Libyan capital under Islamist control after Tripoli airport seized

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

Libya has lurched ever closer to fragmentation and civil war this weekend after Islamist-led militias seized the airport in the capital, Tripoli, proclaimed their own government, and presented the world with yet another crisis.

Operation Dawn, a coalition of Islamist and Misrata forces, captured the airport on Saturday in fierce fighting against pro-government militias after a five-week siege that battered parts of the capital.
...
On Sunday, they set airport buildings ablaze, apparently intending to destroy rather than hold the site.

The victory, which secures Islamist control over Tripoli, was a culmination of weeks of fighting triggered by elections in July, lost by Islamist parties.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/24/libya-capital-under-islamist-control-tripoli-airport-seized-operation-dawn

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, muriel_volestrangler.

[oberliner]

2. How soon before calls for one of Qaddafi's sons to take over?

Or maybe someone from his military establishment, a la Sisi in Egypt.

[candelista]

7. Never.

Wrong kind of crazy.

[jakeXT]

3. No you break it, you own it ... we're busy in Ukraine

Libya's foreign minister, Mohamed Abdul Aziz, launched a similar appeal at the UN in July, but found no support, with diplomats wary about new foreign intervention.

...

Camille Grand, director of the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, said: "Nato's got its hands busy with Ukraine. And in France, everyone's looking at Iraq, Syria and the Sahel.

[yurbud]

15. Unless it belonged to someone else who still needed it

Then you have nothing to do with but wide the check to fix it and apologize for breaking it

[candelista]

4. Another jihadi state?

IS Expansion Plan

[CJCRANE]

5. Here's some food for thought...

Why do neocon policies increase christian fundamentalism at home and muslim fundamentalism abroad?

[candelista]

6. Because these policies might bring about the apocalypse?

Both Christian and Muslim crazies want this.

[roamer65]

18. Because the resulting wars are big money for their backers.

The bankers and industrialists.

[AnalystInParadise]

27. Define

increased Christian fundamentalism at home. It seems that the country has been becoming more secular for decades.

[candelista]

29. Aren't both happening?

More Christian fundamentalism and more secularism? Polarization.

[AnalystInParadise]

30. I haven't seen

an increase in Christian fundamentalism. I think social media magnifies the ability of groups to make their voices heard, which is not a direct correlation to their respective level of power. Everywhere I look I see Christian fundamentalism retreating, not gaining. Can't say the say for Islamic fundies unfortunately.

[Amonester]

8. Jobless, disillusioned youth fantasy. Not going to happen.

Multiculturalism in Europe isn't working.

[yurbud]

25. Someone can plan to take over Fort Knox, the White House, and the New York Stock Exchange, but...

that doesn't mean it's going to happen.

I don't think the Spaniards, Serbs, Greeks, Christians, Hindus, and for that matter, Shia and secular Muslims are going to let that map get anywhere close to reality, but I'm sure it gets a lot of people who watch Fox News to wet their adult diapers.

[quadrature]

9. setting NorthAfrica on fire, was a mistake

Ghaddafi's guns sent to...
Mali, Syria, Nigeria, etc.

bad, bad decision

[Amonester]

10. Oh, like there was no other sources for guns before?

Diamonds buy lots of gun-profiteers...

[quadrature]

11. adding bad to something already bad, does not make it better

the issue of conflict minerals,
does not get enough attention,
IMO

[Amonester]

12. Due to the UN's "Responsibility to Protect" policy, there was not really much "choice" ...

at the time

http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/about-rtop/the-un-and-rtop

But these creeps cannot agree on most anything, and when they disagree, they start firing their guns.

So, it turns out it was an "un-intentional" mistake, but there was no choice to not do it at that time (see link).

[quadrature]

13. Hey, lets cause a food shortage! (sarcasm)

(sarcasm)

food shortages,
are good for the bushmeat industry.

"do you want extra Ebola, on that fruit bat?'

........................
UNSCR 1973 was a big mistake

[CJCRANE]

16. And how often does R2P get invoked?

FWIW I supported the action but wish I hadn't.

I now understand why Obama seemed reluctant to get involved (remember how France and Britain made more noise about it and Obama was accused of "leading from behind&quot .

[Amonester]

17. It's a work in progress but since 2005, it hasn't been invoked often that I know of.

OTOH, it is there in the hopes to protect numbers of people from the murderous intent of their government.

Which was clearly the case there. Turns out, their bundy bunches don't just threaten to shoot when they're angry: they go ahead and do it.

(Although it hapened in NV, but the creep had been kicked out of that bunch earlier, if I'm not mistaken.)

[jamzrockz]

20. Responsibility to protect what?

The terrorists Ghaddafi was trying to kill? I remember at the time listening to his rambling about terrorists in Benghazi and I was thinking to myself, this man has lost it. But he was right, he knew what he was dealing with and he tried his best to explain it to the world.

The same thing Porchenko is doing in Ukraine right now and we seem to have no problem letting him deal with the so called terrorists who mind you unlike the terrorists in Libya and Syria are not trying to take on enemy territory. They just want to protect the ethnic Russian minority area in Ukraine that want to live in peace.

So if the R2P is so important, why is the US not bombing the shit out of Kiev? One thing you can never avoid in this country is wars, death and taxes. No matter which side is elected, we always get the wars.

[jamzrockz]

22. Here is another info to watch

to understand such a hatchet job the whole Libya affair was. And take note for the roles of the NGOs in framing Gaddafi cos when I say they are mostly western backed groups, people think I am crazy

[yurbud]

14. Smart move overthrowing khaddafi

[lululu]

21. Hill

did a great job. If we're lucky, she'll retire on her laurels. Like, today.

Bet the Libyan women are particularly thrilled.

[yurbud]

23. wouldn't it be nice if some reporters connected the dots between women's rights rhetoric and actual

effects of her corporate-driven, war-monger policies?

[Baclava]

19. Where are the 1000 replies daily threads about these 'Freedom Fighters" now?

I thought so




Islamists from the rebel group Libyan Dawn have posed with aeroplanes seized from Tripoli Airport

[yurbud]

24. you can smell the freedom fries can't you?

[bemildred]

26. This seems to be the one thing our military is good at "building". nt

[Calista241]

28. I bet the French are pissed.

[kelliekat44]

31. Hope all those screaming to oust Gaddaffi are happy now. nt

[quadrature]

32. Tripoli airport has been liberated!

another success story from
the Arab Spring movement.