Libyan Revolution Tweets, Day 20 (or 22*), Part 6

[Catherina]

Libyan Revolution Tweets, Day 20 (or 22*), Part 6

Today's threads: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

#Feb17 Youth organizers invite Gaddafi's collaborators to stand under his umbrella ella ella ella ella ella http://bit.ly/faa34E

"We have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. Plan A is to live and die in Libya. Plan B is to live and die in Libya. Plan C is to live and die in Libya."
- Saif Islam Qaddafi during interview

*I called this Day 20 because the official start date was #Feb17 but events kicked off 2 days earlier.

Previous Day 19 threads: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

The world’s 100 largest arms dealers, excluding Chinese vendors, sold weapons for $401 billion in 2009, with US vendors in first place

Threads for Days 1-18 are in my journal

"I was born in Tunisia, I persevered in Egypt, I sacrificed myself in Libya, I have fought in Yemen&Bahrain. I am Freedom, I will not die."
- Libyan4life Jeel Ghathub

LibyanThinker The Libyan Thinker
New video of Soldiers Executed for Refusing to Shoot Protesters in #Libya

Click here for updated and interactive map

Military Installations

Oil Map


- Google Earth DL here to see positions of army and patrolling route of mercenaries
- MAP of Protests across the Middle East

Please rec if you read these so I know if the effort here is worth it.

[joshcryer]

1. K&R

[COPE2]

28. wall street journal

for a website that calls itself the "democratic underground", the responses on this site sure seem unusually similar to the fascist overground

[Catherina]

31. Huh? n/t On second thought, nevermind. n/t

[Catherina]

2. Rpts that a lot of shots fired at #G hq Bab al Aziziyah last night between 2-6p, many casualties

EnoughGaddafi Enough Gaddafi
Reports that a lot of shots fired at #Gaddafi hq Bab al Aziziyah last night between 2-6p, many casualties #libya #feb17
3 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

[defendandprotect]

39. LIBYA HURRA -- !!

[pinboy3niner]

3. MSNBC: 'People are dying': Outgunned Libya rebels pounded

'People are dying': Outgunned Libya rebels pounded

Gadhafi's tanks, missiles bombard opposition; his forces may have seized city near Tripoli

NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 51 minutes ago 2011-03-08T15:59:44


Moammar Gadhafi's forces used tanks and fired rockets to bombard rebels on the frontline between east and west Libya, according to rebels who complained they could not match the Libyan leader's fire-power.

"People are dying out there. Gadhafi's forces have rockets and tanks," shouted Abdel Salem Mohamed, 21, returning to Ras Lanuf from the front.

...


'Shot on sight'

Government artillery also pounded Zawiya, the closest rebel-held city to the capital Tripoli as trapped residents cowered from the onslaught, witnesses said.

...


"The city is in ruins," he said. "Some buildings have been entirely destroyed and everyone on the street is shot on sight. There are many wounded but the hospitals are running out of supplies," he said.


The Associated Press, Reuters and NBC News contributed to this report.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41963598/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

[joshcryer]

5. Can we all agree a few dozen stragetic attacks on those damn tanks can't hurt?

[Catherina]

4. Watch SKY NEWS! Detailed report on Zawiya fighting today

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
Watch SKY NEWS! Detailed report on Zawiya fighting today #Libya #Feb17
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Sky-Live-TV

See post 7

[joshcryer]

6. Stream?

[joshcryer]

7. Stream here, takes a min to load:

http://skynewslivestream.com/

[Catherina]

8. Keeps cutting out for me. I need a new computer or something n/t

[Catherina]

9. A very brave Alex Crawford has provided a fantastic report for Sky news

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
A very brave Alex Crawford has provided a fantastic report for Sky news, the truth on the ground Gaddafi has constantly denied #Libya #Feb17
9 minutes ago

[pinboy3niner]

12. Alex Crawford, SkyNews, Zawiyah: "It was mayhem...appalling injuries...'shoot-to-kill' policy"

From The Guardian's News Blog:

5.17pm:

In her dramatic report, Alex Crawford described how the she and her crew were trapped in Zawiyah as the Libyan army loyal to Gaddafi moved in to crush the rebels. In her accompanying web report, Crawford writes:

We saw ambulances being driven at high speed to pick up the first casualties and they too were fired on. It was mayhem at the Zawiyah teaching hospital, as dozens of people were stretchered in by friends, colleagues and strangers. The injuries were appalling.

She quotes a doctor at the hospital who said there was a "shoot-to-kill" policy.

5.13pm: This is Matt Wells taking over from Haroon. Sky News is broadcasting a much-anticipated special report on Zawiyah. Sky is one of the few media organisations to have had a correspondent in the disputed city, Alex Crawford.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/08/libya-uprising-gaddafi-live#block-4

[Catherina]

13. Alex Crawford....Thank you for being #libya voice, and showing the world what crimes are happening

septimius_sever septimius severus
Alex Crawford....Thank you for being #libya voice, and showing the world what crimes are happening in #Zawya. all #libyans SALUTE YOU #feb17
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

22. Here is an initial written report. Must read

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
http://bit.ly/ifPRiH Here is a written report, there will be a further one later this evening on Sky news once more #Libya #Feb17
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Special Report: Rebel-Held Town Under Siege
5:46pm UK, Tuesday March 08, 2011

Alex Crawford, special correspondent, in Zawiyah

The people of Zawiyah are fighting for their lives. We have seen with our own eyes Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces firing on peaceful protesters.


Gaddafi's forces opened fire on protesters calling for the colonel to step down

We have witnessed the regime's tanks shelling residential buildings. We have sheltered in a mosque as the colonel's soldiers fired on the minarets.

...

The smell is overpowering. It is the smell of death. The large man slumps down his load and runs out retching. I see him in the mosque's courtyard vomiting, as he is comforted by a friend.

Several Gaddafi soldiers are brought in and their IDs show they are from the Khamis brigade, the crack 32nd battalion led by Gaddafi's son.

...

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libya-Sky-News-Witnesses-Zawiyah-Rebels-Battle-Gaddafi-Soldiers-In-Bloody-Fight-For-Control-Of-City/Article/201103215948211?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_1&lid=ARTICLE_15948211_Libya:_Sky_News_Witnesses_Zawiyah_Rebels_Battle_Gaddafi_Soldiers_In_Bloody_Fight_For_Control_Of_City

Must read

[Catherina]

27. According to a witness- Mercenaries have murdered a whole family when they attempted to leave Zawiya

LibyaInMe Libya In Me
According to a witness- Mercenaries have murdered a whole family when they attempted to leave Zawiya #libya #feb17
10 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

41. Sky News video report on Az Zawiya now online

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: Sky News video report on Az Zawiya now online - #feb17 #libya - libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaki…
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

2030 Sky News Detailed report on Az Zawiya over the past 3 days
http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaking-zawiya-being-shelled-right-now/

[joshcryer]

49. Tears freezing to my face. I missed it earlier.

[Catherina]

51. I know

:hug:

[Catherina]

10. #G insistence on capturing #Zawiya b/c reports say forces running low on fuel in Bab al Aziziya

EnoughGaddafi Enough Gaddafi
#Gaddafi insistence on capturing #Zawiya b/c reports say forces running low on fuel in Bab al Aziziya #feb17 #libya
8 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Iterate]

29. Is that normally a good source?

I ask because I've been looking over the weekend at Libya's internal refinery capacity and fuel use over the weekend, and I have to say that from the meager public domain/web info that I've seen it doesn't look good for G and the western half of Libya.

Then this morning pinboy3niner posted an AJE? blog mentioning the low fuel situation for the revolutionaries in the east. That part was to be expected, I suppose, and it looks like they can deal with it, but G cannot and it's the NW that's the most vulnerable. Moreover, several of the electrical power plants run on NG, and the main pipeline runs just west of Sirte. The rest are oil-fired.

No doubt the people will suffer from shortages and outages long before the regime does, but having said that, the best way to stop 100 tanks is to starve them dry.

[Catherina]

35. Yes. The revos will having problems due to refineries not refining much

but at least they can deal with it. #G however will be in a world of hurt.

[Iterate]

44. OK, I'll post the info I have,

speculation that it is, and people can make of it what they will.

[defendandprotect]

40. kr

[Catherina]

11. Reminder that ~50 tanks and 120 bullet-proof trucks attacking Zawiya now

The town is reportedly flattened.

Tanks fired at homes, schools, mosques, everything. Tweets are at end of last thread

[Catherina]

14. Fierce fighting in Ben Jawad bet. revos+ #G brigade who r using women+kids as human shields

LibyaInMe Libya In Me
BREAKING: Almanara- Fierce fighting in Ben Jawad bet. revolutionaries+ Gaddafi brigade who r using women+kids as human sheilds #libya #feb17
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

15. Gaddafi insists the unrest is down to al-Qaeda, Islamists

UKguy4justice Aminul Hoque
RT @Arabic_News: #LIBYA: Gaddafi insists the unrest is down to al-Qaeda f24.my/gRvFVO #Feb17
2 minutes ago

Gaddafi insists the unrest is down to al-Qaeda

VIDEO

Muammar Gaddafi has once again laid the blame for the Libyan unrest at the door of al-Qaeda, though Western governments don't seem convinced by his claims. Islamist groups have been trying to get rid of Gaddafi for years, and it was to help fight the threat of extremists that the international community brought Gaddafi back in from the cold. Yet with no evidence to support his accusations, can al-Qaeda really be reponsible for the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and now Libya?

http://www.france24.com/en/20110307-gaddafi-blames-unrest-on-al-Qaeda

[Catherina]

16. All Journos r in the hotel awaiting 4 press conference except skynews reporter is in Zawya

septimius_sever septimius severus
@
@richardengelnbc All Journalist r in the hotel awaiting 4 press conference, except skynews reporter is in Zawya watching d event of d day
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

17. Reports of human shields being used by mercenaries in Sirte. using his own tribe as shields

ChangeInLibya Halwasa Guy
Human shields being used by mercenaries in Sirte. Gaddafi using people from his own tribe and Mgarha as shields...#libya #feb17
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

18. 50 Tanks reported to be attacking Zawia, as well as aircraft. Buildings & Mosques completely crushed

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
by ToneyBrooks
50 Tanks reported to be attacking Zawia, as well as aircraft. Buildings and Mosques have been completely crushed reuters #Libya #Feb17
26 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

19. 2 top aides 2 #Gaddafi have been placed under house arrest, source close 2 regime said

UKguy4justice Aminul Hoque
DPA: 2 top aides 2 #Gaddafi have been placed under house arrest in the capital Tripoli, a source close 2 regime said Tuesday #Feb17 #Libya
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[defendandprotect]

42. LIBYA HURRA -- !! ....

Are we getting closer to this monster being killed by those closest to him?

[Catherina]

55. If so, they're moving at a glacial speed. Whoever does it would become a hero n/t

[Catherina]

20. NEW VIDEO: Gaddafi's Brigade Leaving Misurata March 6

LibyaInMe Libya In Me
NEW VIDEO: Gaddafi's Brigade Leaving Misurata March 6 http://on.fb.me/hRtQZO #libya #feb17
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply


https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=116981615043131&oid=197898230226131&comments

[Catherina]

21. CONFIRMED: Saudi is sending weapons to Revolutionaries

LibyaInMe Libya In Me
CONFIRMED: Saudi is sending weapons to Revolutionaries http://on.fb.me/gontoD #feb17 #libya
5 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply



https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=185167041524438

Richard Englel, NBC News Correspondent reporting to Rachel Maddow


Robert Fisk spoke about this too in one of his last articles.

[defendandprotect]

38. K/R

[sasha031]

56. K&R

Report: U.S. Develops Secret Plan to Arm Libyan Rebels
The British journalist Robert Fisk is reporting the United States has developed a secret plan to arm Libya’s rebel fighters. According to Fisk, the United States has asked Saudi Arabia to begin airlifting weapons into the Libyan port city of Benghazi.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/8/headlines#5

[pinboy3niner]

23. Reuters: Gaddafi forces strike rebels in west and east Libya

Gaddafi forces strike rebels in west and east Libya

Tue Mar 8, 2011 2:42pm GMT

...

Gaddafi's forces launched a concerted attack with tanks and artillery on Tuesday to recapture Zawiyah, about 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli and near an important oil refinery.

...

"Many buildings are completely destroyed, including hospitals, electricity lines and generators," he said.


"People cannot run away, it's cordoned off. They cannot flee. All those who can fight are fighting, including teenagers. Children and women are being hidden."

...

The airstrikes in the east hit at rebels behind the no-man's land between the coastal towns of Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad, 550 km (340 miles) east of Tripoli and the site of oil terminals.

More:
http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFLDE71Q0MP20110308?sp=true

[Catherina]

24. Libyan-American hiphop artist Khaled M new song #Canttakeourfreedom "

EnoughGaddafi Enough Gaddafi
Libyan-American hiphop artist Khaled M ft. Lowkey new song " #Canttakeourfreedom " #libya #feb17 http://tiny.cc/dddny @thisiskhaledm
7 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


Khaled M. feat Lowkey- "Can't Take Our Freedom"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NReDBYRZ7nY

Whoever made this video used a lot of very recent footage from Libya

[Inuca]

25. Brand new AJ twitter dashboard

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/twitter-dashboard

[pinboy3niner]

26. Excellent AJE report: Trouble for Libya's oil industry

The video is not long (2:43):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2-3ERwBiWI&feature=player_embedded

[Catherina]

30. All these rumors about #G just tactic 2 confuse+ disorient+2 create split... He is going nowhere

MilitantNews Stephen Morgan
#Libya All these rumors about #Gaddafi going just tactic 2 confuse+ disorientate+2 create split in opposition. He is going nowhere
42 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[pinboy3niner]

32. Libyan rebels call for Arab support (& disputes emerging between Gaddafi's children)

Interesting story posted by Turborama in LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4761236

It reports, for example, that "16 countries have recognized the council, and that 10 European countries are set to announce their recognition of the National Transitional Council in the near future."

[Catherina]

45. Which countries. I only heard of two, France and, I think, Peru.

10 more were supposed to announce today but haven't heard anything.

[Catherina]

33. #Egypt: Army arrests General Hassan Abdul Rahman, head of the State Security Investigations Service

SultanAlQassemi Sultan Al Qassemi
Al Arabiya: The Egyptian Army arrests General Hassan Abdul Rahman, head of the State Security Investigations Service. #Egypt #Jan25
5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[defendandprotect]

43. KR --

[Catherina]

34. exactly what i was afraid of, black migrant workers being attacked for being suspected mercs

IbnOmar2005 Ibn Omar
http://youtu.be/YNA8z5G-Xmk exactly what i was afraid of, black migrant workers being attacked in #libya for being suspected mercenaries
13 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Black Africans in Libya live in fear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNA8z5G-Xmk

[Catherina]

36. Revos near Sirte making steady progress. #G little & far away. Victory is near inshallah.

ChangeInLibya Halwasa Guy
Revolutionaries near Sirte making steady progress. Gaddafi reinforcements said to be little & far away. Victory is near inshallah. #libya
5 minutes ago

[Catherina]

37. #G's AF- just over 100 MiG-23 Fighter Jets,16-20 Mirage F-1 jets, 40-50 SU-22 fighter jets & bombs

UKguy4justice Aminul Hoque
#Feb17 Ghadafi's Air Force fleet includes just over 100 MiG-23 Fighter Jets,16-20 Mirage F-1 jets, 40-50 SU-22 fighter jets & enough bombs..
5 minutes ago


UKguy4justice Aminul Hoque
#Feb17 to last a lifetime & that is very worrying & many leading analysts agree that the recent use of the AF by Ghadafi is just a taste &
5 minutes ago

#Feb17 a deliberate strategical stance indicating his proclaimed will of fighting to the end and if he looses then he will go down fighting!

#Feb17 U need to locate these jets and put them out of service or at least destroy the bomb and artillery depots. These two actions will..

prove to be highly beneficial to the Revolutionaries & the innocent civilians who are not fighting in the front lines.

[Catherina]

46. #G throwing everything he has at Zawia and failing. Tripoli barracks are apparently completely empty

ChangeInLibya Halwasa Guy
Gaddafi really is throwing everything he has at Zawia and failing. Tripoli barracks are apparently completely empty. #libya #feb17
2 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

48. f he is really doing that it is time for tripoli to move, especially if security forces r low there

FreeLibyan87 Free libya
by ChangeInLibya@
@ChangeInLibya if he is really doing that it is time for tripoli to move, especially if security forces are low there
2 minutes ago

[defendandprotect]

53. LIBYA HURRA -- !!

[Catherina]

47. Info+propoganda is more powerful than bullets+rockets-use of megaphones,leaflets-offer amnesty >

MilitantNews Stephen Morgan
#Libya - Info+propoganda is more powerful than bullets+rockets-use of megaphones,leaflets-offer amnesty 2 loyalist troops+in held towns
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

50. confirmed: found headless corpse in military uniform of the security battalions on the road to >>

hamzamu hamzamu
برق عاجل مؤكد : العثور على جثة بلا رأس بزى عسكرى للكتائب الامنية على طريق سرت سبها يعتقد انها لظابط المخابرات المسؤول عن مذابح بنغازى #libya
4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Google Arabic to English translation

URGENT confirmed: found headless corpse in military uniform of the security battalions on the road to the Sirte Sabha believed to be an officer, the intelligence responsible for the massacres of Benghazi

Here we go

hamzamu hamzamu
headless body found in Sert-Sabha road may belong to Intel officer of Gaddafi who is responsible on Bengazi massacre #libya #feb17
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

52. The neocons are trying to talk us into war -- again - Salon

IraqMonitor Iraq Monitor
by SmithSofia
The neocons are trying to talk us into war -- again - Salon http://bit.ly/gdet9G #Iraq
7 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

TUESDAY, MAR 8, 2011 07:01 ET
The neocons are trying to talk us into war -- again
A no-fly zone over Libya would be a gateway drug that leads to all-out American military invasion and occupation
BY MICHAEL LIND

"They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing," Voltaire ...

Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman, along with others, have raised the possibility of establishing "no-fly zones" in Libya, along the lines of those in Iraq between the end of the Gulf War in 1991 and the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003, in order to prevent Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi from using his air force to bomb the rebels seeking to overthrow his regime. Another suggestion is to help Libyan rebels establish secure enclaves, from which they can capture the rest of the country from forces loyal to Gadhafi.

The implication is that the enforcement of "no-fly zones," by the U.S. alone or with NATO allies, would be a moderate, reasonable measure short of war, like a trade embargo. In reality, declaring and enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya would be a radical act of war. It would require the U.S. not only to shoot down Libyan military aircraft but also to bomb Libya in order to destroy anti-aircraft defenses. Under any legal theory, bombing a foreign government's territory and blasting its air force out of the sky is war.

Could America's war in Libya remain limited? The hawks glibly promise that the U.S. could limit its participation in the Libyan civil war to airstrikes, leaving the fighting to Libyan rebels.

These assurances by the hawks are ominously familiar. Remember the phrase "lift-and-strike"? During the wars of the Yugoslav succession in the 1990s, Washington’s armchair generals claimed that Serbia could easily be defeated if the U.S. lifted the arms embargo on Serbia’s enemies and engaged in a few antiseptic airstrikes. Instead, the ultimate result was a full-scale war by NATO. Serbia capitulated only when it was faced with the possibility of a ground invasion by NATO troops.

...

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/08/lind_libya_no_fly/

Interesting article. Obviously a slow tweet night with all the communications being down in Libya.

[Catherina]

54. #Gaddafi forces are outside #Misrata now (Arabic call, no translation yet)

feb17voices Feb 17 voices
Audioboo: ARABIC LPC from #Misrata: #Gaddafi forces are outside the city. (Translation soon) #Libya #Feb17 http://boo.fm/b296969
5 minutes ago

[Catherina]

57. #G forces are outside the city, not inside or at city edge

ENGLISH LPC from #Misrata: #Gaddafi forces are outside the city, not inside or at city edge. #Libya #Feb17
3 minutes ago
play


Simultaneous translation into English has been added
http://audioboo.fm/boos/296976-english-lpc-from-misrata-gaddafi-forces-are-outside-the-city-not-inside-or-at-city-edge-libya-feb17

[Catherina]

58. Great article regarding NFZ in #Libya and echoes some of my fears

ChangeInLibya Halwasa Guy
Great article regarding NFZ in #Libya and echoes some of my fears http://goo.gl/I48R1 #libya #feb17 Thanks to @sabzbrach
4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

How a Libyan No-fly Zone Could Backfire
March 8, 2011 | 1550 GMT

JOHN MOORE/Getty Images


Libyan rebels on March 7 load an anti-aircraft gun near oil facilities in Ras Lanuf

By George Friedman

...

Complications to Airstrikes

It has been pointed out that a no-fly zone is not an antiseptic act. In order to protect the aircraft enforcing the no-fly zone, one must begin by suppressing enemy air defenses. This in turn poses an intelligence problem. Precisely what are Libyan air defenses and where are they located? It is possible to assert that Libya has no effective air defenses and that an SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses) attack is therefore unnecessary. But that makes assumptions that cannot be demonstrated without testing, and the test is dangerous. At the same time, collecting definitive intelligence on air defenses is not as easy as it might appear — particularly as the opposition and thieves alike have managed to capture heavy weapons and armored vehicles, meaning that air defense assets are on the move and under uncertain control.

Therefore, a no-fly zone would begin with airstrikes on known air defense sites. But it would likely continue with sustained patrols by SEAD aircraft armed with anti-radiation missiles poised to rapidly confront any subsequent threat that pops up. Keeping those aircraft on station for an extended period of time would be necessary, along with an unknown number of strikes. It is uncertain where the radars and missiles are located, and those airstrikes would not be without error. When search radars and especially targeting radars are turned on, the response must be instantaneous, while the radar is radiating (and therefore vulnerable) and before it can engage. That means there will be no opportunity to determine whether the sites are located in residential areas or close to public facilities such as schools or hospitals.

Read more: How a Libyan No-fly Zone Could Backfire | STRATFOR
Previous regimes, hoping to garner international support, have deliberately placed their systems near such facilities to force what the international media would consider an atrocity. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi does not seem like someone who would hesitate to cause civilian casualties for political advantage. Thus, the imposition of a no-fly zone could rapidly deteriorate into condemnations for killing civilians of those enforcing the zone ostensibly for humanitarian purposes. Indeed, attacks on air defenses could cause substantial casualties, turning a humanitarian action into one of considerable consequence in both humanitarian and political terms.

Airstrikes vs. Ground Operations

The more important question is what exactly a no-fly zone would achieve. Certainly, it would ground Gadhafi’s air force, but it would not come close to ending the fighting nor erode Gadhafi’s other substantial advantages. His forces appear to be better organized and trained than his opponents, who are politically divided and far less organized. Not long ago, Gadhafi largely was written off, but he has more than held his own — and he has held his own through the employment of ground combat forces. What remains of his air force has been used for limited harassment, so the imposition of a no-fly zone would not change the military situation on the ground. Even with a no-fly zone, Gadhafi would still be difficult for the rebels to defeat, and Gadhafi might still defeat the rebels.

...


http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110308-how-libyan-no-fly-zone-could-backfire

[sasha031]

59. U.S. Considers Arming Libyan Rebels Months After Approving Major Arms

Deal Sought by Qaddafi
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/u.s.-considers-arming-libyan-rebels-months-after-approving-major-arms-deal-

[Catherina]

61. Eternal war! Sounds like a plan. So sick of our arms industry n/t

[sasha031]

63. you and I both

[Catherina]

60. Reports that UN Security Council decides in 48 hrs whether to impose a no-fly zone on #Gaddafi's AF

Libyan4life Jeel Ghathub
Reports that UN Security Council decides in 48 hrs whether to impose a no-fly zone on #Gaddafi's air force
6 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

62. Part 7 here

www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x587237