz1LviRJ3op

[pinboy3niner]

28. AJE has a video report from Tony Birtley in Ajdabiya

I'm on a loaner computer that has video problems, but you can see the video here:

7:37am
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[pinboy3niner]

29. Witness describes Tripoli airstrikes

Trabulsia, a resident of Tripoli, spoke to Al Jazeera about NATO's airstrike on the capital early on Tuesday:

It started off at the (Libyan state) TV station.. After that, about 2 and a half hours ago there was six big hits, two were at the compound where Colonel Gaddafi stays and the other four were at an intelligence building in Zawiyyah Street. First it was a bombard from the air from the NATO airplanes and the others were rockets where you can hear them very very loudly. After you hear the rocket you hear a huge explosion and even some of the civillians reported the reflection of those bombardments and the sounds were very very heavy and there was smoke reported after every strike.

9:19am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[pinboy3niner]

31. New AJE video report on Tripoli airstrikes:

NATO warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, witnesses said.

They told Al Jazeera the attacks targeted several sites, including Muammar Gaddafi's compound.

Monica Villamizar reports (video at link).


9:41am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[pinboy3niner]

30. Harvard Professor Says He Was Misled After Monitor Admits Lobbying Efforts in Libya

Source: The Harvard Crimson

By Gautam S. Kumar, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Published: Monday, May 09, 2011


...


“If I had known that a primary purpose of the visit to Libya was to influence public opinion in the United States, I would not have gone,” he said in an interview with The Globe.

...


“To put it simply, a tyrant wanted a crimson-tinged report that he was running a democracy,” Lewis said at the meeting, encouraging University President Drew G. Faust to publicly censure Porter. “Shouldn’t Harvard acknowledge its embarrassment, and might you remind us that when we parlay our status as Harvard professors for personal profit, we can hurt both the University and all of its members?”

...


In an email to The Crimson yesterday, Lewis repeated his call for University action given the recent developments.


“It does seem to me that with all the Harvard connections that are in these news stories about Monitor, it’s time for the University to say something about it,” Lewis wrote. “It’s awkward and embarrassing for the University to act as though it hadn’t noticed or doesn’t care.”


http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/5/9/harvard-university-work-lewis/

[pinboy3niner]

39. Gadhafi government courted academics, former US officials with trips to Libya

Source: The Hill

By Kevin Bogardus - 05/09/11 02:55 PM ET

...


The (Monitor) group signed an agreement with the Libyan government in February of 2006, back when Libya was trying to reconcile with the West and shed its status as a pariah state. The agreement included $250,000 in monthly fees and expenses for a contract not to exceed $2.5 million in total payments.


In a letter sent July 3, 2006, to Abd Allah al-Sanusi, the Libyan intelligence chief, Mark Fuller, then the Monitor Group's CEO, and Rajeev Singh-Molares, then a Monitor executive, said Libya “has suffered from a deficit of positive public relations and adequate contact with a wide range of opinion leaders and contemporary thinkers.”


The Monitor executives said in the letter that they could help Libya with the deficit of good will.

...


Despite proclaiming that Monitor would not lobby, Justice records have firm executives saying that they would “coordinate with (Libya’s) existing lobbyists to ensure an integrated program” and that they would “compile and contact lobbying organizations that can help with (Libya’s) objectives.”


As part of its PR campaign, Monitor also worked to “provide operational support for publication of positive articles on Libya” in several media outlets, such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

...


http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/160019-gadhafis-government-courted-academics-former-us-officials-with-trips-to-libya

[joshcryer]

32. NATO bombs Tripoli, combat stirs Libyan east front

http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-05-10-ML-Libya/id-96475f62aa04482794066064746887f1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=newsinlibya">NATO bombs Tripoli, combat stirs Libyan east front
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — NATO warplanes struck Tripoli early Tuesday in the heaviest bombing of the Libyan capital in weeks, hours after an uptick in fighting between rebels and Moammar Gadhafi's forces on a long deadlocked front line in the country's east.

NATO struck at least four sites in Tripoli, setting off crackling explosions that thundered through the city overnight. One strike hit a building that local residents said was used by a military intelligence agency. Another targeted a government building that officials said was sometimes used by parliament members.

It was not immediately clear what the other two strikes hit, but one of them sent plumes of smoke over Tripoli. Libyan officials would not say what that strike hit but the smoke appeared to come from the sprawling compound housing members of Gadhafi's family.

Between explosions, an aircraft dropped burning flares. Some residents responded by raking the sky with gunfire and beeping their horns.

[pinboy3niner]

33. NATO confirms Tripoli 'command and control' targets

Nato has confirmed that its planes hit three "command and control facilities" in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, overnight.

It lists the following targets as hit:

In the vicinity of Tripoli: 3 Command & Control Facilities. In the vicinity of Mizdah: 15 Ammunition Storages. In the vicinity of Misurata: 1 Tank, 1 Command & Control Node. In the vicinity of Sirte: 2 Ammunition Storages.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/may/10/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-5

[joshcryer]

34. Interesting thing I found: Gaddafi wants EU cash to stop African migrants (2010)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11139345">Gaddafi wants EU cash to stop African migrants
...

"Tomorrow Europe might no longer be European, and even black, as there are millions who want to come in," said Col Gaddafi, quoted by the AFP news agency.

He was speaking at a ceremony in Rome late on Monday, standing next to Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

"We don't know what will happen, what will be the reaction of the white and Christian Europeans faced with this influx of starving and ignorant Africans," Col Gaddafi said.

"We don't know if Europe will remain an advanced and united continent or if it will be destroyed, as happened with the barbarian invasions."

...

That was from 2010, but he threatened to "open the floodgates" of immigration if the west intervened. Look at this article from April 2011:

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/gaddafi-hits-back-at-west-by-opening-immigrant-floodgates-2614100.html">Gaddafi hits back at West by opening immigrant floodgates
Libya is unleashing a wave of migrants against Europe in retaliation for the military strikes against the country.

The opening of immigration floodgates came as Italy announced that it would grant travel permits to more than 20,000 Tunisian refugees who have reached its southern-most islands in recent weeks.

Libya appears to be making good on threats issued at the start of the coalition's bombing campaign, when Moussa Ibrahim, the government spokesman, said the regime would no longer stop sub-Saharan and other refugees from trying to enter Europe by boat.

...

In neighbouring Libya, Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime is alleged to have been actively encouraging boatloads of migrants to leave the country's shores since March 22, when the first vessel sailed from Tajoura, a suburb of Tripoli.

Why are all the migration ships leaving from Tripoli? Because evil profiteers are trying to exploit sub-Saharan Africans, take their money, put them on overloaded ships.

[pinboy3niner]

35. UN agency: Libyan refugees say overcowded boat capsizes (update)

By the CNN Wire Staff
May 10, 2011 -- Updated 0937 GMT (1737 HKT)


STORY HIGHLIGHTS

•NEW: UNHCR: 16 bodies were pulled from the water, Somalia's ambassador in Tripoli says

•A Libyan government spokesman says airstrikes on Tripoli hit administrative buildings

•An aid ship brings medical supplies and food to war-torn Misrata

•NATO's secretary-general: The situation in Libya has not devolved into a stalemate

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan refugees who fled to Italy said a severely overcrowded boat with hundreds of people on board capsized near the harbor of Tripoli, a spokeswoman for the United Nations' refugee agency said Tuesday.

Laura Boldrini, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy, told CNN she received reports from Libyan refugees who arrived Saturday in Lampedusa -- an island south of mainland Italy -- that they witnessed a boat with possibly more that 600 refugees on board capsizing.

Boldrini said refugees who arrived in Lampedusa on separate boats described a horrific scene in which hundreds of people were thrown into the water. She said several of the refugees were trying to reach family members who had been on board the capsized vessel.

...


Rasmussen denied that the situation in Libya had devolved into a "stalemate," insisting that NATO was "making progress" and had "taken out" a substantial part of Gadhafi's military capability. He said a political solution was required to bring the conflict to an end, but "it's hard to imagine an end to the violence as long as Gadhafi remains in power."

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/10/libya.war/?hpt=T2

[pinboy3niner]

37. UNHCR: ANY boat from Libya is "a boat in need of assistance"

"Any boat that is leaving Libya should be considered, at first glance, as a boat in need of assistance," Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said in Geneva on Tuesday.

11:36am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[pinboy3niner]

36. Syria: Protesters rally in Homs for UN help

Anti-government protesters carry a banner during a rally in the central Syrian city of Homs accusing President Assad of violently supressing dissent. Photograph: AP

[pinboy3niner]

41. Syria: Opposition sources list hundreds of Syrian Revolution martyrs by name

A website called the Committee of Martyrs of the Syrian Revolution names 757 people killed in the violence in Syria in last seven weeks. The list includes four people it says were killed yesterday.


It also includes the names of more than 100 soldiers, members of the police or security forces. They are also listed as martyrs. Opposition claims that soldiers have been shot for refusing to fire against protesters.


The Syrian regime denies this. It is also trying to lay claim to the term 'martyr'. The state news agency Sana has regular updates on the funerals of "martyrs from the army".


It's latest report says: "The martyrs' bodies were carried up on hands, while the military band played the music of the 'Martyr' and the 'Farewell'."


The Arab news site On Islam lists the names of 880 people killed in the violence. The most recent killings on its list were recorded last Friday.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/may/10/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-8

[Yosarian71]

49. I don't think non-violence is going to work here

Assad doesn't care. My over/under for fatalities for a non-violent protest to be effective is 100. If a non-violent protest is going to be effective, the ruler should have stopped long before he got to 100. If he is willing to blow by that number, and is well on his way to 1,000 deaths, he really doesn't care. I think the protesters have two choices: 1) try to work within the system such as it is, or 2) move to full scale revolt. Their current strategy is just going to result in more needless deaths.

[Iterate]

38. Al Arabiya News: Qaddafi and son Saif, top Libyan officials, to be issued arrest warrants by ICC

Qaddafi and son Saif, top Libyan officials, to be issued arrest warrants by ICC
Monday, 09 May 2011
By TALAL AL-HAJ AND DINA AL-SHIBEEB
Al Arabiya

The general prosecutor of the International Criminal Court plans to request that ICC pre-trial judges issue arrest warrants against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and his son Saif Al Islam for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

...

ICC prosecutors are currently preparing evidence and will disclose the list of all those to be indicted next week and maybe as early as Monday, May 16. It is highly unlikely that Mr. Qaddafi will accept ICC summons, let alone allow himself to be arrested.

...

Meanwhile, sending an ICC official letter to the Libyan regime has proved no easy task. Many Libyan ambassadors have defected and abandoned Mr. Qaddafi over the continuing crackdown against demonstrators and rebels in the country.

However the Libyan ambassador to Belgium, Mr. Al Hadi Ahmed Hudaiba, did not defect. He received the ICC letter asking the Libyan authorities to immediately arrest those who are indicted by the ICC judges.

...

Complete:
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/05/09/148482.html

Also mentioned as a candidate for indictment is Libya’s head of intelligence, Abdullah Al Senussi.

[Iterate]

42. An escape from the Arab Spring: one migrant's voyage to Europe

An escape from the Arab Spring: one migrant's voyage to Europe
Mohamed Munadi's Tunisian village was barely affected by the uprising, but he was one of many who fled when Libya erupted

Jack Shenker in Oria
The Guardian, Monday 9 May 2011

Everybody on the boat smoked. There was nothing else to do, except when the storms came and waves battered the vessel, as water sloshed across the deck and passengers frantically bailed it out.

For 22-year-old Mohamed Munadi, the storms were a respite. They gave him something else to focus on.

"To be lost there where the water is black … it's worse than the desert," he said, drawing on a cigarette in the early evening sunshine of Oria, the town in southern Italy where many Tunisian migrants are based. "You get scared, and you start to imagine how you will die. Sometimes I imagined I would drink so much sea water that I would die, or that my heart would stop from fear. Eventually I would sleep. And at those moments I would ask myself: 'Mohamed, you did all this for Europe? All this for a job?'"

...

After he set out at night from the Tunisian village of Dahibah on 10 March, leaving his family behind and beginning a 2,000-mile journey north, Munadi's life became a bundle of extremes, of the epic and the mundane. The decision to leave home was the biggest of his life; now, waiting in a camp for a permit that would determine his future, he was at the mercy of bureaucrats in far-off offices who made decisions about what he could eat, where he could sleep and how his life would unfold. His horizons had expanded to take in a new continent, yet he was focused solely on obtaining a 9cm-by-12cm scrap of paper to determine his eligibility to reside legally in Europe.

...

Complete: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/09/escape-arab-spring-migrant-voyage

[pinboy3niner]

43. NATO chief: Libya rebels not influenced by Al Qaeda or religious extremism

Excerpt from NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's interview Monday with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:


On whether the Libyan opposition includes extremists or terrorists with whom we should exercise caution:

Obviously, the opposition is made up by many different groups within the Libyan society. But we have no information or no intelligence that extremists should play any significant role within the opposition. On the contrary, it’s our clear impression that the dominant groups within the opposition represent broad groups within the Libyan society that call for freedom and democracy. So, it’s not an opposition affected by al-Qaida’s poisonous ideology or religious extremism or things like that.


And in general … I think that’s the encouraging perspective in what we call the Arab Spring, that the driving force is a strong core, not least from the young generation, a strong core for freedom and democracy. They renounce violence, they renounce extremism. They are not in any way attracted by religious extremism, and the whole ideology of the militant terrorist networks. So, basically, I’m very optimistic about the developments in the region.

http://blogs.ajc.com/kyle-wingfield/2011/05/10/nato-chief-visits-atlanta-talks-libya-defense-spending/?cxntfid=blogs_kyle_wingfield

[Iterate]

44. Cruising Tripoli: fuel crisis at Gurji Gas station

4Adam: #Tripoli's fuel crisis Gurji Gas station http://t.co/p9es0me #Libya
about 6 hours ago

Yet another tour of Tripoli and a drive along a gas queue with a "dash cam". These might seem mundane -until you remember that recording and distributing this is a punishable offense and getting caught would likely get you disappeared.

http://youtu.be/0La0IIsxRiM

[pinboy3niner]

45. Who's in charge? Sorting out Libya's rebel armies

Source: BBC

10 May 2011 Last updated at 05:51 ET

Andrew Harding
Africa correspondent

...


The rebel's military spokesman, Col Akmed Banni, acknowledges there are still many problems: "It's all true," he smiles. But he insists the lines of command are slowly being mapped out, and "the picture should change next week".


But that still leaves the rebel army with another, perhaps bigger headache - their continued lack of weapons. The colonel rattles off a long shopping list including anti-tank missiles, night-vision equipment, communication systems, and even radar.


"Some we are getting already - from our friends in the free world," he says, declining to provide details. But it's not enough to launch a big offensive.


"What we have is enough to make us resist - just resist - the attacks of Gaddafi's brigades. We are waiting for other weapons in order to start to liberate our country."

...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13345413

[Iterate]

46. ICRC: Libya: much-needed humanitarian aid reaches Misrata

Libya: much-needed humanitarian aid reaches Misrata
09-05-2011 News Release 11/111

Benghazi/Geneva (ICRC) – A ship chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived in Misrata this morning, carrying medical supplies for the hospital, spare parts to repair water and electrical supply systems, and baby food for the civilian population.

ICRC staff have returned to the conflict-torn city to bring aid to victims and visit people detained by the Libyan armed opposition.

The ICRC is concerned about recent allegations of the red cross or red crescent emblem being used for military purposes in Libya. "The alleged practices, if true, represent a serious misuse of the emblem," said Georgios Georgantas, the ICRC's deputy head of operations for North and West Africa. "The red cross and red crescent emblems are the distinctive signs set out in the Geneva Conventions for the purpose of indicating and protecting personnel, vehicles and facilities providing medical or other humanitarian aid. They may not be used by bodies or persons not entitled to do so."

Complete and total respect for the emblem is essential to enable the ICRC and the Libyan Red Crescent to bring assistance and protection to people affected by the armed conflict. The emblem must be respected at all times and throughout the country.

"Today's distribution of aid for victims of the fighting in Misrata will be carried out in close cooperation with Libyan Red Crescent volunteers," said Simon Brooks, the ICRC's head of mission in Benghazi. "We are bringing in four kits of surgical instruments, surgical disposable dressings and other medical supplies, and 8,000 jars of baby food. We will also continue vital work with a view to reducing the danger of unexploded devices in the streets of Misrata."

Clearly marked vehicles are on board the ICRC-chartered ship. "We aim to use the vessel as a floating platform, from which we can carry out our work and reach victims on the ground with increased mobility," added Mr Brooks.

On 4 and 5 May, another ICRC team assessed the humanitarian situation in the western outskirts of Misrata. Many people who fled the city centre have lost contact with other members of their families. The ICRC will look into means of helping them restore this contact over the coming days.

For further information, please contact:
Dibeh Fakhr, ICRC Benghazi, tel: [phone]
Steven Anderson, ICRC Geneva, tel: [phone] or [phone]

Much of this was cited in other stories posted above.

[Yosarian71]

47. MSNBC interview with Ali Tarhouni, NTC Finance Minister

Very good article. Honest assessment of NTC's challenges. They should do more of these interviews. Tarhouni is very credible, and probably the only one of the top 3 at the NTC that meets that standard. Jabril strikes me as a decent figurehead but somewhat weak and indecisive, which is probably how he got the job, and Younes still can not be trusted. Younes is the "deal with the devil" that every successful revolution has to make (see Ramos in Philippines during revolution against Marcos). Hopefully a leader will emerge out of the Battle of Misurata to take his place.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42964242/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

edit: fixed TNC to NTC. Oops.

[pinboy3niner]

48. Gaddafi's regime appears rattled by latest airstrikes--The Guardian

Gaddafi's regime appears rattled by this morning's Nato airstrikes on Tripoli, Martin Chulov reports from the Libyan capital.

We heard about six very large explosions between midnight and 2.30 in morning. The first target appeared to be a research centre that had been hit before... the building was by-and-large destroyed. A couple of hours later there were four or five very loud explosions. A military intelligence headquarters was hit, the Gaddafi compound was hit and two other buildings. It does appear to be an intensifying of the Nato campaign."

We can see smoke billowing from the area that we know is Gaddafi's compound. It is a large walled fortress area, as big as a small suburb. We don't know what was hit inside it, but certainly a plume was emerging for that at around 2.30am.

The regime does appear to be more unsettled today than it has been in the last week or so. The explosions did rattle them, they are talking about compromise. The morning after the night before things are a little different. People are a bit more apprehensive and there is a bit more trepidation in the air.

On Gaddafi's whereabouts Martin said:

There is mounting speculation about that. Gaddafi gave a live address on television hours before his son Saif al-Arab was killed in an airstrike in same compound area. He hasn't been heard from since. They (the regime) say he is in a period of mourning... The (Libyan) street does seem to think it is unusual for the leader not to pop up his head up at this time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/may/10/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-10

[Iterate]

50. Map of Tripoli

Handy for the desktop.

IbnOmar2005 Ibn Omar
http://www.twitpic.com/4vvkpg/full excellent map for those who want to know the structure of #tripoli #libya today
vor 28 Minuten

http://www.twitpic.com/4vvkpg/full

Well, at least you know I read your post.

[pinboy3niner]

56. Thanks, Iterate

And I know you read the threads, besides contributing so much to them. Congrats on some nice finds lately, and on your work on Norway--very nicely done!

:toast:

(I read your posts, too. :) )

[Iterate]

74. Nothing like trying to salvage some virtue out of a misplaced post

So I'll expand on that theme and say flat out that without your steady, eyes-on-the-prize work (and work ethic) everyone else (and I'd have been the first one) would have burned out and wasted away sniping cynical one-liners in LBN, if anything at all. I can't keep my head screwed on straight and get distracted by any shiny objects, but after a bit of healing and some focus, there you are, steady as can be (even if you are a rascal at heart).

Just like now. But I'll save up saying nice things about everyone else until later. There's plenty.

[tabatha]

51. Gerhard Heinz - latest

Gerhard Heinz 6 hours ago
roumors with a part of truth
there are clashes between ff and daffis man last night in different parts of tripoli with using ak and molotow c.
and also 2 anti tank weapons.
reuters reporter can not hear it for shure from the rixos .
gunfire in a city you can not hear over more than 10 km
clashes calm down in the early morning
more and more camping areals round the city

Gerhard Heinz 5 hours ago
brega and ras lanuf
remaining troops from daffi try to escape last week to west ,it fails
sunday monday they try to go out 15 km on the road to east and then snake thru the desert to south to reach the highway to south
nato teach them on the hard way ,there is no escape
daffi say good by to your east army

Gerhard Heinz 4 hours ago
regarding the plan
nato will start to wipe out daffis controlpoints round tripoli this days,becouse mostly they have aa guns there.
(remember nfz) the tanks on this points will be colateral damage.sorry

Gerhard Heinz 4 hours ago
zlintan and khumis
and the coastal area have the spezial support from italy -carrier you can see from there on the horizont ,nice for daffis troops to see a carrier one time in their live.

Gerhard Heinz 3 hours ago
i told you yesterday military comanders will change side
it is happend today more and more on different places.

Gerhard Heinz 3 hours ago
daffis troops in brega try to go thru the desert to jalu to attack there from two sides with the troops from south and hold the city then .
but this plan is simple stupid and they can move only some km .
for this plan they use the rest of their vehikels an leave back a lot becouse lack of petrol .
they have only self destilled diesel in the moment.
to carry out this idiotic moves under a enemy ski will come into every study book for officers as an example of bad leadership

Gerhard Heinz 2 hours ago
remember what i write weeks ago
dig in round adj.
build up offensive strengsness
try to get stronger then your enemy (with nato help)
and then hit .
the next action after clean the east will be, bring troops to misrata.
this british officers in bengasi are not idiots and learn their job very well

Gerhard Heinz 2 hours ago
no chance for him on the coastal road .
if daffis son is in brega he is trapped
i say in the earlyer days of this blog ,brega is a big planed trapp
and daffi run in without brain.
the troops in brega
short him in misrata and the western mountains
and will give him a rope in tripoli

Gerhard Heinz 2 hours ago
action from ff by see
if ff act not more then 3miles out from land there is no nato reaction and also no break of un resulution becouse no break of weapon embargo
(no weapons coming from outside libya)
if you have a look on sea -maps there is no point of swallow water between bengasi and misrata
the only critical point is the coast artellerie in sirte ,but nato have sweep them out including amu.

Gerhard Heinz 1 hour ago
some times history make a loop
i just get in from friends that libyan airforce are not longer under daffis controll
not the high ranks but all the mediun and low and they are ready to fight against regime.
(remember daffi was air-force)
other units will follow quick

Gerhard Heinz 1 hour ago
airforce means not only pilots
i you comand around 10.000 men
only 120 of them are pilot
if a complete airforce compound join ff there are alot of ground soldiers

Gerhard Heinz 1 hour ago
ff can transport even tanks on car ferris inside libyen waterways ,becaose it is inside
they will speak with nato first

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[Yosarian71]

52. fascinating

Shows what I know, calling for the rebels to attack Brega to relieve the pressure on Misrata and the Western Mountains. Based on Heinz's posts, Brega's army is finished. For the rebels to engage regime forces is smart, because it will encourage regime troops to surrender or defect, but a full-fledged attack is unnecessary at this point. Just tighten the noose.

If Benghazi troops start landing in Misurata in force, Gaddhafi has a big problem. I think he is already severely outnumbered around Misurata, and is dependent on his artillery to keep the rebels at bay.

[pinboy3niner]

54. He seems to have good intel

Good analysis, too. Heinz is very sharp--and funny!

"daffi say good by to your east army"


"the tanks on this points will be colateral damage.sorry"


"nice for daffis troops to see a carrier one time in their live."


"the troops in brega
short him in misrata and the western mountains
and will give him a rope in tripoli"


:)

[Yosarian71]

58. I think this could be over in a week

Gaddafi is on the ropes right now. His soldiers are likely outnumbered on each front, and the prior advantage they had in training is deteriorating with the huge casualties to the Khamis Brigade in Misurata and the fact that he sent an army to certain defeat in Brega. His front lines are collapsing, and the bombardments are getting worse. When the Brega army surrenders or disintegrates, the eastern rebels will capture Sirte and link up with Misurata. Tripoli is having bolder and bolder guerrilla actions every night, as are other surrounding towns.

Gaddafi's generals have an exit plan. They are not going down with the ship. I think if there is one more significant defeat such as the surrender of the Brega Army or Zlitan falling to the rebels or even pushing back the southern front of Misurata outside of artillery range, I think the pace of defections will spike, and this will turn quickly against the regime. That is what happens with every revolution. It reaches a tipping point where the senior leaders of a regime realize it is no longer tenable, and then it collapses.

I have prematurely predicted Gaddafi's demise before, so I very well might be wrong this time too, but Gaddafi's regime seems to be at the tipping point.

[tabatha]

60. I really hope so.

What a waste of talent - the killing of so many youngsters, trained doctors, nurses, professionals and all of the family members of so many Libyans. Heart breaking. No wonder they rush out to see the results of the latest NATO bombing, hoping it is one step closer to the end.


On Flickr

She is playing on Apple
a daughter of a friend of mine using his laptop to delete some of her father's mail
she is serious about it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr_hamza/5697366428/in/contacts/

[pinboy3niner]

53. Amnesty: At least 48 people killed by security forces in Syria in last 4 days

At least 48 people have been killed in Syria by the security forces in the last four days, according to research by Amnesty International.

They include 28 people who were apparently shot dead by security forces on Friday including nine in Homs, six in Hama, four in Latakia, four in Dayr al-Zor, three in Dera'a, one in Idleb and one in Damascus.

Among those killed since then four were women who were calling for the releases of hundreds of people detained by the security forces. They were named as Leila Taha, Ahlam Hwaysqeh, Marwa 'Abbas and Leila Sahiouni.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/may/10/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-18

[tabatha]

55. The Intermin National Transitional Council

Thanks to Egypt for reversing decision on Libya visa requirements
Posted on May 10, 2011 by admin_

Today it was announced that the requirement for Libyans to obtain entry visas for travel into Egypt has been reversed. Vice Chairman of the NTC, Mr. Abdul Hafeedh Ghoga commented:

“We send our heartfelt thanks to Egypt for reversing its decision on the entry visa issue. The initial decision to require entry visas was taken with good reasons in mind. However, Egypt quickly identified the difficulties created by this decision, not least the restriction of movement for those Libyans injured in battle”.

http://ntclibya.org/english/news/

This news page is a blog with many other interesting posts.

[pinboy3niner]

57. Opposition Transitional National Council now on Facebook and Twitter

Libyan expat activists on Twitter have long hoped that the opposition National Transitional Council would use social media tools to spread information, and it looks like the Council has finally taken notice: It now has a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

The NTC has used its Twitter voice in the past 24 hours to say it has paid all March salaries for public sector workers and that Egypt has reversed a decision that had required fleeing Libyans to obtain travel visas before entering the country.

3:14pm:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog



I wondered why AJE's Libya Live Blog has been silent since its last post timestamped 2:05pm (more than 5 hours ago). Well, it appears that since they quit using the date in the blog heading (though they still include it in the Syria Live Blogs), even they are confused.

After ending the blog for May 9 with a link to May 10, after the 2:05pm post they goofed and posted later entries back on the May 9 Libya Live Blog (link above). The blog that was originally created for May 10 is here:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0#may10

There has been no correction as yet.

[pinboy3niner]

59. U.S. delivers first shipment of MRE's to Benghazi

The first shipment of halal MREs - Meals Ready to Eat, a kind of reheatable food used by the military - have been delivered by the United States to opposition officials in Benghazi, the US State Department said today.

The US will next ship in uniforms, boots, and other non-combat, excess equipment from the Defense Department.

8:16pm:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog

[tabatha]

61. Gaddafi conscripts women, children to counter ground operation

Baku-APA. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has launched a large-scale conscription campaign to enroll women and children for service in his army, the pan-Arab Asharq Alawsat paper reported on Tuesday, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

"We are expecting a NATO ground invasion in Libya and we are currently preparing for any possible situation. In line with these preparations we’ve started conscripting women and children," a senior Libyan official, who wanted to remain unnamed, told the paper.
Several Western news outlets have reported that Gaddafi’s soldiers were using women and children as human shields to protect themselves from attacks in the besieged city of Misrata.

NATO air strikes have not forced Colonel Gaddafi to withdraw from power; this fact is inciting the alliance’s chiefs into starting a ground operation, the senior Libyan officials told Asharg Alawsat.

"We have reliable data that NATO is currently plotting a ground invasion," he added.
According to military experts, about 80,000 Libyan fighters remain loyal to Gaddafi.

Libyan state TV has recently shown features on women going through military training in special camps. Despite assurances that "all of these women have voluntary decided to defend their Motherland," Asharg Alawsat sources said many women are being forced to join.
Those who refuse to go to military camps and join the army are being persecuted and arrested, the paper said, referring to its sources.

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=146913

[tabatha]

62. Opposition says rebels operating out of Libyan capital

Cairo/Tripoli - According to the Libyan opposition on Tuesday, rebels are now operating out of the capital Tripoli following overnight NATO attacks on the city.

According to opposition website Brnieq, witnesses said that some schools in Tripoli raised the Free Libyan flag. The website also reported that protests took place in Tripoli's Gomaa commercial market and other parts of the city late Monday.

Although much of the capital remains under Moamer Gaddafi's control, the emerging reports that rebels are now operating out of Tripoli signals that the opposition may be gaining key ground in its campaign against the Libyan leader.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1638262.php/Opposition-says-rebels-operating-out-of-Libyan-capital

[Yosarian71]

65. The dominos are falling faster

Rebels seem to be openly operating in east of city. Gaddafi has pulled tanks back to Bab al Azizia. Apparently the regime has abandoned most of the western mountain region too. Regime forces surrounded at Misrata airport. There is an army in Zliten currently engaged with the rebels and fighting a local uprising.

I am not sure what his endgame is here. This is the time you escape if you are the Gaddafi family, because the defections are only going to increase, and every one of your security detail becomes a hero to the Libyan people if he arrests or kills you.

Gaddafi is a cockroach, but I do not see how he escapes from this trap, or even prolongs the fight much longer.

[Yosarian71]

66. Heinz updates

Better than I had thought!!!!

1 Hour ago:

i think a lot of things going on this night in tripoli.

we see in the last hours that daffi or anyone else konzentrate his troops in the quarter of his compound.

there are 2 army units now in tripoli not on daffis side ,i can not tell you the exakt places in the moment for reasons you understand ,a 3 and 4 unit are in negoations and will follow soon ,the fights in tripoli are between army units ff will join it in the night ,

brega

there is a big advance there

and misrata is out of art,range

tripoli goverment is split now


44 Minutes ago:

thepubguv

daffis soldiers are on the run in western mountains, no time for shooting


38 Minutes ago:

alex1911

close to tripoli ,good trained and with a lot of captured material

dont fight with the berbers daffi


http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[tabatha]

68. Tripolitanian Libyan

Sporadic fighting in Soog ElJum3a, families in #Tripoli fleeing the city, tanks deployed at center of city | #Libya

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

[tabatha]

63. Libya: Col Gaddafi ' trying to force refugee crisis' on Europe

Amost 1900 people from Libya, on five boats, arrived on the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Linosa this weekend alone, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said. A further vessel sank, drowning several hundred refugees whose bodies are now washing ashore along the Libyan coast.

Some of the refugees said they were forced on to the boats by Libyan troops and police, the IOM reported. Others were given free passage, in contrast to the normal practice where migrants are charged fortunes for the crossing.

“The flow of migrants from Libya to Italy has undeniably accelerated very recently,” said the IOM’s spokesman, Jean Philippe Chauzy. “Until recently, the flow to Europe was overwhelmingly Tunisians and there were no departures from Libya. But as of yesterday, a total of 12,360 people on 35 vessels have arrived in Lampedusa and Malta from Libya.”



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8505447/Libya-Col-Gaddafi--trying-to-force-refugee-crisis-on-Europe.html

[pinboy3niner]

64. UN Refugee Agency: Crisis in Libya: Urgent Appeal

Libya Emergency Appeal from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees:

HALF A MILLION CIVILIANS HAVE FLED THE CONFLICT IN LIBYA. YOUR URGENT HELP IS NEEDED TO ASSIST THEM AND PEOPLE TRAPPED INSIDE LIBYA



A UNHCR staff member distributing food to families stranded at the Egyptian border, after fleeing the violence in Libya. © UNHCR/P.Moore


As the conflict in Libya continues, over half a million people have now fled the rapidly spreading violence. On the Egyptian border, the number of Libyans crossing daily has nearly doubled compared to past weeks. Poor Libyan families of Berber origin have also started to seek refuge in southern Tunisia. These latest arrivals are in dire need of assistance.

Your much needed donation through UNHCR will help provide emergency relief items like tents and blankets for people who have been left with no choice but to flee Libya.

We are also seeking help to bring humanitarian assistance to those trapped inside Libya as the number of people displaced within the country is on the rise.

You can make a difference right now!


< Donations accepted by PayPal or credit card: >

http://www.unhcr.org/emergency/libya/global_landing.html

[pinboy3niner]

67. Deputy PM Nick Clegg backs decision to not open Britain's borders to Libyan refugees

Source: The Guardian

UK not to take part in migrant 'burden sharing' scheme proposed by EU ministers


Alan Travis, home affairs editor
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 May 2011 19.29 BST


Nick Clegg has backed a decision by the home secretary, Theresa May, not to open Britain's borders to migrants fleeing the turmoil in Libya and North Africa.


Instead the Liberal Democrat leader said Italy should be offered practical assistance in helping those refugees and migrants who manage to complete the dangerous journey from Libya across the Mediterranean.


On Thursday May is to confirm Britain's rejection of calls to take part in a European-wide "burden-sharing" scheme when she meets EU interior ministers in Brussels to discuss the north African situation.


The Guardian revealed earlier this week that European military units apparently failed to rescue 61 migrants who died after their boat ran into trouble en route to the Italian island of Lampedusa in late March. Clegg told a 60th anniversary celebration of the work of the Refugee Council in London that no one was going to accept the sight of people dying at sea. But he did not want Britain to take part in any "burden-sharing" scheme, describing it as a "some sort of version of pass the parcel. We want to make sure that every effort is made the conflict comes to an end in the first place," he said. "Obviously working with the Italians to provide practical support to those who have fled to their towns and cities is another way."

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/10/nick-clegg-border-libyan-refugees

[pinboy3niner]

69. 'Ferocious' fighting reported on western front, but rebels holding

CNN's Hala Gorani just gave that report on-air based what she was told by The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin in Misrata.

Colvin also told Gorani that because only one aid ship a week is able to dock at Misrata, medical supplies are in such short supply that doctors are having to do creative things with what they have--like using fetal monitors to detect shrapnel in the wounded.

[Yosarian71]

71. Days old report

I have not seen reports of significant shelling in Misrata today. Twitter is claiming that the airport has been liberated, although the account (Thankyou4theanger) is known for optimistic reporting so we should wait.

The front has shifted west. Misurata forces, together with Zlitan freedom fighters, are engaging Gaddafi's only remaining organized army in Zlitan. Not clear what happened to the army attacking the mountain region. I don't know if Gaddafi was able to pull it back to Tripoli or it has simply disintegrated.

[pinboy3niner]

72. Colvin is reporting from there today

There was no mention of shelling, and no further details on the fighting.

[Iterate]

70. Gaddafi stays out of public view as Nato bombs Tripoli

Gaddafi stays out of public view as Nato bombs Tripoli
Libyan leader not seen in public since bombing of son Saif al-Arab's home ten days ago

Martin Chulov in Tripoli
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 May 2011 18.20 BST

Questions are being asked across the Libyan capital about the leadership of Colonel Gaddafi, who has not been seen since he reportedly escaped the air strike 10 days ago in which his son was killed.

Libyan officials at the time confirmed that Gaddafi had been in the home of Saif al-Arab, when at least two bombs dropped by Nato jets hit the family compound.

Fighter planes returned to the skies over Tripoli on Monday night for the first time since that attack, hitting six targets in the early hours and hammering home to a tired city that the eight-weekcampaign has not run out of targets.

On the streets of the capital that he has ruled for almost 42 years, Gaddafi's supporters were wondering aloud about their leader's fate, while at the same time complaining that the UN-imposed siege was taking an increasingly heavy toll.

more...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/10/gaddafi-nato-bombs-tripoli

[pinboy3niner]

73. Mahmoud Jibril to meet w/ Sen. Kerry, other legislators in D.C. Wed.

Mahmoud Jibril, who serves as a kind of chief of staff for the Libyan opposition in his role as head of the "crisis team," will visit the US capital on Wednesday to meet with legislators there, Senator John Kerry said on Tuesday.

"The Foreign Relations Committee and the American people are eager to learn more about the opposition movement in Libya and Mahmud Jibril is well positioned to answer our questions," he said in a statement.

The two will make a public appearance at 3:30pm, local time.

10:53pm:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[Yosarian71]

76. He could be head of a unified Libya by this weekend

He probably needs to head home.

[pinboy3niner]

75. "Right under Gaddafi's nose" coming up this hour on CNN

Teaser for an upcoming CNN segment on Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room.

Blitzer said he will report on an "underground anti-government movement in Tripoli fighting fiercely and covertly."

[tabatha]

77. RAF aircraft struck a builds being used by #Gadhafi forces to attack #Misrata(video)

http://youtu.be/c3ijTN9TEFo

[pinboy3niner]

78. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 1:01 AM WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

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

[tabatha]

79. NATO: Military Campaign Moves To Second Phase (video)

Brussels, Belgium -- NATO said on Tuesday the military campaign in Libya entered a second phase in which the command and control center of the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were military targets but not the man himself.

NATO Brigadier General Claudio Gabellini, the chief operation officer of the operation "Unified Protector" in Libya, added he had no evidence about Gaddafi's whereabouts.

Gaddafi has not appeared publicly since April 30 when a NATO air strike on a house in the capital killed his youngest son and three of his grandchildren, raising questions among some Arab diplomats anxious to know why he has remained out of sight.

"The first part of the operation has been dedicated to calm down the situation, to stabilize the situation and to stop slaughtering of the civilians. And once done that in a broader campaign design now NATO is taking care about, I mean taking out the capacity of Mr. Gaddafi to give orders to his troops to slaughter civilians. That's why we are after command and control center," Gabellini said.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/174939/175/NATO-Military-Campaign-Moves-To-Second-Phase

[tabatha]

80. Gerhard Heinz - think he is a satellite data analyst

26 minutes ago
we get 30min ago the actuell infra red from tripoli
there is a lot of activity all over the city
hard to say who is pro daffi ,we think they hold the part of the town round his compound ,some streets on the side with villas and part of the citycenter .situation in the other parts is pure crowdy .
no tanks involved only cars and light trucks
we try to get a clearer picture with a computer analyse

1 hour ago
tripoli unrest will go for another days
next thing will be that some of the mafia-clan want to bring gold and $ out of the country.
but this is a hard way now.
time for easy exit is over ,and saif have no choise .
today half of tripoli
tomorow 3quarter of tripoli lost
then only the compound left
last step .........

4 hours ago
i think a lot of things going on this night in tripoli.
we see in the last hours that daffi or anyone else konzentrate his troops in the quarter of his compound.
there are 2 army units now in tripoli not on daffis side ,i can not tell you the exakt places in the moment for reasons you understand ,a 3 and 4 unit are in negoations and will follow soon ,the fights in tripoli are between army units ff will join it in the night ,
brega
there is a big advance there
and misrata is out of art,range
tripoli goverment is split now

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-0

[Yosarian71]

82. Who is he?

Does he work for al Jazeera, or is he just a guy that follows this stuff really carefully? His insight is amazing, and he is accurate a lot more often than any of the MSM journalists.

[tabatha]

83. I don't know who he is - but he appears to be

a moderator on the Al Jazeera blog. Btw, one of his latest posts states that after it is all over, he will release sat photos of troop movements - and if anyone wants them to contact him.

[joshcryer]

84. tab, how do you find his comments?

It moves so quickly I've never actually seen them! Honestly. I have only seen them when you or people in Libya Alhurra TV chat copy them...

Working on todays post, it was a long day. A very long day. *sigh*

[tabatha]

86. Hi Josh

There is a pull-down of search criteria for the comments.

If you use the first link in your OP (Live Blog), and select "Popular Now", you'll see one (many) of his posts at the top right now.

I hope you have a good rest tonight.

[joshcryer]

87. Ahh, how foolish of me, I changed it to "newest first" weeks ago...

...and it seems to have remembered that choice. Thanks!

I'll be up tonight things are looking interesting, I just saw a rumor about Tripoli airport having a lot of security. Grain of salt and all but yeah, sounds like something is coming to a head.

[tabatha]

88. Yep, cookies.

[MedleyMisty]

81. Listen to a radio station in Benghazi - in English

http://www.tributefm.com/listen.php

[joshcryer]

85. Just caught the butt end of that, hopefully it'll replay.

I'll keep it playing on my several feeds that I have going (LIbya Alhurra, Benghazi Free Radio).

[joshcryer]

89. Day 83 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1079536