Libyan Revolution Week 32

[joshcryer]

[pinboy3niner]

1. :)

[joshcryer]

3. :D

Looks like Sirte and Bani Waled are going to take some time.

Hopefully they can find a peaceful solution.

[pinboy3niner]

5. When Sirte falls, surrender of Bani Walid can be negotiated

But it looks like there's no way the dead-enders at Sirte will give up without a fight.

[CJvR]

25. Doubtful.

If they were going to surrender they would have done so long ago. The defenders of Bani Walid and Sirte are most likely the brainwashed few who still belive in Mad Dog or those with a better than average chance of ending up on the gallows. If they manages to bag Gaddafi then perhaps but I suspect there is a high risk that this will have to go the distance.

[joshcryer]

2. Libyan Revolution Day 220 updates below, current time in Libya, 12:34pm Sunday, September 25

[joshcryer]

4. NTC fighters in tactical retreat in Libya (Sirte)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011925103220934559.html">NTC fighters in tactical retreat in Libya
Libyan interim government forces have made a tactical retreat after mounting attacks on Muammar Gaddafi's home town of Sirte, getting as close as half a kilometre from the centre of the former leader's coastal stronghold.

Pick-up vehicles mounted with machine guns and loaded with National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters had raced into the town's centre, backed up by NATO jets, on Saturday.

Gunfire could be heard coming from central Sirte and black smoke rose as NTC forces massed in Zafran Square and moved up tanks and mortars.

Field medics said two NTC soldiers had been killed and more than 20 wounded in the fighting against pro-Gaddafi forces on Saturday.

[joshcryer]

6. Pakistan shared nuclear secrets with Iran, Libya: ISI report

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/pakistan-shared-nuclear-secrets-with-iran-libya-isi-report/articleshow/10115022.cms">Pakistan shared nuclear secrets with Iran, Libya: ISI report
akistan, which used every "legal and illegal" means to go nuclear, shared its secret atomic technology and equipment with countries like Iran and Libya, says an ISI report, based on disgraced scientist A Q Khan's questioning, which was circulated among western intelligence agencies.

"It is most unfortunate that these things (transfer of nuclear technology) happened due to the peculiar nature of the circumstances and loose arrangements in those early days and because of the personal obligations of previous governments to these countries," says the undated ISI report obtained and released by the Fox News today.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Libyan NTC says repulsed pro-Gaddafi attack in south

Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:53am GMT

Sept 25 (Reuters) - Militias loyal to Libya's deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi attacked the southern town of Ghadames, on the border with Algeria, on Saturday but were pushed back, a spokesman for Libya's interim government said on Sunday.
...

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KP0EN20110925

[pinboy3niner]

8. Omg. Anonymous has hacked every major city in Syria.

Posted in GD by EFerrari:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2000138

Go to OP link and click on one of the city links to see what Anonymous did to the sites. And mouse over the graphic to see the names of the martyrs (Thanks to bitchkitty for pointing that out in EFerrari's thread).

[pinboy3niner]

9. Libyan forces besiege Gadhafi's hometown Sirte

By BEN HUBBARD - Associated Press | AP – 12 mins ago.


SIRTE, Libya (AP) — Libya's revolutionary fighters stepped up a siege of Moammar Gadhafi's hometown on Sunday, hoping to wear down loyalist forces a day after an offensive failed to dislodge die-hard loyalists of the fugitive leader.

Anti-Gadhafi fighters set up new checkpoints and posted snipers in strategic areas on the outskirts of Sirte. But they said they were not planning another assault immediately after facing fierce resistance on Saturday that left seven of their comrades dead and more than 150 wounded.

"It's unlikely we'll attack today unless we are attacked," said Aiman Majub, who helps coordinate revolutionary forces. "The idea is to catch our breath and regroup so we can be more strategic instead of blasting our way in."

Saturday's battle for downtown Sirte was the first significant push in a week and included close-range gunfights with loyalists hiding in apartment buildings and throwing hand grenades from windows. The fighters pushed east along the city's main thoroughfare into its urban center, overrunning a TV station as NATO warplanes supporting anti-Gadhafi forces roared overhead.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/libyan-forces-besiege-gadhafis-hometown-sirte-094422942.html

[joshcryer]

10. Conflicts with AJE report in a way.

AJE may have been reporting on the fighters who made it to the center, though. This report sounds more like outskirt outposts.

[pinboy3niner]

11. AJE reporting has been fronm Zeina Khodr, with the fighters who advanced to city center

I haven't seen anything lately from Sue Turton, who was with a different group of forces that captured the East Gate.

Turton's last report that aired was at dusk Saturday, when those forces had returned to the East Gate after making forays 20 km into Sirte. (The two different groups never linked up.)

There's really no conflict, though, in the withdrawn forces setting up checkpoints on the outskirts. Khodr also reports that they're using heavy weapons against loyalist positions.

[pinboy3niner]

12. One drawback on the weekend...

...is that news services and other media sources are on reduced staffing levels then. News events continue, but the reports on them are fewer and farther between.

AJE's Live Blog went silent for more than 18 hours without a new post until nearly 2 hours ago, and the Guardian normally doesn't even do its Live Blog on the weekend (unless it cranks it up for some hot breaking news). Reduced coverage by news services like AP and Reuters also is noticeable.

Trying to find fresh news on the weekends can be a real struggle. Eventually, news will get posted--but it seems to take a lot longer. Which, I think, makes any Twitter reports we can get more valuable on the weekends.

[joshcryer]

13. Libyan jet's roundels (heh, logos) changed in poignant ceremony

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110925/local/libyan-jet-s-roundels-changed-in-poignant-ceremony.386345">Libyan jet's roundels changed in poignant ceremony
A Libyan Air Force Mirage F1 fighter jet had its all-green roundel replaced by the new Libyan colours this morning amid applause at Malta International Airport, where the jet is on static display as part of the Malta Airshow.

The poignant ceremony was carried out by Libyan Air Force Brigadier General Mohammed Rajab amid applause, victory signs and chants of Allah Hu Akbar. The Libyan ambassador was also present.

The Mirage was one of a pair which were flown to Malta in February when their pilots refused Gaddafi government orders to bomb civilians near Benghazi. The pilots returned to Libya last week and received a heroes' welcome.

The jets cannot be returned to Libya yet, because of UN sanctions.

I didn't know what 'roundels' were. :blush:

[pinboy3niner]

14. Gadhafi gunmen cross border from Algeria to Libya

AP – 17 mins ago.


TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan officials say gunmen loyal to Moammar Gadhafi have crossed the border from Algeria to attack revolutionary forces in a border city, killing six people.

Col. Ahmed Bani, a military spokesman for revolutionary forces, says the attack on Ghadames was on Saturday but the gunmen had been crossing in cars filled with arms for several days.
...

http://news.yahoo.com/gadhafi-gunmen-cross-border-algeria-libya-114431968.html

Casualty reports are 6 killed, 63 wounded. :(

[pinboy3niner]

16. Conflicting reports of attackers 'escaping across border,' attack 'ongoing'

Latest AP update, 5 minutes ago:

Col. Ahmed Bani, a military spokesman for the transitional government, said the attack on Ghadamis occurred Saturday but revolutionary forces had intelligence that cars filled with weapons had crossed the border a few days earlier. Ghadamis is about 280 miles (450 kilometers) southwest of Tripoli.

He said the loyalist forces were believed to belong to a unit that had been under the command of Gadhafi's son Khamis, who was reportedly killed in fighting before the revolutionary forces seized Tripoli.

Bani said revolutionary forces had repelled the attack but the assailants escaped back across the border.

An official from Ghadamis, Ali al-Mana, however, said fighting was ongoing. He told The Associated Press that six people had been killed and 63 wounded.

"We are sending a plane from Tripoli to evacuate the wounded," said al-Mana, who is the Ghadamis representative on the National Transitional Council, which is acting as the country's government. Al-Mana said Ghadamis has a small runway for the plane to land.

http://news.yahoo.com/gadhafi-gunmen-cross-border-algeria-libya-114431968.html

[pinboy3niner]

15. What happened at Tawergha?

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reports from the town of Tawergha, where an entire community of black Libyans disappeared without a clear reason following the toppling of Gaddafi (2:37):

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-sep-25-2011-1511

This has been airing on AJE Live Stream news for a few hours--I was waiting for the video to be posted. McNaught, as usual, does a good, balanced job of reporting.

[pinboy3niner]

17. Mass grave found near Tripoli prison - TV

Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:57pm GMT

CAIRO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A mass grave has been found near Abu Salim prison in the Libyan capital Tripoli containing the remains of 1,200 bodies, Al Jazeera television reportd on Sunday.
...

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KP0KJ20110925

[pinboy3niner]

18. NATO bombing missions pound Gaddafi's hometown

Sun Sep 25, 2011 1:16pm GMT


• Interim gov't forces hold back on edge of Sirte

• Gaddafi forces stopping residents from leaving city:reports

• Pro-Gaddafi militias attack oasis town on Algerian border (Updates throughout)


By Alexander Dziadosz and Sherine El Madany


SIRTE, Libya - NATO bombing raids hammered the Libyan city of Sirte on Sunday to clear the way for fighters with the Libyan interim government who are trying to capture Muammar Gaddafi's hometown.

But Gaddafi loyalists showed they were still a threat by attacking the desert oasis town of Ghadames, on the border with Algeria. The interim government said the attacks had been repulsed but some reports said fighting was still going on.

Earlier this weekend, the forces of the National Transitional Council (NTC) had pushed to within a few hundred metres of the centre of Sirte -- one of the last bastions of pro-Gaddafi resistance in Libya -- but later drew back to let the NATO jets do their work.

"Yesterday our freedom fighters attacked Sirte city from two sides. That doesn't mean that Sirte is free now, but it is an indication that Sirte will be free soon," said Ahmed Bani, NTC military spokesman in Tripoli.

"I'm asking now any militiamen fighting on the side of the tyrant (to realise) that the game is over."

...


"Gaddafi's forces have surrounded the area, closed it off, by shooting at people," said a man called Youssef, who was driving away from Sirte with his wife. "There are a lot of people who want to get out but can't."

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KP0DV20110925?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

19. Libyan fighters reinforce siege of Sirte

Interim government forces set up checkpoints around Gaddafi stronghold and hope to take control by Monday or Tuesday

Lizzy Davies, and Chris Stephens in Misrata guardian.co.uk, Sunday 25 September 2011 08.19 EDT


Libya's revolutionary fighters have stepped up attempts to capture the city of Sirte, reinforcing their siege of Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold in an effort to place maximum pressure on those inside who are loyal to the deposed dictator.

Interim government forces set up new roadblocks and checkpoints and posted snipers at strategic locations on Sunday, a day after mounting a big push that reportedly saw them enter the city from both east and west and come within a mile of the centre.

The breakthrough came at a heavy cost, with seven rebel fighters dead and 145 wounded in fierce battles.

Commanders said it was their intention to finally take Sirte on Sunday, but admitted that Monday or Tuesday might be more realistic.

The biggest rebel brigade in Misrata, Halbus, was to be thrown into battle after returning to Sirte from the newly captured towns of Hun and Waddan further south.

...


But after coming under sustained fire from pro-Gaddafi fighters, the forces withdrew and regrouped overnight. Unconfirmed reports said the forces had been ordered to leave Sirte by Nato.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/25/libya-siege-sirte-gaddafi-stronghold?newsfeed=true

[tabatha]

20. You got your equipement ready ?

[pinboy3niner]

22. I'll skip the AK, thanks

But I'll be happy to wave my teeny weeny teeny tiny teeny weeny flag (imagine my bad impression of Rachel here). :)

[CJvR]

26. The AK 47...

...is a good weapon for fighting in a dusty hellhole with questionable maintanence and supply facilities.

[pinboy3niner]

27. It's good for them...

...and while I support them, I won't be heading to Libya to pick up an AK and become a combatant.

I've also been hit by AK fire, so it doesn't exactly bring back good memories...

[ellisonz]

37. And a Thuraya satellite phone!

[pinboy3niner]

21. NTC fighters regroup in the outskirts of Sirte

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on Sep 25, 2011


Fighters regrouping after forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi mount strong resistance in former leader's home city.

They have pulled back about four kilometres after pushing towards the edge of the city centre on Saturday.

One of the NTC fighters' aims was to try and secure a safe corridor for civilians trapped in a neighbourhood known as residential area 01.

But they failed to dislodge Gaddafi fighters who are said to be using civilians as human shields.

Video report (0:50):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypH7ktiKNuI&feature=player_embedded

[tabatha]

23. How Britain courted, armed and trained a Libyan monster

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8786897/How-Britain-courted-armed-and-trained-a-Libyan-monster.html

Printed on gilt-edged card embossed with the Royal coat of arms, the invitation from Britain’s man in Tripoli was to the social highlight of the diplomatic calendar.

“On the occasion of the Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador… requests the pleasure of the company of His Excellency Captain Khamis al Qadhafi at a reception on Wednesday, 16 June, 2010.” This was how Britain’s then ambassador to Libya, Richard Northern, extended the VIP treatment to Colonel Gaddafi’s feared fifth son at last year’s annual party in the ambassador’s residence overlooking Tripoli’s palm-lined seafront.

With 32 other invitees from the cream of the Libyan military, Khamis would have mixed with guests on the well-kept lawn, and been offered wine or Pimm’s — a rare diplomatic perk in a land whose ruler banned alcohol as a threat to “revolutionary society”.

Yet the rolling out of the red carpet to Col Gaddafi’s security establishment was no routine diplomatic courtesy. Documents found by The Sunday Telegraph in the now-abandoned embassy building show that Khamis and his sidekicks were on the guest list not at the behest of Mr Northern, but at the suggestion of the United Kingdom Trade and Industry Defence and Security Organisation (DSO), a Government unit dedicated to promoting British arms exports. The Khamis Brigade, named after its commander-in-chief and staffed by hard-core Gaddafi loyalists, had proved a lucrative customer.

[pinboy3niner]

24. NTC fighters advance into Sirte from East, Gaddafi snipers retreating

Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reports revolutionary fighters advancing, capturing Gaddafi fighters and capturing weapons left behind by retreating Gaddafi snipers.

[pinboy3niner]

28. ANALYSIS-Libya's last battle may be its toughest

Sun Sep 25, 2011 3:23pm GMT


By Peter Parker

NORTH OF BANI WALID, Libya, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The hilltop desert badlands of Bani Walid could be where Muammar Gaddafi's supporters make their final stand. They could hardly have picked a better place.

With its severe geography exposing any attacker to raking gunfire, the town southeast of Tripoli was one of the last places to fall to Italian colonialist troops last century and has long been known as a refuge for defenders.

Bani Walid was "built for last stands," said Geoff Porter, an independent U.S. expert on North African politics.

"Every country has a 'maquis' -- a back-country redoubt where fighters have hidden and held out over history," he said, using a term for the impenetrable highlands of Corsica which has given its name to countless guerrilla groups and their hideouts.

"Bani Walid is Libya's 'maquis'."

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KP0DT20110925?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

29. AJE has started a special page devoted to Libya:

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/libya/

[pinboy3niner]

30. K&R

And now I'm off to a charity event. Anybody want to update while I'm gone?

[pinboy3niner]

31. K&R #2

Okay, I'm really leaving now. But Yemen Pres. Saleh made a televised address a little while ago, and the story on that should be posted here. (From what I heard of it, he sounded a lot like Gaddafi.)

[Iterate]

32. The bitter end, true believers, and "the stab-in-the-back"

Ian Kershaw has just written a book about the end of different war. In this podcast he discusses his book, but in listening to it I was struck by some similarities at the social and psychological level to Libya. That's not to compare the scope or detail, but it does suggest that how the social structure and personal psychological dynamic determines the course of events.

http://www.historyextra.com/podcast-page
http://cdn.bbcmagazinesbristol.com/bbchistory/audio/BBC_History_19thAug11.mp3

It's an mp3 for download. The interview begins at 3:25 (or 3:55) and ends at 40:15.

[Swede]

33. Mass grave of Libyan prisoners found

Khalid Sharif, a spokesman for the NTC's military council, said the prisoners were executed at Tripoli's notorious Abu Salim jail in 1996.

"We found the place where all these martyrs were buried," said Sharif, adding it was evidence of "criminal acts" by Gaddafi's regime.

The massacre of the inmates helped trigger the revolt in February, when families of Abu Salim victims in the eastern city of Benghazi called for protests against the arrest of their lawyer.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119251823889148.html

[tabatha]

34. Court to hear how Gaddafi and sons raped women

A Benghazi-based psychologist will be asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against Muammar Gaddafi and his sons after collecting evidence of widespread rape.

Gaddafi’s sons led militias that conducted systematic rape

Seham Sergewa arrived in Malta yesterday on her way to the ICC at The Hague, where she will give testimony and present a dossier detailing countless stories of rape perpetrated by the former dictator and his sons.

On June 27 the ICC issued international arrest warrants for Col Gaddafi, his eldest son Saif al-Islam and the former head of military intelligence Abdullah al-Senussi, wanted for crimes against humanity. Speaking to The Sunday Times yesterday, Dr Sergewa said she would be asking chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to press charges and issue arrest warrants against all Col Gaddafi’s sons and former Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, who was last week jailed for six months in Tunisia for trying to enter the country illegally.

“Gaddafi’s sons led militias that conducted systematic rape during the conflict,” Dr Sergewa said, reiterating that evidence suggests that thousands of women were raped by Gaddafi loyalists during the conflict.

Col Gaddafi’s other sons have fled to neighbouring countries or their whereabouts are unknown.

She said five women, who used to work as Col Gaddafi’s personal security guards, had now agreed to come forward and testify how they were systematically raped by the former dictator and his sons.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110925/local/Court-to-hear-how-Gaddafi-and-sons-raped-women.386159

[Iterate]

35. All Libyan Blogs

A meta-blog site, it includes some not usually posted here. It's far from complete but has the advantage of automatic update and the listing of some which might otherwise go unnoticed. It's also an easy way to check pre-revolution postings.

http://alllibyanblogs.blogspot.com/

Sometimes...like this from "on the edge of something" on Saturday, January 29, you know now what was headed their way, but they didn't.

Tin Cans And String



"Sometimes I feel as if I am still using tin cans and string to communicate.The internet is SSSSOOO SLOW recently. The land line phone is back to being staticy these past few months. Thank goodness Khadijateri over rode my objections and got me a mobile(cell) for my birthday last year, otherwise a normal conversation would seem like I am talking with tin cans ; like when I was a little kid. It could just be water in the lines.We did have rain a while back.Well , I better post this while the internet is working fast . "

[tabatha]

36. African mercenaries roam in Sirte: witness

Sunday, September 25, 2011, 11:22

African mercenaries are launching revenge attacks inside Muammar Gaddafi's hometown Sirte, which is under assault by NTC forces, a resident who fled the city before dawn today told AFP.

The computer sciences university lecturer also said he twice saw over the past three weeks one of Gaddafi's sons, Mutassim, once inside a command centre in a hospital basement.

"There are African mercenaries roaming across the city. They are firing at houses with anti-aircraft guns in district one" on western edge of the city, he said by telephone, refusing to give his name for security reasons.

"I think they are taking revenge," added the man, stressing that almost 80 percent of Sirte's current population is originally from Misrata further west, a bastion of the rebellion against Gaddafi.


http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110925/world/african-mercenaries-roam-in-sirte-witness.386342

[ellisonz]

50. Mutassim is hiding under a hospital in Sirte.

"He added that control centres for Gaddafi's forces are located in the basement of Sirte's main hospital, where he also saw Mutassim about three weeks ago."

Coward.

[ellisonz]

38. AJE: EgyptAir to resume flights to Benghazi.

3 hours 59 min ago - Libya

Reuters reports: EgyptAir said on Sunday it would resume flights to Libya next week, seven months after the airline suspended operations to its Arab neighbour following the outbreak of an uprising in February that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

Hussein Massoud, chairman of the EgyptAir holding company, said the first flight would fly on Sunday, October 2, to Libya's second city, Benghazi, where the airline had operated one flight a day from Cairo before the uprising.

"We have decided to become the first airline to resume flights to Libya and quickly, to serve passengers and the expected development between the two countries," Massoud said, adding that work was under way to resume flights to the Libyan capital Tripoli.

[pinboy3niner]

74. Report inaccurate--story now withdrawn by Reuters

CAIRO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The story headlined "EgyptAir to resume flights to Libya next week", published on Sunday, Sept. 25, is wrong and withdrawn. The comments attributed to the chairman of EgyptAir holding company, Hussein Massoud, were incorrect. There will be no substitute story.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KP18X20110926

[pinboy3niner]

39. LIBYAN REVOLUTION DAY 221: CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 2:20 AM MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

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










Inside one of Gaddafi's torture cells
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2030931/Libya-Inside-Gaddafis-torture-chamber-The-bloodstained-cells-inside-primary-school-used-brutalise-enemies.html

[pinboy3niner]

40. Libya's NTC readies new push into Sirte

Sun Sep 25, 2011 11:46pm GMT


• Pro-Gaddafi militias attack oasis town on Algeria border

• Gaddafi forces said stopping residents from leaving Sirte


By Joseph Logan


TRIPOLI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Fighters backing Libya's interim rulers prepared to renew their advance into the coastal city of Sirte on Monday after NATO aircraft bombed targets in Muammar Gaddafi's home town to sap the resistance of the deposed leader's troops.

Anti-Gaddafi forces had pushed to within a few hundred metres of the centre of Sirte, one of the last bastions of pro-Gaddafi resistance in Libya, but drew back on Sunday while NATO aircraft launched their attacks.

...


There was little fighting on Sunday on the ground west of Sirte, where NTC fighters have advanced closest to the centre.

On the eastern side, their forces pushed to within 15 km (9 miles) of the city centre, an advance of more than 25 km.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KP1BR20110925?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

41. Evolution of the frontlines in Libya - March-September 2011

NATO has created a page showing how the territory held by opposing sides has changed over time. Despite an obvious error (both colors used are given the same 'Territory held by anti-Qadhafi forces' label in the color-coded key), it's clear which side is which. In pdf format, 183.27 kb:

http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_09/20110922_110922-libya-frontlines.pdf

[pinboy3niner]

42. Yemen's president addresses nation amid deadly violence

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 3:19 PM EST, Sun September 25, 2011


(CNN) -- Newly returned from three months out of the country, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh addressed his people Sunday, blaming "terrorists" for the deadly violence at anti-government protests.

The motive of the "criminal terrorists," he said, is "to seize power and to steal the wealth of the country and to undermine stability."

He said al Qaeda is supported "completely" by the elements causing violence.

Saleh also used his televised remarks to reiterate his call for a peaceful transition of power. He said his vice president has the authority to sign a proposal by the Gulf Cooperation Council, which would result in early presidential elections.

...


http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/25/world/meast/yemen-unrest/index.html?eref=rss_world

Here we go again...

[tabatha]

43. Interview with the Libyan pilots who refused Gaddafi orders to bomb Benghazi and fled with their jet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkNnrvus7KM

[pinboy3niner]

44. NTC may again delay formation of interim government

From AJE Live Blog:

Senior members of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) say that they may yet again delay the formation of a new caretaker government over an inability to agree on a line-up, a source close to the council has told Reuters.

The formation of the government has already been delayed once.

Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, a senior NTC official, told Reuters last week that an interim government will be announced within the next few days.

The source, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters:

"There are disagreements about some portfolios so the trend is to extend the mandate of the NTC with some changes while the discussions continue to form the interim government."


http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-sep-26-2011-0048

[pinboy3niner]

45. Gaddafi and family 'among the poorest citizens' claims spokesman Moussa Ibrahim

Muammar Gaddafi's chief spokesman said on Sunday the deposed Libyan leader and his family had not helped themselves to Libya's oil wealth and that they were "among the poorest citizens".

Speaking to Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location, Moussa Ibrahim said no one had been able to show that Gaddafi or his family had assets or accounts.

"That is more proof of the honesty and transparency of this family and that they are an ordinary Libyan family," said Ibrahim, who usually acts as Gaddafi's contact with the international media.

"The leader of the revolution and his family are among the poorest citizens," Ibrahim said. "All the wealth of Libya is traceable to functioning companies and institutions".

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-sep-26-2011-0735

[tabatha]

46. Yeah, right.

A girlfriend of one of the sons gave an interview where she stated that he had claimed to spend $2million a month. If that is poor, then I eagerly await the 2mil per month.

[ellisonz]

49. I hope they throw Moussa Ibrahim in prison when this over.

Lapdog.

[pinboy3niner]

47. NATO airstrikes conducted Saturday, September 24

Key Hits 24 SEPTEMBER:


In the vicinity of Sirte: 2 command and control nodes, 1 military staging location, 1 division storage bunker and radar facility, 3 ammunition storage facilities, 1 weapon firing position, 1 ammunition and vehicle storage facility, 1 vehicle staging point, 29 armed vehicles


...


International Humanitarian Assistance Movements as recorded by NATO


Total of Humanitarian Movements**: 1425 (air, ground, maritime)


Ships delivering Humanitarian Assistance 24 SEPTEMBER: 1


Aircrafts delivering Humanitarian Assistance 24 SEPTEMBER: 6


**Some humanitarian movements cover several days.


http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_09/20110925_110925-oup-update.pdf

[ellisonz]

48. AJE: Ghadames under attack by Gaddagi militia.

1 hour 4 min ago - Libya - Libya

Gaddafi loyalists launched an attack on the desert oasis town of Ghadames on Sunday, where they plan to re-group and re-arm, NTC officials said.

The attack underlined the fragility of the NTC's grip even on parts of the country nominally under its control.

The town, about 600km southwest of Tripoli, is near a border crossing that pro-Gaddafi Libyans have used to flee into Algeria. Its old town, an intricate maze of mud walls, is a UNESCO world heritage site.

"These militias have attacked our people in Ghadames city," the NTC's Bani told a news conference, adding that NTC fighters expected to be in full control of the area in "a matter of days". - Reuters

[ellisonz]

51. Guardian: Libyan government seeks Algerian answers over cross-border attack

Libyan government seeks Algerian answers over cross-border attack

Eight NTC fighters killed in attack by pro-Gaddafi forces near Ghadames, while siege of Sirte continues

Libyan NTC fighters fire a heavy artillery piece near Sirte
NTC fighters fire a weapon near Sirte. Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

The provisional government in Tripoli will ask Algeria to explain how pro-Gaddafi forces crossed the border to attack its forces on Saturday, the Libyan army chief spokesman has said. Eight were killed in the attack near Ghadames.

Algeria announced last week that it recognised the authority of the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Tripoli, but suspicions linger about its attitude, not least because it has given shelter to Muammar Gaddafi's wife, daughter and other relatives.

The NTC fears Gaddafi loyalists could be able to mount attacks easily across the border and then escape back into Algerian territory. "We didn't expect this attack but they will pay for it," said Colonel Ahmed Bani, the Libyan army's chief spokesman. "Our fighters are going to follow them."

Posted in LBN by alp227:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x5005732
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/25/libya-siege-sirte-gaddafi-stronghold

Maybe Muammar is safely in Algeria with Aisha - not fighting on the front lines like she had claimed.

[pinboy3niner]

52. Mugabe breaks ranks on Libyan NTC

25/09/2011 00:00:00

by AFP (via New Zimbabwe)


PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Sunday called for Libya's transitional government and its leader to negotiate with deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as a precondition for recognising it.

Mugabe threatened that until the talks with Gaddafi happen, his country and African leaders would not recognise the Transitional National Council (TNC), headed by Mustafa Abdul Jalil.

Mugabe's threat on behalf of fellow African leaders appeared to be out of step with a move last week by the Africa Union, to which Zimbabwe as well as Libya belong.

The African Union (AU) recognised Libya's Transitional National Council as the representative of the Libyan people as they form an all-inclusive transitional government that will occupy the Libyan seat at the African Union.

South Africa, the continent's power house, also individually recognised the TNC.

...


http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-6138-Mugabe%20breaks%20ranks%20on%20Libyan%20NTC/news.aspx

[pinboy3niner]

53. Phone call intercepted between Gaddafi sons Mutasim in Sirte and Saif in Bani Walid

The Guardian reports:

Colonel Ahmed Bani, the NTC military spokesman, revealed that Libyan forces had intercepted a telephone conversation between Gaddafi's sons Mutasim, his national security adviser, organising the fighting inside Sirte, and Saif al-Islam, in Bani Walid south of Tripoli, where there is a stalemate that has exposed rifts and inefficiency in rebel ranks.

It was the first official confirmation of the location of the two fugitive Gaddafi brothers. Bani also told the Guardian that on Saturday NTC forces had raided a remote area called Targan, south of Sabha, after receiving a tipoff that Gaddafi himself was there, but found no trace of him.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/25/libya-sirte-about-to-fall

[pinboy3niner]

54. Town of Ubari in SW desert now under NTC control, Al Jazeera reports nt

[pinboy3niner]

55. In Syria, defectors form dissident army in sign uprising may be entering new phase

Source: Washington Post

By Liz Sly, Published: September 25


WADI KHALED, Lebanon — A group of defectors calling themselves the Free Syrian Army is attempting the first effort to organize an armed challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, signaling what some hope and others fear may be a new phase in what has been an overwhelmingly peaceful Syrian protest movement.

For now, the shadowy entity seems mostly to consist of some big ambitions, a Facebook page and a relatively small number of defected soldiers and officers who have taken refuge on the borderlands of Turkey and Lebanon or among civilians in Syria’s cities.

Many of its claims appear exaggerated or fanciful, such as its boasts to have shot down a helicopter near Damascus this month and to have mustered a force of 10,000 to take on the Syrian military.

But it is clear that defections from the Syrian military have been accelerating in recent weeks, as have levels of violence in those areas where the defections have occurred.

“It is the beginning of armed rebellion,” said Gen. Riad Asaad, the dissident army’s leader, who defected from the air force in July and took refuge in Turkey.

...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/in-syria-defectors-form-dissident-army-in-sign-uprising-may-be-entering-new-phase/2011/09/24/gIQAKef8wK_story.html?#

[CJvR]

60. How is it the saying goes...?

When you make peaceful reform impossible you make violent revolt inevitable.

[pinboy3niner]

56. Scots prosecutors ask Libya for Lockerbie evidence

Source: BBC

26 September 2011 Last updated at 04:24 ET


The Crown Office has formally contacted Libya's new government to ask for help with the Lockerbie inquiry.

Scottish prosecutors hope co-operation with Libya may be forthcoming following the regime change in Tripoli.

The Crown Office has asked the National Transitional Council (NCT) to provide evidence needed to convict those who acted along with Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
...

"The Crown will continue to pursue lines of inquiry that become available and following recent events in Libya has asked the National Transitional Council, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, for assistance with the investigation."

(A Crown Office spokesman) added: "In particular we have asked the NTC to make available to the Crown any documentary evidence and witnesses, which could assist in the ongoing inquiries.
...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-15057662

[pinboy3niner]

57. Libya: forces close in on Sirte despite fresh attacks from Gaddafi loyalists

Nato order halt to fighting to destroy artillery of Gaddafi loyalists, as mass grave of 1,270 bodies discovered in Tripoli

Ian Black in Tripoli and Chris Stephen in Misrata guardian.co.uk, Sunday 25 September 2011 13.35 EDT


Libyan government forces advanced closer to the centre of the strategic town of Sirte on Sunday, but Nato ordered a halt to street fighting so that its planes could locate and destroy artillery loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and under the command of one of his sons.

...


Despite the standoff in Sirte, opposition forces are now in full control of the main coastal road south of the town. That means the new regime controls the highway across the entire north of Libya, from the Tunisian border in the west to Egypt in the east. "We are inside the town and there is heavy fighting but we do not yet control it," Bani said.

...


In Sirte, NTC forces set up new roadblocks and checkpoints and posted snipers at strategic locations a day after mounting a big push that saw them enter the city from both east and west and come within a mile of the centre. But the breakthrough came at a heavy cost, with seven opposition fighters dead and 145 wounded in fierce battles.

Nato hit four targets in pre-dawn air strikes. There are mounting concerns over the humanitarian situation in the city, which is believed to be rapidly deteriorating. Nato has warned that Gaddafi forces are endangering "hundreds of families". "Among the reports emerging from Sirte are executions, hostage-taking and the calculated targeting of individuals, families and communities within the city," it said in a statement.

An NTC fighter, El-Tohamy Abuzein, said snipers had fired on him and fellow fighters from mosques and other buildings. "They're using the houses and public buildings," he told Reuters. Helicopters ferried the injured to a hospital in Misrata which was so overwhelmed that surgeons had to carry out operations in corridors. Trucks broadcasting Islamic chants toured the city to comfort the bereaved.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/25/libya-sirte-about-to-fall

[pinboy3niner]

58. NATO airstrikes conducted Sunday, September 25

Key Hits 25 SEPTEMBER:


In the vicinity of Sirte: 1 command and control node, 2 ammunition/vehicle storage facility, 1 radar facility, 1 multiple rocket launcher, 1 military support vehicle, 1 artillery piece, 1 ammunition storage facility.


...


International Humanitarian Assistance Movements as recorded by NATO


Total of Humanitarian Movements**: 1428 (air, ground, maritime)


Ships delivering Humanitarian Assistance 25 SEPTEMBER: 1


Aircrafts delivering Humanitarian Assistance 25 SEPTEMBER: 2


**Some humanitarian movements cover several days.


http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_09/20110926_110926-oup-update.pdf

[pinboy3niner]

59. American woman, husband holed up in a mosque on Sirte front line

From AFP via AJE Live Blog:

She's an American who grew up in Illinois, she's three months pregnant, and she's not quite sure how she and her Libyan husband got to be holed up in a mosque right on the frontline in Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.

"I just want to get out of here, it's dangerous," she said Sunday, as NATO warplanes bombed the city a day after fighters for the country's new regime engaged in deadly street battles with troops loyal to the ousted dictator.

...


The woman appeared to know little about what has been happening in Libya since the anti-Gaddafi uprising began in February. She was sceptical when told
that the NTC was now in power in the capital Tripoli.

The fighters - all from Misrata - manning the frontline nearby bring them food and water, and the ambulances that park under the bridge, waiting to ferry
those wounded in battle to field hospitals, give them medical aid.

"The thwar (NTC fighters) treat us well," she said.

...


- AFP


http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-sep-26-2011-1210

[pinboy3niner]

61. Yemeni tribesmen overrun loyalist army base

By AHMED AL-HAJ - Associated Press | AP – 10 mins ago


SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Anti-government tribesmen overran an army base housing an elite unit north of Yemen's capital early Monday, security officials said, capturing 30 soldiers and dealing a blow to the prestige of the powerful Republican Guards led by the son of the country's embattled president.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since February when an uprising broke out to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Government forces have killed hundreds in an attempt to stamp out the revolt, and the crackdown has intensified since Saleh returned Friday from neighboring Saudi Arabia where he was receiving treatment for wounds and burns suffered in a June attack on his Sanaa compound.

The assault by the tribesman on the Republican Guards' base at Dahrah took place early Monday. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the base commander, Brig. Ali al-Keleibi, was killed in the fighting. The statement gave no further details of Monday's fighting.

The officials said the tribesmen captured 30 guards when they seized control of the facility. At least four tribesmen were killed and 27 others wounded in the fighting, but the officials had no word on casualties among the guards. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

It was the second Republican Guards' base to be captured in a week. Protesters backed by renegade soldiers overran a base belonging to the guards last week in Sanaa as the opposition stepped up its campaign to oust Saleh.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/yemeni-tribesmen-overrun-loyalist-army-093025484.html

[pinboy3niner]

62. NTC hitting Sirte with tanks on west side. Advance from east is within about 10kms now #Libya

Matthew Weaver and Haroon Siddique post on The Guardian's Live Blog:


Reuters journalist Barry Malone tweets an update on the ongoing battle by Libyan revolutionary forces to take control of of Sirte, Gaddafi's birthplace:

Our reporters there: Nato planes over Sirte. NTC hitting it with tanks on west side. Advance from east is within about 10kms now #Libya

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/sep/26/yemen-libya-middle-east-unrest-live-updates#block-11

[Distant Observer]

65. War plane and tanks bombarding a formerly idilic civilian town? Now civilized!

[pinboy3niner]

90. Hmmm... it's 'idyllic' if it's a Gaddafi city, not so much for Benghazi or Misrata?

That's a hard-spun and heavily-strained use of adjective--especially for a Gaddafi military stronghold with war bases and weapons. Not to mention one that fired Scud rockets at civilian populations, and one in which Gaddafi loyalists have been using snipers to shoot civilians trying to escape.

Yes, Gaddafi troops, mercs and supporters are all part of your 'idyllic' and 'civilized' fantasy. Pure and innocent as the driven snow. I think we all get it now. :puke:

Have an idyllic day. :hi:

[tabatha]

91. Civilized? or just quaint.

WORLDLOVERPEACE Aisha
#FFs report tht there r 100's of bodies of detainees frm all ovr #Libya being kpt in large mobile freezers @ #Sirte Harbour v @Sirte_Feb17
8 hours ago

Maybe the world will finally wake up to Gaddafi atrocities.

[pinboy3niner]

93. Correction: That's 'idyllic Gaddafi arocities'

There, I fixed it for you. :)

[tabatha]

94. Yep, an idyllic city with containers full of dead bodies at the shipyard.

[pinboy3niner]

63. Italy's Eni: Oil production resumes in Libya

Italy's Eni: Oil production resumes in Libya after disruptions caused by civil war

On Monday September 26, 2011, 7:58 am


ROME (AP) -- Libya has resumed oil production for the first time since the civil war, tapping 15 wells and producing some 31,900 barrels per day, Italian energy giant Eni said Monday.

Eni said production had resumed at the Abu-Attifel fields, about 300 kilometers south of the city of Benghazi. Other wells would be reactivated soon to reach the "required volumes to fill the pipeline" between the Abu-Attifel field and the Zuetina port.

...


With a small population of only 6 million, Libya raked in $40 billion last year from oil and gas exports. Experts say it could take about a year or more to get back to its pre-war production of 1.6 million barrels a day.

...


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Italys-Eni-Oil-production-apf-1862686163.html?x=0&.v=1

[pinboy3niner]

64. Libya's NTC readies new push into Sirte

By Joseph Logan | Reuters – 1 hr 24 mins ago


TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Fighters backing Libya's interim rulers prepared to renew their advance into the coastal city of Sirte on Monday after NATO aircraft bombed targets in Muammar Gaddafi's home town to sap the resistance of the deposed leader's troops.

...


There was little fighting on Sunday on the ground west of Sirte, where NTC fighters have advanced closest to the center.

On the eastern side, their forces pushed to within 9 miles of the city center, an advance of more than 25 km.

...


Accounts from NTC fighters and people who had left Sirte indicated pro-Gaddafi forces were trying to prevent civilians from fleeing, effectively using them as human shields.

"Gaddafi's forces have surrounded the area, closed it off, by shooting at people," said a man called Youssef, driving away from Sirte with his wife. "There are a lot of people who want to get out but can't."

...


http://news.yahoo.com/libyas-ntc-readies-push-sirte-104536384.html;_ylt=AmPEmdYE4x6PY6r0Kq2stnP_SpZ4

[pinboy3niner]

66. Foreign embassies opened in Libya

By David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit | Reuters – 12 minutes ago


(Reuters) - Here are details of foreign embassies that have re-opened in Libya or will soon:


• BRITAIN - Britain re-established a full diplomatic presence in the Libyan capital on September 5, seven months after closing its embassy in Tripoli.


• CANADA - Canada has reestablished its diplomatic mission in Tripoli, government officials said on September 13. Ottawa hoped reopening the mission would help Canadian businesses win contracts as Libya rebuilds.


• FRANCE - France opened its embassy in Tripoli on August 29 after a gap of six months.


• GERMANY - Germany's embassy in Libya reopened on September 25. It had closed on March 3 as unrest grew. Germany has had a liaison office in Benghazi since May.


• IRAN - Ali Asghar Naseri, the Islamic Republic's ambassador to Libya, has returned to Tripoli, the foreign ministry said on September 14.


• ITALY - Italy reopened its embassy in Libya from September 2, the foreign ministry said.


• POLAND - Poland says it reopened its embassy in Tripoli on September 15. It had operated from a temporary location in Benghazi.


• ROMANIA - Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi said Romania has received approval from the new authorities in Libya to open an embassy in Tripoli. Romania will at first name a charge d'affaires and then an ambassador, when Libya has a legal government in place.


• SOUTH KOREA - South Korea on September 8 reopened its embassy in Tripoli, an official said.


• TURKEY - Turkey said on September 2 it has reopened its embassy in the Tripoli and appointed Ali Kemal Aydin as its new ambassador.


• UNITED STATES - U.S. ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz pledged support for the transitional government as he returned to work on September 22, raising the U.S. flag over a re-opened embassy.


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/foreign-embassies-opened-libya-123433673.html

[pinboy3niner]

67. Libyan tanks strike Sirte loyalists

Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:54pm GMT

By Alexander Dziadosz and Sherine El Madany


SIRTE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Tanks manned by fighters for Libya's interim government shelled loyalists holding out in Muammar Gaddafi's hometown on Monday as NATO jets circled overhead, ready to renew air strikes on the besieged coastal city of Sirte.

While anti-Gaddafi forces which have advanced from the west held their ground, firing from two tanks positioned about 2 km (2,000 yards) from the centre of the sprawling desert town, a sharp push forward on the eastern front by scores of armed pick-up trucks raised spirits among the attackers.

...


To the east of Sirte, scores of NTC pickup trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, and ferrying fighters, advanced to within 10 km (six miles) of the city, Reuters journalists said.

"There's heavy resistance on the outskirts of Sirte and there are Gaddafi snipers but God willing we can enter Sirte by tonight," NTC fighter, Emad al-Amamy, told Reuters. It is a hope that has been disappointed many times in recent weeks, however.

In the west of the city, NTC forces pulled back on Sunday, saying it was to make way for NATO bombing. Fighting there was less intense than combat seen on Saturday as the western force drove to within a few hundred metres (yards) of the city centre.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KQ1XT20110926?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

68. Gadhafi relatives have reportedly left Algeria and are now in Egypt - @AlArabiya_Eng

From latestbreakingnews.com:

Gadhafi relatives have reportedly left Algeria and are now in Egypt - @AlArabiya_Eng

2:09PM GMT Sep 26, 2011

[pinboy3niner]

71. Cairo sources deny Gadafi relatives are now in Egypt

Matthew Weaver, Haroon Siddique and Lizzy Davies post at The Guardian's Live Blog:


Gaddafi watch update: An Algerian newspaper has claimed that relatives of Gaddafi have left Algeria and are now in Egypt. But the claim has been denied by Egyptian airport authorities, according to the Trend news agency.

Cairo sources said that no relatives of Gaddafi had arrived for the past few months, adding that visa requirements and security approval are required for every Libyan to enter Cairo, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported.


Eight members of Gaddafi's family, including his daughter Aisha, left Algeria last weekend ...Algerian Khabar newspaper has recently reported.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/sep/26/yemen-libya-middle-east-unrest-live-updates#block-18

[pinboy3niner]

69. Libya Sovereign Wealth Fund probing losses in $5 bln Africa portfolio

Mon Sep 26, 2011 1:38pm GMT

• LIA to get new management "within weeks," chairman to be replaced

• Africa portfolio unaudited for three years - acting CEO

• LIA to release audited financial figures in September


By Mahmoud Habboush


DUBAI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Libya's sovereign wealth fund, which is conducting a review of all investments made by the toppled Gaddafi regime, has uncovered potentially large losses in its $5 billion Africa portfolio, its acting chief executive said.

The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), whose assets are estimated at $65 billion, will suspend investments until a new management, including a replacement for Chairman Mohamed Layas, is appointed by the cabinet, Rafik Nayed told Reuters.

...


"The main pocket of concern is ... the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio. The bad news is there may be big losses and big leakages that we are not aware of the full extent of yet."

...


"This will be the first ever announcement to the Libyan people of what they own ... I expect that to create a precedent of transparency that will continue."


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KQ2UM20110926?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

70. Pakistanis go in to bat for removing dictator's name and restoring pride to stadium

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Ben Doherty
September 27, 2011


THE statues cast in gold in his image have been torn down in Tripoli and the paintings of his likeness defaced. But the name Muammar Gaddafi still stands proudly atop one monument, one Libya's rebels will find it difficult to lay their hands on.

In 1974, a young Colonel Gaddafi, then only five years into his rule, spoke at the 2nd Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore, Pakistan. In a lengthy address, he offered his support for Pakistan's controversial pursuit of nuclear weapons and won further fans in the country when he described Pakistan as ''the fort of Islam''.

In the sprit of bonhomie, his speech inspired Pakistan's then prime minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who renamed the Lahore Cricket Stadium the Muammar Gaddafi Cricket Stadium, despite the dictator's indifference to the game.

Throughout Gaddafi's increasingly brutal career since, as relations between Pakistan and Libya foundered, even as the despot was pushed from power this year, his name has stood.

...


"We have tolerated this ridiculous name now for about 37 years," Farooq Tirmizi wrote on the web page of the Express Tribune newspaper. "As we watch the scenes of horrific violence visited by the madman upon the Libyan people, let us at least do them the courtesy of removing their tormentor's name from our biggest stadium."

...


http://www.smh.com.au/world/pakistanis-go-in-to-bat-for-removing-dictators-name-and-restoring-pride-to-stadium-20110926-1ktkt.html

[pinboy3niner]

72. VIDEO: Net closes in on pro-Gaddafi stonghold of Sirte (3:55)

26 September 2011 Last updated at 11:29

Armed forces loyal to Libya's National Transitional Council have surrounded Colonel Gaddafi's home town of Sirte, one of the fugitive leader's few remaining strongholds.

The pro-NTC soldiers launched a surprise attack on the city at the weekend.

The BBC's Alastair Leithead, who is travelling with the NTC forces, reports from inside the boundary of Sirte.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15067291

[pinboy3niner]

73. Libya's Moussa Ibrahim says was in Sirte on Sunday

Mon Sep 26, 2011 4:03pm GMT

By Barry Malone


Tunis, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The fugitive spokesman for Muammar Gaddafi said on Monday that he was in the ousted leader's hometown of Sirte as it came under attack on Sunday but he refused to comment on Gaddafi's own whereabouts.

...


Ibrahim again refused to comment on the specific location of Gaddafi but said that he was in Libya and "very happy that he is doing his part in this great saga of resistance".

...


Ibrahim, who is widely believed to be on the run in Libya and who became the face of the toppled government during the war, said he had now left Sirte and was to its west.

"I'm going back there," he said, adding that he saw Gaddafi's most politically prominent son, Saif al-Islam, "now and again".

Ibrahim claimed that, though NTC fighters were massed around the city, that did not prevent him from leaving.


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KQ3FC20110926?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

75. AJE: NTC fighters have made their biggest advance into Sirte to date

Sue Turton has been reporting from eastern Sirte that the NTC forces on that side rapidly entered the city and caught up with the progress of the southern and western forces.

NTC fighters took control of the roundabout near the city center and there was heavy street-to-street fighting most of the afternoon as well as a constant barrage of shelling by both sides. By the end of the day, Turton was hearing shelling farther away, near the coastline, and NTC fighters on the eastern side were settling into positions for the night.

The objective of NTC forces is to squeeze the city from all sides, forcing Gaddafi loyalists into a smaller and smaller area.

[pinboy3niner]

76. Street battles rage in Gaddafi stronghold

Source: Al Jazeera

Fighters supporting interim Libyan government enter town of Sirte from east for first time amid intense fighting.

Last Modified: 26 Sep 2011 17:00


Fighters supporting Libya's interim government have raced into the eastern outskirts of Sirte backed by NATO warplanes and are fighting street-to-street battles with loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi in his home town.

Thick black smoke billowed into the air as National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters battled at a roundabout about 2km from the centre of the key town on Monday.

...


NTC fighters fought with machineguns and rifles and moved tanks and heavy artillery into the town.

"(NTC fighters) are entering the city from the east for the first time," Al Jazeera's Sue Turton, reporting from the frontlines, said.

"But there is only so much that NATO can do because there are civilians still in the city."

...


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926161731791729.html

[tabatha]

77. Libyan forces close on Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte

Libyan forces close on Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte
26 Sep 2011 16:51
Source: reuters // Reuters
By Alexander Dziadosz and Sherine El Madany

SIRTE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Libyan provisional government forces backed by NATO warplanes raced through the eastern outskirts of Sirte on Monday, closing in on Muammar Gaddafi loyalists holed up in one of the last two bastions of the deposed leader.

Thick, black smoke billowed into the air as National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters battled loyalist troops at a roundabout about 2 km (1.2 mile) from the centre of Gaddafi's home town, Reuters journalists said.

The thud of large explosions could be heard as NATO aircraft roared overhead. NTC fighters said the jets were striking the positions of Gaddafi loyalists.

The advance came two days after anti-Gaddafi fighters west of Sirte drove to within a few hundred metres of its centre before pulling back on Sunday to make way for NATO strikes.

On the western edges of Sirte on Monday, NTC fighters and Gaddafi loyalists traded heavy machine gun fire, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery rounds.

Snipers loyal to Gaddafi could be seen on building rooftops. NATO aircraft flew overhead.

NATO would not comment on its operations in Sirte on Monday. It said its planes hit eight targets on Sunday, including ammunition stores and rocket launchers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-libya-idUSTRE7810I820110926

Ammunition stores and rocket launchers do not belong in a town.

[pinboy3niner]

78. They're idyllic ammunition stores and rocket launchers :)

:rofl:


:hi:

[ellisonz]

83. NATO Incompetants!

:sarcasm:

[pinboy3niner]

99. Oops

Points deducted for failure to use large fonts, ALL CAPS and bolding. :)

[ellisonz]

102. Aww rats...

How about now:

NATO INCOMPETENTS!

:sarcasm:

[pinboy3niner]

103. You're learning...

Throw in some phrases with buzzwords like 'imperialism' and 'colonialism' and work 'oil' in and you might even get hired by Gaddafi. :)

[pinboy3niner]

79. Former Libya PM to contest any extradition from Tunisia, his lawyer tells Reuters

Muammar Gaddafi's former prime minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi was sentenced by Tunisian authorities to 6 months in Jail for entering the country illegally. Libya's NTC is expected to request extradition to put him on trial for his actions while serving the Gaddafi regime.

The lawyer reportedly told Reuters that al-Mahmoudi said:

"I'm not afraid to appear before justice in Libya because I am sure I did not hurt the Libyan people, but I have to reject the Libyan authorities' request because of the bad security conditions and a fear of reprisals."

[pinboy3niner]

80. Libyan NTC Chief Warns Gadhafi Must Be Caught

September 26, 2011

Margaret Besheer | United Nations


The head of Libya’s National Transitional Council appealed directly to the U.N. Security Council Monday, asking it to lift the remaining sanctions on Libya so the country could rebuild. Mahmoud Jibril also warned that the stability of Libya will be at risk as long as former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is on the loose.

Interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told the 15-member Security Council that the continuing sanctions are a factor feeding instability in Libya.

“We must not only fight against a despotic regime, but the Libyan people are counting on the capacity of the NTC to be able to provide the basic needs of the citizens," he said. "The inability of the NTC or provisional government to provide these kinds of services because of a lack of funding, could affect the very foundations of this council that you have recognized.”

...


Jibril also warned that Moammar Gadhafi has a lot of assets at his disposal, which make him a formidable adversary. He said his wealth and connections enable him to threaten stability not just in Libya, but across the African continent.

“This is no exaggeration to say that even beyond the African continent, Gadhafi with the means that he has, could return to his terrorist practices by providing arms across the continent to prove that it was true when he said that his absence from the political stage would be synonymous with the expansion of al-Qaida and terrorist organizations,” said Jibril.

...


http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Libyan-NTC-Chief-Warns-Gadhafi-Must-be-Caught-130574853.html

[pinboy3niner]

81. Lockerbie case shut, Libya says, after UK seeks help

Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:33pm GMT


TRIPOLI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Lockerbie case is closed, Libya's interim justice minister said on Monday, apparently rebuffing a UK request for help which could lead to others, even deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi, being charged over the 1988 airliner bombing.
...

Asked for his response at a news conference, Mohammed al-Alagi told reporters: "The case is closed."

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KQ3TY20110926

[tabatha]

82. Ha ! take that predictors of booty bounties.

http://youtu.be/kr8X-IHrFHE

[ellisonz]

84. Reuters: UN Massing Food and Medicine Supplies Outside Sirte

7 hours 13 min ago - Libya

Reuters reports: The United Nations has food and medical supplies on the outskirts of Muammar Gaddafi's bastion, Sirte, and cannot get in to distribute them, the UN's top humanitarian official in Libya said on Monday.

Panos Moumtzis, said there, was no direct information coming out of Sirte because no UN or non-governmental aid groups had been able to get into the town.

"We are mobilising food and medical supplies on the outskirts. That is all we can do for the moment," Moumtzis told
a Geneva media conference. "For security reasons, we cannot cross over the lines."

"We gather that there is a shortage of water and that electricity is cut off," he said.

"The information we have comes from people who have managed to leave, about 1,700 so far."

He made no direct comment when asked if there was concern over continuing NATO strikes against populated areas still held by forces loyal to the deposed leader.

[tabatha]

85. Libyans reclaim their streets

Abdul-Moneim, a 17-year old schoolboy, raises a laugh about why he is shovelling dust and cigarette ends into a wheelbarrow. "I'd had it with Abu Shafshufa" ("frizzyhead" – the universal nickname for Muammar Gaddafi), he grins, shouldering his broom like a rifle. Passers-by nod approvingly. "Well done kids!" calls out a soldier in camouflage gear. Shopkeepers keep the squad supplied with water and snacks.

Until last month youngsters like these had only ever experienced dictatorship and the apathy it bred. "Of course we wouldn't have done this before the revolution," said Asma. "Why should we sweep Gaddafi's streets? When they did clean things it was only because there was some African president visiting Gaddafi in his stupid tent. It wasn't ever for Libyans. Now we feel Tripoli is our city."



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/26/libyans-reclaim-streets

If this was not reason enough for the revolution, then I don't know what was.

[pinboy3niner]

86. LIBYAN REVOLUTION DAY 222: CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 2:30 AM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

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










Inside one of Gaddafi's torture cells
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2030931/Libya-Inside-Gaddafis-torture-chamber-The-bloodstained-cells-inside-primary-school-used-brutalise-enemies.html

[tabatha]

87. UCLA kid back from Libya, has home movies Kevin Roderick •

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/09/ucla_kid_back_from_libya.php?

Chris Jeon, the UCLA student who turned up with Libyan rebel fighters last month, is back on campus. He sat for an interview on today's CBS Early Show and shared his personal video footage from his month with the rebels — and reveals them to be fans of, yes, Justin Bieber

[joshcryer]

119. Just watched this, oh my god, what a fabulous story, I think he will have a bond with Libyans...

...for the rest of his life. Amazing story. And brave (if a little stupid) guy, with a heart of gold.

[tabatha]

88. ZAWIYAH - BATTLE SCARS AND MARTYRS STORIES - 26/09/2011

Upon leaving Tripoli for the first time in 7 months, i visited Zawiyah to pay tribute to their efforts of resistance and to reflect on the many lives lost and the many wounds to heal.

This is my video of the famous Zawiyah Square.
http://youtu.be/_fasjENLleQ


On 8 March 2011 it was reported that Gaddafi forces had 'torn the town to ashes', having used air power, and 50 tanks, to destroy the town. According to one witness, "the city is in ruins...everyone on the street is shot on sight."<10> According to another report regime violence began to escalate on the morning of the 6 March 2011 and intensified in the following days – " Children have been shot while sitting in front of their houses, the hospital has been bombarded. I don't know where the injured are going to go." <11>

How effing civilized!

[tabatha]

89. We are the rats

sharon lynch

With the help of FF from Misrata, an old lady in Sirte was let out of the house where she and other civilians were held. Not knowing anything about what has been happening, she looked at them and said " God help you win against those rats." One of the ff looked at her smiled and said "we are the rats." From @4evrLonghorn 's nephew's FB page.

http://www.tweetdeck.com/twitter/sharon_lynch/~8P8M7

[tabatha]

92. Disappearing green

Sept 27 #Sirte map. Thanks to NATO/BBC/Aljazeera and mainly @Sirte_Feb17 who named most areas and their status. http://twitter.com/#!/Karybdamoid/status/118474126448009219/photo/1

[pinboy3niner]

95. Libya plans to abolish state security courts

Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:42pm GMT

By William Maclean


TRIPOLI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Libya's new rulers plan to abolish the state security courts used by Muammar Gaddafi to imprison political dissidents, the country's interim justice minister said on Monday.

Mohammed al-Alagi told a news conference the proposal had been formulated by judicial experts and would be put forward shortly to the leadership of the Transitional National Council, Libya's unelected caretaker leadership, for approval.

His announcement was greeted by several journalists and human rights activists with applause and a cry of Allahu Akbar (God is greatest).
...

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KQ3X620110926

[tabatha]

96. ‘We had to free our country… even at the cost of our own lives’

Much has been said about the freedom fighters during the Libya uprising. But what could be referred to as freedom flights also played a major role in the revolution. Capt. Ali Sanusi risked his life several times to fly his BAe 146 into the battlefield. Fiona Galea Debono caught up with the heroic commercial pilot on the runway of the Malta International Airshow.

Capt. Ali Sanusi told his wife it was “either me, or Muammar Gaddafi” when he started flying civilian aircraft into the west of Libya, landing precariously on normal roads to transport rebels, weapons and supplies and build a lifeline that linked it to the east.

We just left, knowing we may never return. We just had to try.

But even though he was risking his life, he never thought twice, and since that first trip on the BAe 146 to the battlefield in June, he clocked up 32 flights – each one equally dangerous.

“We were landing behind the Gaddafi forces, with no protection. They would be no more than 30 kilometres away.”
Speaking at the foot of the heroic BAe 146, on proud display at the Malta International Airshow, Capt. Sanusi is considered one of the pioneers of these operations, carried out to support the revolution.

http://shabablibya.org/news/%E2%80%98we-had-to-free-our-country%E2%80%A6-even-at-the-cost-of-our-own-lives%E2%80%99

[pinboy3niner]

97. Libya Amazigh demand recognition in new constitution

Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:15pm GMT


By Joseph Logan

TRIPOLI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Members of Libya's Amazigh, or Berber, minority, whose language Muammar Gaddafi suppressed, demanded on Monday the country's new rulers recognise them and their tongue in a new constitution.

The demand came in a conference in Tripoli aimed at forging an Amazigh political agenda, the first such expression of Amazigh political identity in the history of the country, and a gesture inconceivable only weeks ago.

"Language rights are not a matter that is subject to a vote," said Fathi Salem Abu Zakhar, an organiser of the conference. "We want the government, and the coming government, to grasp that the language is part of the Libyan equation."

The National Transitional Council has vowed to establish a democratic state that ensures individuals rights regardless of ethnicity, but is struggling to form a government and control remaining pockets of resistance held by pro-Gaddafi fighters.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KQ3UZ20110926

[ellisonz]

101. I think the valiant role played by Libya's Berbers...

...is one of the great stories of the revolution. Amazigh children will now able to learn their ancestral language and culture free of the tyranny of the regime.

For background purposes:

Berbers (Berber: /Imazighen / Imaziɣen) are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Today, varieties of Maghrebi colloquial Arabic are spoken by a large portion of Berbers besides the Berber language itself. Foreign languages like French are used by the educated in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Spanish is also known by some Berbers in Morocco and in the annexed Western Sahara and Italian in Libya. This presence of European languages was due to Europe's occupation and colonization of the Berber world. Today, most Berber-speaking people live in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.<2><3> The presence of the Arabic language and dialects is due to the spread of Islam and to the immigration of some Arab tribes to the region centuries ago. A Berber is not necessarily only someone who happens to speak Berber. The Berber identity is usually wider than language and ethnicity, and encompasses the entire history and geography of North Africa. Berbers are not a homogenous ethnic group and encompass a range of phenotypes, cultures and ancestries. The one unifying force is the Berber language and an identification with the Berber heritage and history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazigh

[pinboy3niner]

104. Fighters who liberated towns in the Nafusa were amazing, and the Amazigh played a crucial role

They deserve to be able to feel that their rights will be protected in the new Libya.

[ellisonz]

108. So do the Kurds...

...one day, one day.

[pinboy3niner]

109. Nice set-up for a tune from my favorite musical...

SOMEWHERE
(Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim)

There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.

There's a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time spare,
Time to learn, time to care,
Some day!

Somewhere.
We'll find a new way of living,
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .

There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!

--West Side Story

[pinboy3niner]

98. Dum, de-dum, de-dum...

:)

[pinboy3niner]

100. Anti-Kadhafi fighters seize Sirte port: commander

AFP – 17 mins ago.


Troops of Libya's new rulers have routed Moamer Kadhafi diehards and wrested control of the port in Sirte, the hometown of the former strongman, a commander told AFP on Tuesday.
...

http://news.yahoo.com/anti-kadhafi-fighters-seize-sirte-port-commander-064853023.html

[pinboy3niner]

105. Libyan women train for military, hope for equality

By RAMI AL-SHAHEIBI - Associated Press | AP – 14 mins ago


BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi famously surrounded himself with a personal coterie of female bodyguards during the decades he ruled Libya. But it was more a sign of his eccentricities than a real commitment to equality for women in this conservative Islamic society.

Now the revolutionary forces that swept the longtime leader from power last month are offering military training to scores of women, some of them housewives, others high school teachers. On Sunday at a military compound in the eastern city of Benghazi, dozens of women with machine guns slung over their shoulders listened attentively to instructions in shooting and martial arts. They are the latest group of trainees as Libya's new leaders work to build a national army.

Women were at the forefront of the protests that launched the anti-Gadhafi uprising in February, demanding democracy for the country and justice for loved ones who had been killed. Many women now hope the revolution will herald full equality.

"We should be equal and we're fighting for the same goal, so why should the men have to carry the burdens of this fight while we sit and watch?" said Amal al-Obeidi, 35, who teaches business management at a high school in Benghazi.

"The least we can do is learn to protect ourselves so the men can focus on fighting Gadhafi on the front lines knowing that we have their back," added al-Obeidi, who wore a headscarf and was brimming with enthusiasm.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/libyan-women-train-military-hope-equality-081251103.html

[pinboy3niner]

106. In Romania, refugees from Libya find oasis of peace

By Mihaela Rodina | AFP – 2 hrs 37 mins ago.


Western Romania has turned into a harbour of peace for nearly 200 refugees who fled persecution, abuse or violence -- many in Libya -- and dream only of "living freely", once resettled in a western country.

"We suffered terribly in Libya. Now, what we want more than anything else is freedom," Mussie, a 31-year-old Eritrean refugee who declined to give his last name for safety reasons, told AFP.

He is one of the scores of residents in the Emergency Transit Centre (ETC) in the western city of Timisoara, some of whom have spent months in the facility.

One of these was a Libyan woman who accused soldiers loyal to Moamer Kadhafi of raping her in an incident that grabbed international attention. In March, Iman Al-Obeidi, 29, burst into the Rixos hotel in Tripoli, a base for journalists covering the conflict, screaming that Kadhafi loyalists had abused her at a Tripoli checkpoint -- all caught on press video that quickly went viral.

...


Mussie, a former teacher, fled Eritrea like many other countrymen to avoid an open-ended military conscription imposed by the autocratic, isolated and impoverished government of the Red Sea state. But Libya was not quite the refuge he expected.

"The Libyans were not tender" to illegal African immigrants, he said, saying he was imprisoned for two-and-a-half years, tortured and deprived of even basic medical assistance.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/romania-refugees-libya-oasis-peace-060857582.html

[pinboy3niner]

107. NATO airstrikes conducted Monday, September 26

Key Hits 26 SEPTEMBER:


In the vicinity of Sirte: 1 command and control node, 1 ammunition /vehicle storage facility.


In the vicinity of Bani Walid: 2 bunkers/command and control nodes, 1 firing point.


...


International Humanitarian Assistance Movements as recorded by NATO


Total of Humanitarian Movements**: 1459 (air, ground, maritime)


Ships delivering Humanitarian Assistance 26 SEPTEMBER: 1


Aircrafts delivering Humanitarian Assistance 26 SEPTEMBER: 30


**Some humanitarian movements cover several days.


http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_09/20110927_110927-oup-update.pdf

[pinboy3niner]

110. The Guardian's staff note conflicting reports out of Libya

Matthew Weaver and Haroon Siddique post on The Guardian's Live Blog:

There are conflicting reports about the progress of the fighting in and around Gaddafi's home town of Sirte.

A commander for Libya's new rulers claimed that the port had fallen, according AFP report carried by Star Africa.

"There were clashes in the night and we now are controlling the port," said Commander Mustafa bin Dardef of the Zintan brigade, which is attached to the National Transitional Council (NTC), the new ruling body of Libya.

The capture of the port, located in eastern Sirte, marks a strategic victory for the anti-Gaddafi forces as they battle for control of Sirte, one of Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds.

The fight for the Mediterranean city has intensified in the past few days with Nato carrying out raids for the third consecutive day on Monday.

NTC fighters have besieged the city from the east, west and south and were on Tuesday cleaning and oiling their weapons for what they said would be a thrust towards the centre, site of Gaddafi's compound and military bunkers.

"As we move closer to the city centre, it's going to be face-to-face street fighting and we are preparing for it," said one fighter, Ali Zaidi.

But as BrownMoses notes below the line, the BBC's Middle East producer Richard Colebourn tweets that the fighting continues:

Battle for Sirte #Libya moving fast. NTC fighters pushing in from all sides. Not clear how long city will take to fall. #bbcnews there live

Meanwhile, the Times reports (paywall) that civilians pouring out of Sirte have accused Nato of committing genocide.

"It has been worse than awful," said Riab Safran, 28, as his car was searched by revolutionary fighters. His family had been sleeping on the beach, he said. "They have hit all kinds of buildings: schools, hospitals," he said, referring to Nato airstrikes.

He said he could not distinguish between Nato and NTC attacks but believed it was a Nato bomb that destroyed part of his home on Saturday. Nato said it hit a number of military targets including a rocket launcher, artillery, and three ammunition stores.

....


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/sep/27/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-8

NTC commanders are sending out mixed messages about the fighting in Sirte. A commander told AP that troops loyal to the new government are holding back to protect civilians.

NTC commanders are sending out mixed messages about the fighting in Sirte. A commander told AP that troops loyal to the new government are holding back to protect civilians.

A brigade commander of Libyan revolutionary fighters says his forces are communicating with families stuck inside Gaddafi's hometown to try to secure them a way out.

Al-Tohami Abu Zayan said Tuesday that revolutionary forces can take the city "whenever we choose," but are holding back to protect civilians.

Early Tuesday, forces outside Sirte were preparing to fire rockets at the town when at least four mortars exploded near them. No one was injured.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/sep/27/syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-9

[tabatha]

111. Libyan rebels encounter fierce fighting and 'dirty tricks' from Gaddafi's troops

Suliman Abdul Mula was not surprised when he saw the white flag waved by a group of Muammar Gaddafi's soldiers caught between western air strikes and the rapid advance of Libya's rebels. "We saw they raised the white flag. We thought they no longer wanted to fight for Gaddafi. They are losing and no one in Libya wants to die for Gaddafi any more," said the 31-year-old. "But when we approached, they opened fire. It was a trick."

Several of the rebels were wounded, including one whose left arm was hanging by a string of flesh.

Another soldier with Mula estimated that there were 100 or more government soldiers in the group flying the white flag as the rebels pushed forward to within 50 miles of the strategically and politically important town of Sirte where Gaddafi was born. The soldier said that as soon as the rebels got close enough, Gaddafi's forces shot at them with machine guns.

Mula was outraged.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/28/libya-rebels-gaddafi-troops

[tabatha]

112. Libyan anti-Gadhafi forces take over port in Sirte

"Among the reports emerging from Sirte are executions, hostage-taking and the calculated targeting of individuals, families, and communities within the city," NATO has said. The organization has also pointed to mercenaries being involved on the pro-Gadhafi side and civilians denied access to food, water and medical care.

The battle for Sirte has been difficult because Gadhafi loyalists have been using snipers and advanced weapons such as machine guns, according to the NTC military.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/libya-war/

[pinboy3niner]

113. Yemeni defense minister escapes assassination bid

By AHMED AL-HAJ - Associated Press | AP – 12 mins ago


SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A suicide attacker driving an explosives-laden car blew himself up Tuesday next to the passing convoy of Yemen's defense minister, who escaped the attack unharmed, security officials and witnesses said.

The assailant detonated his car as Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser Ahmed's convoy passed by on the coastal highway in the southern city of Aden, witnesses said. The ministry confirmed the attack and said in a statement that Ahmed, who survived another attempt on his life last month that killed two of his bodyguards, was unharmed.

A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, said at least 10 were wounded in the blast. It was not immediately clear whether senior military officials were among the wounded.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/yemeni-defense-minister-escapes-assassination-bid-105743300.html

[pinboy3niner]

114. Josh is working on the new OP now

He *claims* he only woke up at 3:37 am. Hmmph! A likely story. :)

[tabatha]

115. Libyan fighters try to free civilians from town

SIRTE, Libya — A brigade commander of Libyan revolutionary fighters says his forces are communicating with families stuck inside of Moammar Gadhafi’s besieged hometown to try to secure them a way out.

Al-Tohami Abu Zayan said Tuesday that revolutionary forces can take the city “whenever we choose,” but are holding back to protect civilians.

For nearly two weeks, revolutionary forces have regularly fired mortars, Grad rockets and tanks shells into the city.

More than one month after seizing Tripoli and ending Gadhafi’s rule, revolutionary forces still face fierce resistance from Gadhafi loyalists in the towns of Sirte, Bani Walid and in pockets in the country’s desert south.

Early Tuesday, forces outside Sirte were preparing to fire rockets at the town when at least four mortars exploded near them. No one was injured.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

http://shabablibya.org/news/libyan-fighters-try-to-free-civilians-from-town

[tabatha]

116. Libyan women train for military, hope for equality

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi famously surrounded himself with a personal coterie of female bodyguards during the decades he ruled Libya. But it was more a sign of his eccentricities than a real commitment to equality for women in this conservative Islamic society.

Now the revolutionary forces that swept the longtime leader from power last month are offering military training to scores of women, some of them housewives, others high school teachers. On Sunday at a military compound in the eastern city of Benghazi, dozens of women with machine guns slung over their shoulders listened attentively to instructions in shooting and martial arts. They are the latest group of trainees as Libya’s new leaders work to build a national army.

Women were at the forefront of the protests that launched the anti-Gadhafi uprising in February, demanding democracy for the country and justice for loved ones who had been killed. Many women now hope the revolution will herald full equality.

“We should be equal and we’re fighting for the same goal, so why should the men have to carry the burdens of this fight while we sit and watch?” said Amal al-Obeidi, 35, who teaches business management at a high school in Benghazi.

“The least we can do is learn to protect ourselves so the men can focus on fighting Gadhafi on the front lines knowing that we have their back,” added al-Obeidi, who wore a headscarf and was brimming with enthusiasm.

http://shabablibya.org/news/libyan-women-train-for-military-hope-for-equality

[pinboy3niner]

117. Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte seek truce-NTC commander

Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:37am GMT


SIRTE, Libya, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A local military commander with Libya's interim government said on Tuesday he was in talks about a truce with an elder from Muammar Gaddafi's tribe inside the besieged city of Sirte.

Gaddafi's hometown, Sirte is one of the last two major towns in Libya still held by fighters loyal to him. His opponents' forces have been trying to capture the city, and are now on the edge of the centre.

Touhami Zayani, commander of the El-Farouk brigade outside Sirte, told Reuters the elder, whom he did not identify, had contacted him on his satellite phone and asked for a truce.

"He called me and said we are looking for a safe passage for the families and for the militia to leave the city," he said.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7KR1ME20110927

[pinboy3niner]

118. At least 20 hurt as Syrian forces strafe Rastan

AFP – 7 mins ago


Syrian forces strafed the city of Rastan in central Homs province with machinegun fire from sunrise on Tuesday, wounding at least 20 people, a human rights group said.

The city, about 180 kilometres (120 miles) from Damascus and a gateway to the country's north, has been the focus of security force operations against anti-regime dissent for several days, according to activists.

"At least 20 people were wounded, seven seriously, when soldiers using heavy machine guns on tanks began to open fire at sunrise in Rastan," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.

"Loud explosions were also heard in the city," it added.

The Local Coordination Committees, which organise protests on the ground, for its part reported a "massive deployment" of security forces at Rastan.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/least-20-hurt-syrian-forces-strafe-rastan-115243291.html

[joshcryer]

120. Week 32 part 2 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2010308

[tabatha]

121. Sovereignty cannot stop intervention against rights abuses

Sovereignty can no longer be used as excuse by States to oppress their own people or prevent the international community to intervene to stop gross abuses of human rights, Belgium and Italy said at the United Nations.

"Belgium will not stand idly by when people claim a future free of coercion and terror," Belgium"s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Institutional Reforms, Steven Vanackere, told the annual general debate of the General Assembly on Saturday.

"Instead of non-interference, Belgium believes in non-indifference. Sovereignty is no longer a wall leaders can use as an excuse to violate the rights of their citizens."

He noted that the uprising against authoritarian governments in North Africa and the Middle East had demonstrated that democracy and accountability are universal ideals valued by people across the world.

http://www.speroforum.com/a/61036/Sovereignty-cannot-stop-intervention-against-rights-abuses-Belgium-and-Italy-tell-UN

How are they going to help Zimbabwe, I wonder.