Libyan Revolution Day 25 (Gaddafi's bloodbath, the fight for Brega and Benghazi)

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-14">AJE Live Blog March 14 (today) http://blogs.aljazeera.net/twitter-dashboard">AJE Twitter Dashboard http://feb17.info/">feb17.info http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks">Libya Alhurra (live video webcast from Benghazi) http://www.libyafeb17.com/">libyafeb17.com http://audioboo.fm/feb17voices">feb17voices

Twitter links: http://twitter.com/#!/aymanm">Ayman Mohyeldin, with AJE http://twitter.com/#!/bencnn">Ben Wedeman, with CNN http://twitter.com/#!/tripolitanian">tripolitanian, a Libyan from Tripoli http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian">Brian Conley, reporter in Libya http://twitter.com/#!/freelibyanyouth">FreeLibyanYouth, Libyan advocate http://twitter.com/#!/LibyaFeb17_com">LibyaFeb17.com twitter account http://twitter.com/#!/ChangeInLibya">ChangeInLibya, Libyan advocate

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

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x626812">Day 24 here.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-rebels-20110313,0,1893818,full.story">Gaddafi's bloodbath
As the rebels struggle to hold ground, the war creeps toward them. In the darkened halls of the Ajdabiya hospital, 45 miles east of Port Brega, Dr. Anis Bargty predicted more casualties.

"Yesterday the ambulance delivered just arms and legs," he said. "A terrible day, and there will be more."

"I didn't get a chance to attack anybody," Ali complained.

It hardly mattered, for he did not have a gun. He had been issued a single grenade, which he clutched all the way to the hospital.

http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/france-pushes-to-speed-up--libya-no-fly-zone_135644.html">France pushes to 'speed up' Libya no-fly zone
France is pushing to "speed up" multilateral efforts for a no-fly zone over Libya to curb the civil conflict there, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said in a statement Sunday.

"France is going to speed up, in the coming hours, its efforts, together with the EU, Arab League, UN Security Council and the Libyan National Transition Council," he added, referring lastly to the Libyan opposition.

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

(Yeah, Saif, as if you weren't "cutting oil deals, contracts" with western states.)

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

And so it began.

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/europe/2011/03/2011310193023263578.html">France recognises Libya opposition: France has now officially recognised the National Council, the alternative government set up by the Libyan opposition in Benghazi, and has severed ties with Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Reports from France, meanwhile, indicate that Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, is also considering lobbying the EU to back air strikes against specific targets in Libya.

Al Jazeera's Tim Friend reports from Paris.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/feb/27/libya-tripoli-unrest-gaddafi-map">Click here for updated and interactive map

Military Installations



Oil Map



http://bit.ly/fe3P">Google Earth DL here to see positions of army and patrolling route of mercenaries

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212059469427545728757.00049c4df2474b6543347&ll=31.203405,30.058594&spn=96.173452,183.867188&z=3">MAP of Protests across the Middle East

Ali Hassan Al Jaber ruthlessly murdered

Al Jazeera cameraman killed in Libya: http://www.youtube.com/v/U3SIeFEsOv0

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011312192359523376.html">Al Jazeera staffer killed in Libya
"Al Jazeera condemns the cowardly crime, which comes as part of the Libyan regime's malicious campaign targeting Al Jazeera and its staff," the network said in a statement.

"Al Jazeera reiterates the assault cannot dent its resolve to continue its mission, professionally enlightening the public of the unfolding events in Libya and elsewhere.

"Al Jazeera stresses it will relentlessly prosecute and bring to justice all perpetrators and their accomplices."

Al Jaber, a Qatari national, was born in 1955 and received his bachelor and master's degrees in cinematography from the Academy of Arts in Cairo. He was the director of CNBC Arabiya TV bureau in Qatar.

[joshcryer]

1. Current time in Libya is 4:34am, Monday, March 14

[midnight]

2. Peace.

[joshcryer]

3. @Tripolitanian's choice tweets below:

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

[joshcryer]

4. The #Libyans have literally pleaded for the #US to impose a #NFZ - there aren't any excuses left.

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47000282827202562">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
The #Libyans have literally pleaded for the #US to impose a #NFZ - there aren't any excuses left.
8 hours ago

[joshcryer]

6. Followers from Tunisia, please use this doc to help jam #Libya's State TV signal

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/46994715308064768">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
Followers from Tunisia, please use this doc to help jam #Libya's State TV signal: http://goo.gl/1Ujmh
8 hours ago

---

Shame I live in an apartment complex. Not that I would do this or have the ability to...

[joshcryer]

8. The #Libyans have literally pleaded for the #US to impose a #NFZ - there aren't any excuses left.

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47000282827202562">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
The #Libyans have literally pleaded for the #US to impose a #NFZ - there aren't any excuses left.
8 hours ago

[joshcryer]

12. #BBC confirms government of #Algeria is supplying #Gaddafi with military aid

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47034104595742721">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
#BBC confirms government of #Algeria is supplying #Gaddafi with military aid | #Libya #Feb17
6 hours ago

[joshcryer]

13. The #NFZ is needed NOW - #Libya's freedom-fighters cannot fight the military jets!

link:http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47035141138300928|@Tripolitanian]
Libyan
The #NFZ is needed NOW - #Libya's freedom-fighters cannot fight the military jets!
6 hours ago

[joshcryer]

14. BBC proof (of Algeria's complicity) if you understand arabic

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47038044204843008|@Tripolitanian>
Libyan
BBC proof if you understand arabic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kut36OZsMag
6 hours ago

[joshcryer]

15. I find it ridiculous that UN approval is needed for a #NFZ, the #Libyans ask, is that not enough?

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47042761903452160">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
I find it ridiculous that UN approval is needed for a #NFZ, the #Libyans ask for it, is that not enough? | #Libya #Feb17
5 hours ago

[joshcryer]

16. If the #EU can meet before the #UNSecCouncil, they should re-assess their position on #NFZ

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47049512052719616">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
If the #EU can meet before the #UNSecCouncil, they should re-assess their position on #NFZ
5 hours ago

[joshcryer]

17. Urgent: Send a message NOW @Avaaz to the UN to impose a no-fly zone in #Libya

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47051109667315712">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
Urgent: Send a message NOW @Avaaz to the UN to impose a no-fly zone in #Libya and protect civilians: http://www.avaaz.org/en/libya_no_fly_zone_1/?twi
5 hours ago

---

Posted yesterday but I will repost this every day when it is mentioned.

[David__77]

31. If the opposition wants to win, this begging should stop.

It's not going to result in Western intervention, and it only feeds into the narrative that strengthens the hand of the Tripoli authorities. It is clear that this is leading to the opposition calling for grounds troops ultimately.

[joshcryer]

34. What is 'clear' about them asking for ground troops? They have been fighting for almost a month.

That is nonsense and a slander on the Libyan revolutionaries. They are out gunned, being bombed to fuck. If the US was attacking them and they were calling upon the Arab League or something for a NFZ you'd be completely behind it.

[David__77]

104. I don't think so.

I don't want foreign intervention. Because I am a US citizen, I believe it is my duty to oppose US intervention. I cannot think of an instance in which I have supported foreign intervention in my lifetime. You are right that I am being conjectural with regard to potential calls for ground support, but I do not really see how it is a big leap from aerial support to ground support - they are both aimed at bolstering military position.

[joshcryer]

114. Ground forces mean a protracted stay. Bombs tend to stick around for a few seconds.

Then they're just dust and debris.

There's a huge difference between troops which need enforcement and security for themselves and their technology, and strikes against a tyrant. You put troops on the ground they need a base, refueling stations, security for their munitions depots, whole nine yards, it's effectively building a base there (in fact in almost all cases of US intervention we tend to leave a permanent base behind).

NFZ requires none of that.

[joshcryer]

19. Reports say attacks on #Misrata have started | #Libya #Feb17 (3 hrs ago)

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47075036309368832">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
Reports say attacks on #Misrata have started | #Libya #Feb17
3 hours ago

[joshcryer]

24. Clashes continue in Western town of Az #Zawya despite claims pro-Gaddafi forces have taken it

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47075909626372096">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
Clashes continue in Western town of Az #Zawya despite claims pro-Gaddafi forces have taken it | #Libya #Feb17
4 hours ago

[joshcryer]

25. PLEASE SEND STINGER MISSILES TO #LIBYA - purely defensive weapons.

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47079069417865216">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
PLEASE SEND STINGER MISSILES TO #LIBYA - purely defensive weapons.
4 hours ago

[joshcryer]

26. Some #UN reporters are saying UN Sec Council will meet #Monday @ 10am

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47100902779273216">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
Some #UN reporters are saying UN Sec Council will meet #Monday @ 10am - I hope they finally get their act together.
2 hours ago

---

Trying to confirm this. They weren't supposed to meet until Tuesday.

[joshcryer]

28. You all might have heard that they found an underground prison in #Benghazi, #Libya

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47115912276484096">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
You all might have heard that they found an underground prison in #Benghazi, #Libya - 100s of ppl had been trapped underneath
1 hour ago

[joshcryer]

30. The prison had only 2 windows, one for air, one for delivering food, no bathrooms in the prison

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47116045265276928">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
The prison had only 2 windows, one for air, one for delivering food, no bathrooms in the prison
1 hour ago

[joshcryer]

32. ne very old man, was trapped in this underground prison hell for over 20 years

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47116275075391488">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
One very old man, was trapped in this underground prison hell for over 20 years, his beard was the same as his own length | #Libya
1 hour ago

[joshcryer]

33. One of the men in their was beaten so badly that he became paralyzed, mentally destroyed

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47116623638831104">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
One of the men in their was beaten so badly that he became paralyzed, mentally destroyed
1 hour ago

[joshcryer]

37. How was the prison discovered you ask?

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47116802358124544">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
How was the prison discovered you ask?
1 hour ago

[joshcryer]

38. When the ppl from #Benghazi were taking over a security blding, they heard something underground

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47116954712018944">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
When the ppl from #Benghazi were taking over a security blding, they heard something underground, started digging thro meters of sand
1 hour ago

[joshcryer]

39. Press TV should be airing a short documentary in the near future with a segment on this prison

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47118170569441282">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
There's a News agency called Press TV, they should be airing a short documentary in the near future, a segment will cover this prison
1 hour ago

---

Will try to find the documentary when it airs.

[joshcryer]

40. Islamic Relief: Libya crisis charity dinner in Manchester - £65,000 raised

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47135179764015105">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
Islamic Relief: Libya crisis charity dinner in Manchester - £65,000 raised - #feb17 #libya - libyafeb17.com/2011/03/islami…
38 minutes ago

[joshcryer]

93. @85possyh US can seriously fix its reputation in the Middle-East within the coming few days

http://twitter.com/#!/Tripolitanian/status/47182493518004224">@Tripolitanian
Libyan
@85possyh US can seriously fix its reputation in the Middle-East within the coming few days
22 minutes ago

---

The US can do no good or bad that can fix its reputation.

[pinboy3niner]

5. The body of murdered Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassan Al-Jaber has returned to Qatar

AJE:

2:06am < (8:06 pm Sun. EDT) >

The body of murdered Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassan Al-Jaber has returned to Qatar.


Video clip (0:59):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcvsfCSK1_g&feature=player_embedded


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

[joshcryer]

7. Draped with both flags, of Qatar and Libya.

Solidarity! LIBYA HURRA!

[pinboy3niner]

9. A school in #Tobruk, #Libya has been named after the fallen #AlJazeera cameraman

A school in #Tobruk, #Libya has been named after the fallen #AlJazeera cameraman. Rest in Peace.

[joshcryer]

10. Brian Conley's choice tweets below:

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

[joshcryer]

11. I should remind followers #NFZ is not just to stop air attacks, it also prevent air targeting

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47006063144349697">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
I should remind followers #NFZ is not just to stop air attacks, it also prevent air targeting as is happening in #Brega and #raslanuf #libya
8 hours ago

---

Good point, arty is useless without effective targeting!

[joshcryer]

43. Today I heard from someone that many of his friend went to Iraq to fight now they fight #Gaddafi

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47006314232156160">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
Today I heard from someone that many of his friend went to Iraq to fight, but don't even pray 5 times a day, now they fight #Gaddafi #Libya
9 hours ago

[joshcryer]

44. Yesterday 3 news teams retreated to #Tobruk due to increased fighting in #brega

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47010555311046656">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
Yesterday 3 news teams retreated to #Tobruk due to increased fighting in #brega believe more left today after killing of AJ reporter #libya
9 hours ago

[joshcryer]

45. What's happening in #Brega hard to say, volunteers sent home, Sa'iqa not free with information

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47011776008699904">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
What's happening in #Brega hard to say, volunteers sent home, Sa'iqa not free with information, but claim to still be fighting #libya
8 hours ago

[joshcryer]

46. one of our local #Libya team members was detained and accused of being pro #gaddafi

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47018048019898369">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
Apparently one of our local #Libya team members was detained by local shabab and accused of being pro #gaddafi element? WTF #Benghazi
8 hours ago

[joshcryer]

47. random shabab are accusing black libyans of being mercenaries harassing Libyan bloggers

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47020108102647808">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
Things are going a little crazy in #Benghazi random shabab are accusing black libyans of being mercenaries harassing Libyan bloggers #libya
8 hours ago

---

Welcome to Gaddafi's war, Brian. This has been an element that Gaddafi has exploited for weeks. Foment racism with black African mercenaries.

[joshcryer]

48. french journalists earlier expressing concern #gaddhafi may soon be on the move here #libya

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47069647769571328">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
spoke to a team of french journalists earlier tonight who left for #tobruk expressing concern #gaddhafi may soon be on the move here #libya
5 hours ago

[joshcryer]

49. a bit of tension in #benghazi #libya these days hope to have better credentials tomorrow

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47071357753757696">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
our team member Ahmed is fine just a bit of tension in #benghazi #libya these days hope to have a better credentials for our team tomorrow
5 hours ago

[joshcryer]

51. A bit of info on this: apparently there are rumors of pro-Gaddafi spies in Benghazi

The revolutionaries have to be careful about the spies, so they're vetting everyone, including foreign journalists.

[joshcryer]

50. A video from today's march in #Benghazi #Libya more videos tomorrow if this works!

http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian/status/47082272180019200">@BaghdadBrian
Brian Conley
A video from today's march in #Benghazi #Libya more videos tomorrow if this works! http://twitpic.com/499lf4
4 hours ago

[pinboy3niner]

NYT: Qaddafi Forces Move on Town Near Rebel-Held Benghazi

Qaddafi Forces Move on Town Near Rebel-Held Benghazi

By ANTHONY SHADID
Published: March 13, 2011

AJDABIYA, Libya — Military forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi advanced Sunday on this anxious town, a strategic linchpin on the doorstep of the opposition capital Benghazi and within grasp of a highway crucial to recapturing the eastern border and encircling the rebellion with heavy armor and artillery.

After another day of headlong retreat, this time from the refinery and port at Brega, one town west of here, the rebels prepared for what some called a last stand at Ajdabiya, taking refuge in military barracks where they stacked ammunition boxes six deep, positioned a handful of tanks and tried to bring order to a jumble of small artillery and antiaircraft guns. Bulldozers built berms three feet high near a pair of green, metal arches that mark the town’s entrance.

The fate of Ajdabiya, an eastern town of 120,000 near the Mediterranean coast, may prove decisive in the most violent and chaotic of the uprisings that have upended the Arab world. Under a sky turned gray by a menacing sandstorm, the rebels valiantly vowed victory but acknowledged the deficit posed by their weapons and pleaded for a no-flight zone that seemed a metaphor for any kind of international help.

...


The United Nations Security Council this week may take up an Arab League call for a no-flight zone over Libya, a decision that Colonel Qaddafi’s government on Sunday deemed an “unexpected departure” from the league’s charter. The foreign ministers of major industrial nations are expected to consider the topic at a meeting in Paris on Monday. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is to fly on to Egypt and Tunisia afterward, and is expected to meet with Libyan opposition leaders.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/africa/14libya.html?_r=1&ref=world

[roamer65]

18. Sadly with the Japanese tragedy, Gadhafi is able to get away with this crap.

Ugh.

[joshcryer]

20. He'll get away with it, but we'll make sure the world knows.

[pinboy3niner]

21. "Yesterday the ambulance delivered just arms and legs"

Reports are still coming out, they're just getting less attention.

That report was from an L.A. Times reporter in Ajdabiyah--today.

[Name removed]

66. Deleted message

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

[joshcryer]

67. They would've won already if Gaddafi didn't (wisely) bomb their munitions depots.

It was a brilliant strategy but it was probably being planned for for decades.

[pinboy3niner]

22. TIME CHANGE: LIBYA TIME = EDT +6 hours, PDT +9 hours

CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 5:35 AM MONDAY, MARCH 14

[Forkboy]

23. Kick

Great post. :thumbsup:

[joshcryer]

27. Libyan rebels flee Port Brega as Kadafi's forces advance

Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi pushed deeper into rebellious eastern Libya on Sunday, overrunning an important oil town while forcing lightly armed rebels back toward the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

Rebel fighters fled Port Brega, site of a strategic refinery complex and oil terminal, under heavy bombardment and tried to hold back government forces rapidly advancing on Ajdabiya, about 95 miles south of Benghazi.

The fall of Port Brega is a serious blow to the rebel force, facing a government onslaught that has loosened the opposition's grip on eastern Libya.

Just eight days ago, rebel fighters routed pro-Kadafi forces in Port Brega and another strategic oil city, Ras Lanuf, and spoke of taking the battle to Tripoli, the capital, far to the west.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-libya-rebels-flee-20110314,0,3215653.story

[akbacchus_BC]

29. Why are you so concentrated on Libya as opposed to Madison, curious

minds want to know. Charity begins at home!

[joshcryer]

35. Because WI is a foregone conclusion and we will prevail there.

If you didn't know I did cover WI on a few occasions, but Catherina had to quit covering Libya and I took the reigns.

[PufPuf23]

71. Catherina put you on Ignore and left. Why? I missed something.

The regime change in Libya has gone bad as Qaddaffi forces are regaining ground and control.

The EU and USA have been milk toast and inconsistent in media statements.

One wonders if HRC will be in Benghazi as planned if Qaddaffi forces are near.

Is the EU and NATO in full support of the eastern Libya democratic rebel and oil areas?

Will the Arab League be the face of a NFZ and other actions now necessary to remove Qaddaffi?

This would be better than NATO and the USA.

The situations in Eygypt and other ME countries are dicey as well.

[joshcryer]

72. I wasn't aware she put me on ignore.

She said she was going to over a Chavez spat we had, but then she continued to respond to me in future postings, then she quit because the pressure was getting too great (and I think she finally realized that intervention was the only way the revolutionaries had a chance in hell of succeeding).

[joshcryer]

73. BTW, almost everyone is in agreement that the Arab League must run things.

The US isn't going in unilaterally and knows it can't, NATO isn't going in because it looks bad and other despots will claim illegitimacy, the Arab League however can do it, question is whether Algeria and Syria will go with that, since they're both providing help to Gaddafi's regime.

[PufPuf23]

74. I agree that the Arab League should lead; hopefully Saudi and Turkey

will take the lead.

I paid enough attention to note that Catherina stated that she put you on ignore. I am not sure why.

I think the West (USA and NATO) have been inconsistent and the Arab League has been slow and the situation is very poor in Libya.

[joshcryer]

75. As I said, it was over Chavez.

I don't know if she did put me on ignore totally or what (can you individually view posts of people you have on ignore? I have never used it nor will I ever use it). At the time I was really pissed off that people hated the UK or the US for their relations with Gaddafi but excused Chavez. I think anyone who had good relations with Gaddafi are scum. You can follow the threads backward if you want (all the links to previous threads are there).

I think the west has been consistent and I think the Arab League has been ineffective given their ties to Gaddafi (Syria and Algeria were two holdouts, there was another but I forgot which). Unfortunately I think the west waited far too long to try to do squat, because the west almost certainly knew of Gaddafi's capability as the revolutionaries marched on Tripoli and indeed Clapper's statements indicate that they knew damn well what was happening.

Gaddafi: tanks, aircraft, missles, air-to-ground targeting systems, arty.

Revolutionaries: small arms, anti-air craft (few, only two aircraft shot down), heavy machine guns (few in trucks).

The victor in that situation is clear, and the west knew all along who it would be, what is saddening is that the west likely avoided intervening unilaterally so that it could claim legitimacy for intervening at all. It's "intervene early when no one knows that they're almost certainly going to fail" or "intervene after they start to be slaughtered and you have international and Arab League support." Obviously the latter scenario is better diplomatically, as disgusting as it is. Frankly I wish we did have a true world police that purely advocated justice and got rid of tyrants who killed their own people, but that is wishful thinking.

[PufPuf23]

80. Italy and France armed Gadaffi and were the two largest purchasers of oil.

Gadaffi was somewhat rehabbed in image and relations post-9/11 in the West.

IMO Chavez is mis-understood and is more anti- Imperialism than pro-Gadaffi (or Iran). Chavez is held in relatively good esteem by most of Latin America and the common people of Venezuela. Ideology from the West has resulted in a bigger role of China in mercantile Latin American.

So I did not read all threads but did note the "ignore" exchange.

No personal attack on you as I am hungry for news from the ME and thank you for your reserch and threads.

Whatever is the end result in Libya is more bloodshead and a less than clear outcome. I am concerned about Egypt under military transition and the other ME popular expressions.

[joshcryer]

81. Absolutely, Italy, the UK, France, and even the US was about to start selling.

Russia helped Gaddafi build his current stockpile, though. Some say he can go for years without resupply. Anyway, I'm avoiding the Chavez discussions now, I stopped about 3-4 days now, but yeah. Whatever. In general arms aren't the only bad things to give tyrants, it's material support and legitimacy on a global diplomatic scale that also makes things worse. If Gaddafi was still as closed up as he was in the 80s-90s the whole world would have no problem intervening now, but because he has diplomatic relations with a bunch of countries it has helped entrench him (two of whom have been slowing the Arab League up, two of whom have veto power in the UN).

But yeah this is the first time I have really discussed at length in this thread, I'm trying very hard to be impartial here.

[superduperfarleft]

36. Why are you constantly posting incoherent babble on DU late at night?

Put down the bottle, go to bed, and leave the fucking OP alone, these are very informative threads.

[pinboy3niner]

41. Should we focus only at home and ignore Japan, too?

Curious minds can walk and chew gum.

Just as WI has been eclipsed by other events, so has Libya and the crimes against humanity occurring there. Giving attention to overlooked stories is worthwhile--whether those stories are in WI or in Libya.

It's not a competition--WI and Libya both should be getting more attention.

[Desertrose]

83. Someone has to remind US of what is going on with other freedom fighters.

outside of the US.

I am very appreciative of all the time Josh & pinboy are taking to do these threads.

DU is certainly big enough to handle more than one thing at a time.

Charity begins where it is needed.

[joshcryer]

84. We need someone to cover #Bahrain!

Bahrain really is trending today. Something is about to break.

[joshcryer]

42. Footage: Aftermath of Indiscriminate Shelling on Residential Homes in Misrata

http://feb17.info/general/footage-aftermath-of-indiscriminate-shelling-on-residential-homes-in-misrata/

[joshcryer]

52. AJE reports below, for March 14:

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

[joshcryer]

53. Chuck Schumer has said that imposing a no fly zone on Libya "is more likely" re: Arab League support

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-14#update-11596">01:51am Chuck Schumer, a US democratic senator, has said that imposing a no fly zone on Libya "is more likely" because the Arab League supports the move.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsbAjM93cTg

[joshcryer]

54. Rebels said they had re-taken brega on Sunday night. No way of verifying the claims.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-14#update-11606">2:34am Reuters news agency has reported that government troops advancing east along the coast road took Brega early on Sunday in what looked like an increasingly confident drive towards the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

But the rebels, said they had re-taken Brega on Sunday night. There was no way of verifying the rival claims.

[pinboy3niner]

56. Opposition says they killed 25 G soldiers, captured another 20 there

Reported on AJE a minute ago.

[joshcryer]

55. Tony Birtley reports on the battle for Libya from the rebel stronghold, Benghazi

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-14#update-11611">3:15am Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports on the battle for Libya from the rebel stronghold, Benghazi.

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

[joshcryer]

57. The Top 10 Quotes from Gaddafi's Green Book

“Freedom of expression,” Gaddafi also wrote in The Green Book, ‘is the right of every natural person, even if a person chooses to behave irrationally to express his or her insanity.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-02/gaddafis-green-book-the-top-10-quotes/

[joshcryer]

58. Libya proposed swapping jets for Dutch prisoners

(CNN) -- The Libyan government tried and failed to swap three captured Dutch military personnel for two Libyan Air Force jets whose pilots defected with their warplanes to the European island nation of Malta last month.

Maltese officials who helped negotiate the release of the Dutch prisoners in conjunction with Greek diplomats on Thursday, say they rejected Libya's request for the return of the Libyan Mirage fighter planes.

In a telephone interview with CNN, a spokesman for Malta's foreign ministry said Libya sent Mohamad Tahir Siala, a senior Libyan diplomat, on a private jet to Malta on Wednesday to meet with Lawrence Gonzi, the Maltese prime minister.

"During the discussion it was discussed whether Malta would give back the two Mirages in exchange for the Dutch prisoners," said ministry spokesman Melvyn Mangion.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/13/libya.dutch.prisoner.swap/index.html?eref=edition

Anyone doubt the need for a NFZ now? Gaddafi is using jets to take care of the opposition. He wants more of them. Good on the Dutch for refusing such an asinine offer.

[joshcryer]

59. Libyan revolutionaries say Gaddafi forces fight each other (continued story on Misrata defection)

An assault on Libya’s rebel-held city of Misrata was stalled for a second day on Sunday by a gunfight between members of the security forces who are supposed to be attacking, two rebels said.

Residents said the fighting broke out on Saturday after units of the force sent by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi refused to attack Misrata, Libya’s third-biggest city and the only place in the west of the country still openly defying Gaddafi’s rule.

The reports of a mutiny could not be verified because Libyan authorities have not allowed reporters access to the city, which is 200 km (130 miles) east of the capital. A government official in Tripoli dismissed the reports as rumours.

“From the early morning they (the security forces) are fighting among each other. We hear the fighting,” Mohammed, one of the rebel fighters, told Reuters by telephone on Sunday.

http://feb17.info/general/libyan-revolutionaries-say-gaddafi-forces-fight-each-other/

[pinboy3niner]

60. Danziger on NFZ: "...might get plane dirty..."

[joshcryer]

62. Good one pinboy3niner! Thanks.

I should start putting those in the OPs.

[joshcryer]

61. Doctors describe carnage on front line in Libya (OMG)

It was only after a long day of applying stitches, performing emergency surgeries and amputating limbs that had been torn apart by gunfire that the doctors took a moment to reflect on the brutality being waged against the people of Libya.

For two weeks, the Toronto-area doctors travelled from one overcrowded hospital in Libya to the next, using old equipment and outdated medicine to treat horrific wounds — but the morale of those on the front lines was always on their minds.

“Once we got to the hotel, that’s when we started crying and supporting each other. We are supposed to help the people who are living there. We can’t say this in front of them,” recalled Mahmoud Darrat, an anesthesiologist from Hamilton. “This trip was draining emotionally and mentally. It was exhausting for everybody because we did not expect this much damage.”

The four doctors left Canada on Feb. 27, and took the long journey from Cairo to Libya by car. They returned to Toronto on Saturday night, and gathered at the Hilton in downtown Toronto on Sunday to share what they witnessed.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/953453--doctors-describe-carnage-on-front-line-in-libya?bn=1

Going to take a break (don't worry I'll be back a little bit later before I go to bed to do a final update). :cry:

[pinboy3niner]

65. “Once we got to the hotel, that’s when we started crying and supporting each other"

These human stories coming out of Libya are important. Reports on the tactical situation--cities being taken and re-taken by one side or the other--often lack information on casualties that doctors are encountering.

The deaths in Libya must number in the thousands, now, and the injuries far more. And they are increasing, day by day...

[joshcryer]

69. I believe the deaths are probably getting close to Japan-earthquake territory. :(

Just a gut feeling, but we won't know for weeks if not months. Depends on how well the UN acts.

[pinboy3niner]

63. France increasing pressure for NFZ

6:45am < (00:45 EDT) >

The Reuters news agency reports that France was stepping up efforts on Monday to persuade world powers to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, as Muammar Gaddafi's troops battled rebel fighters for control of the strategic oil town of Brega.

France said it would consult other powers "in the coming hours" to try to set up such a zone to assure the protection of civilians "in the face of the terrible violence suffered by the Libyan population".

The Arab League's weekend call on the United Nations to impose such a zone satisfies one of three conditions set by NATO for it to police Libyan air space.

The others were proof that its help was needed, and a UN Security Council resolution.

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

[joshcryer]

64. Permalink:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-14#update-11666 (will go directly to that time slice)

[pinboy3niner]

68. Thanks, Josh

Why didn't I think of that? It didn't occur to me that Permalink can be used outside of DU. Doh!

That's really helpful! :toast:

[joshcryer]

70. You have to look at the source code to find the hash link, not sure how to get it any other way.

I use 'inspect' feature in my browser and it takes me to the requisite source code. Don't worry if I give a permalink to any future AJEB postings, btw, I just wanted to let you know it's possible, not really necessary. I'm just OCD (see all my tweets actually have links to the tweet itself, etc). :hi:

[joshcryer]

76. AJE Twitter dashboard is lit up with #Bahrain tweets, very odd, a lot of anti-protestor sentiment.

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

[joshcryer]

78. Here's what it looked like:

It's spiking again if you look at it at this very moment.

[pinboy3niner]

77. LAT: Libyan rebels flee Port Brega as Kadafi's forces advance

Libyan rebels flee Port Brega as Kadafi's forces advance


Rebels retreat farther into eastern Libya as Moammar Kadafi's troops overrun Port Brega and push on toward the opposition headquarters in Benghazi.

By David Zucchino, Jeffrey Fleishman and Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times

March 14, 2011


...


"Kadafi is on his way to Ajdabiya," said Masoud Bwisir, a carwash owner fighting for the rebels, from the city's western gate. "How can we stop him? He has tanks, planes. He fires at us from boats in the sea. Our guns are weak against him."

Rockets slammed down late Sunday afternoon on the western outskirts of Ajdabiya, about 45 miles from Port Brega, as a cleric raised a bullhorn and called for warriors among the boys and young men in the city.

"If you have a weapon and want to fight, please come," he said as rebels dug trenches and positioned antiaircraft guns. "But you need your own weapon. We have run out."

...


Kadafi's forces also pressed attacks against Misurata, east of Tripoli, the sole remaining opposition stronghold in western Libya, as heavy fighting continued. Salah Abdelaziz, an architect who serves as spokesman for the Misurata opposition, reported heavy bombardment and raging gun battles on the outskirts of the city, home to about 600,000.

About 50 people have been killed and at least 570 treated for injuries at a Misurata hospital, said a doctor there who asked that his name not be published.


Zucchino reported from Benghazi, Fleishman from Ajdabiya and Daragahi from Tripoli.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-libya-rebels-flee-20110314,0,3215653.story

In a telephone interview, the doctor in Misurata reported, "We have no milk for children and there is a major shortage of anesthetic drugs for operating."

[pinboy3niner]

79. "There is an urgency to act quickly before those people are finished off by Gaddafi's forces"

7:49am < (1:49am EDT) >

By the time the international community agrees on a response to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's onslaught against a popular revolt, it could all be over.

No UN Security Council meeting has yet been scheduled, despite events racing in Libya.

"The international community is dragging its feet," Saad Djebbar, a London lawyer and expert on Libyan affairs, told the Reuters news agency.

"The diplomatic pace is very slow. There is an urgency to act quickly before those people are finished off by Gaddafi's forces."

"The international community has to act now - not only to protect Benghazi from an onslaught but because of what it means for the rest of the world if Gaddafi is allowed to remain the leader of Libya," said Geoff Porter, a US-based political risk consultant who specialises in North Africa.

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

[joshcryer]

82. The report before that is encouraging! "Reports say that rebels have recaptured Brega"

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-14#update-11681">7:23am Reports say that rebels have recaptured the oil town of Brega - they say 25 government soldiers were killed and 20 more captured.

[joshcryer]

85. Bahrain stuff below, since Libya is a bit quiet now:

[joshcryer]

86. "Our weapons are but flowers" artwork:

http://yfrog.com/gytshaij

[joshcryer]

87. If Bahrain fails to reform, Iran will meddle: US

"I expressed the view that we had no evidence that suggested that Iran started any of these popular revolutions or demonstrations across the region," said Gates, recounting his talks with the country's king and crown prince.

"But there is clear evidence that as the process is protracted, particularly in Bahrain, the Iranians are looking for ways to exploit it and create problems," Gates said.

"So I told them, in this instance, time is not our friend."

Bahrain, a Shiite-majority state ruled by a Sunni dynasty, has been gripped by protests calling for political change since February 14.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ikajvpuuEwC3YkAAABMilHTiU_RQ?docId=CNG.169f36d31634e648d6dcacdc2a3042c3.e1

[joshcryer]

94. Saudi Arabian forces prepare to enter Bahrain after day of clashes

Saudi forces are preparing to intervene in neighbouring Bahrain, after a day of clashes between police and protesters who mounted the most serious challenge to the island's royal family since demonstrations began a month ago.

The Crown Prince of Bahrain is expected to formally invite security forces from Saudi Arabia into his country today, as part of a request for support from other members of the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council.

Thousands of demonstrators on Sunday cut off Bahrain's financial centre and drove back police trying to eject them from the capital's central square, while protesters also clashed with government supporters on the campus of the main university.

Amid the revolt Bahrain also faces a potential sectarian conflict between the ruling minority of Sunnis Muslims and a majority of Shia Muslims, around 70% of the kingdom's 525,000 residents.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/14/saudi-arabian-forces-bahrain-protests?CMP=twt_gu

[fishwax]

88. k/r

:kick:

[pinboy3niner]

89. LATEST NEWS : LIBYA: REBELS RUSH BREGA AS GADDAFI ADVANCES

The translation of this report may be a bit hilarious, but Hanna Ingber Win includes some of the very latest news as well as many hotlinks to other reports. (Ed.: Green links are ads--skip those.)

Read the whole thing at the link:

LATEST NEWS : LIBYA: REBELS RUSH BREGA AS GADDAFI ADVANCES

A impassioned brawl by battalion consistent to Libyan celebrity Muammar Gaddafi forced handicapped armed rebels to pour out a eastern locality of Brega Sunday, as a Arab League pushed a United Nations to await a no-fly territory over a country.

Gaddafi battalion used space hire launchers as good as artillery to force a rebels to pour out a pass oil town, that has been a source of fuel for their vehicles, a Guardian reports.

“They shot 40 to 60 rockets during a same time,” Suliman Refadi, a amalgamate tour Brega hospital, told a Guardian. “The sky was raining with rockets, with shrapnel. There was difficult artillery. Then they advanced.”

...


Opposition forces, though, claimed they altered at a back of in to Brega in a evening, AP reports. News organizations were not equates to to to one side establish a claims given a faith situation.

...


– Hanna Ingber Win

http://carihal.com/news/latest-news-libya-rebels-rush-brega-as-gaddafi-advances-2

[joshcryer]

92. +1 thanks, great news!

[joshcryer]

90. AL JAZEERA FORUM LIVE NOW:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-sixth-al-jazeera-forum

[joshcryer]

91. Ayman Mohyeldin will be doing a panel soon.

[joshcryer]

95. Legit donation sites (PDF):

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2011.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/VVOS-8ETSLM-full_report.pdf/$File/full_report.pdf

[pinboy3niner]

96. NYT Op-Ed: Fiddling While Libya Burns

Op-Ed Contributor
Fiddling While Libya Burns

By ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER
Published: March 13, 2011


PRESIDENT Obama says the noose is tightening around Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. In fact, it is tightening around the Libyan rebels, as Colonel Qaddafi makes the most of the world’s dithering and steadily retakes rebel-held towns. The United States and Europe are temporizing on a no-flight zone while the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Gulf Cooperation Council and now the Arab League have all called on the United Nations Security Council to authorize one. Opponents of a no-flight zone have put forth five main arguments, none of which, on close examination, hold up.

...


The United States should immediately ask the Security Council to authorize a no-flight zone and make clear to Russia and China that if they block the resolution, the blood of the Libyan opposition will be on their hands. We should push them at least to abstain, and bring the issue to a vote as soon as possible. If we get a resolution, we should work with the Arab League to assemble an international coalition to impose the no-flight zone. If the Security Council fails to act, then we should recognize the opposition Libyan National Council as the legitimate government, as France has done, and work with the Arab League to give the council any assistance it requests.

Any use of force must be carefully and fully debated, but that debate has now been had. It’s been raging for a week, during which almost every Arab country has come on board calling for a no-flight zone and Colonel Qaddafi continues to gain ground. It is time to act.


Anne-Marie Slaughter is a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/opinion/14slaughter.html

The author is the FORMER Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department (though she still consults with State). Wiki needs to update this bio on that point, but it provides the basic background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne-Marie_Slaughter

[joshcryer]

97. Dang, gotta read this QDDR now and see wtf is going on.

[David__77]

107. Elsewhere, she has promoted lunacy.

http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/archives/0610/slaughterRT.php

"Finally, standing on America's principles, and promoting them not as our values, but as universal values, is the best long-term answer to the terrorists' message. We will not accept a world divided along religious, geographic, or civilizational lines."

What does "non-acceptance" imply? Military intervention to enforce allegedly liberal democratic outcomes? This is madness, like McCarthyism or Brezhnevism - support of forcible imposition of a social system on sovereign states.

[pinboy3niner]

98. AFP: Libyan army 'marching to cleanse country'

Libyan army 'marching to cleanse country'


By Imed Lamloum in Tripoli
From: AFP
March 14, 2011 7:41AM


FORCES loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are "marching to cleanse the country" of insurgents, military spokesman Colonel Milad Hussein says.

"Our raids are forcing the terrorists to flee. We have liberated Zawiyah, Uqayla, Ras Lanuf and Brega and the army is advancing to liberate the rest of the regions," he said.

...


Asked about a possible offensive against the rebels in their stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya, Col. Hussein said: "These are rats and terrorists who flee in the face of the raids of the people and volunteers. We won't need a real armed offensive."

...


Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaaim told reporters that a number of "Islamist terrorists" have been arrested in Zawiyah - 40km west of Tripoli.

...


Read more:
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/libyan-army-marching-to-cleanse-country/story-e6frfku0-1226020854814#ixzz1GYYZOXFx

This is what happens when Gaddafi forces capture a city or town: they target and round up opponents. This is the real 'cleansing' that is going on, and what awaits all of the opposition if Gaddafi prevails.

[pinboy3niner]

99. Libya launches wave of arrests, 'forced disappearances' to crush protest--Human Rights Watch

Libya launches wave of arrests to crush protest-HRW

Sun Mar 13, 2011 1:37pm GMT


ALGIERS, March 13 (Reuters) - Libyan security forces have launched a wave of "arbitary arrests and forced disappearances" in the capital to stamp out protests against Muammar Gaddafi's rule, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday.

The New York-based group said it compiled evidence from Tripoli residents of scores of people being detained if they helped organise or took part in anti-government protests, or if they were suspected of speaking to foreign media.

...


"Gaddafi and his security forces are brutally suppressing all opposition in Tripoli, including peaceful protests, with lethal force, arbitrary arrests, and forced disappearances," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

"Given Libya's record of torture and political killings, we worry deeply about the fate of those taken away," she said.


http://af.reuters.com/article/tunisiaNews/idAFLDE72C0AC20110313

[pinboy3niner]

100. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 10:20 AM MONDAY, MARCH 14

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

[joshcryer]

101. Got to sleep, be back for day 26. Hope you're getting rest pinboy.

:hi: :hug:

[pinboy3niner]

102. Catnaps 'n' coffee, Josh, catnaps 'n' coffee... :)

Get some rest while you can--you're gonna need it!

Thanks for doing these OPs--you're doing a GREAT job! :hi: :hug:

[pinboy3niner]

103. Opposition fighters "siege and surround" regime forces to re-take Brega

From AJE:

10:30am < (4:30am EDT) >

Hamed Al Hassi, a spokesperson of the Feb 17th revolution in Libya, told Al Jazeera how rebel forces attacked Gaddafi forces last evening.

“At 8:30 pm, the chief of operations on the front gave orders to siege and surround them (the pro Gaddafi forces).

"We took 20 people hostage and killed 25 people. We also captured and destroyed many of their weaponry and machinery.

"There are now small groups dispersed in the areas West of Brega.”

10:24am

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Benghazi that, "It is very hard to get a handle on what is actually going on but we understand that rebels have taken back Brega after fierce fighting over the last 48 hours.

"And there is fierce fighting 300kms outside Benghazi.

"This is a rumour capital, it is hard to understand what is really going on but we know that the interim council is very much looking to international community for help."


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

[pinboy3niner]

105. AJE: "There are also reports of heavy shelling in Ajdabiya." nt

[pinboy3niner]

106. "Reports say that today's air strikes on Ajdabiya hit part of a hospital and military camp"

Reports say that today's air strikes on Ajdabiya hit part of a hospital and military camp.

No causalities have been reported. And local residents are refusing to leave the town.

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

[pinboy3niner]

108. Another humanitarian concern in Libya...

AJE now reports:

Many families who fled Brega and nearby towns fearing the ongoing confrontations, are now living in makeshift tents in the desert in nearby areas.

Reports say that these tents are very primitive and that there is a lack of basic supplies, food, and medicine.

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

[steve2470]

109. k&r nt

[joshcryer]

110. Gaddafi forces are advancing and it seems like we are entering the final phase of the conflict

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-14#update-11791">11:26am Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Benghazi, "Gaddafi forces are advancing and it seems like we are entering the final phase of the conflict.

"But whether this revolution will fail or succeed, that will only be determined in the coming weeks."

This is bad. Can't sleep. :(

[pinboy3niner]

112. I wouldn't take this report too seriously, Josh

Birtley's reaching. "Entering the final phase" is premature. The re-taking of Brega by the supposedly powerless opposition indicates the tactical situation is more complex than it seemed when Gaddafi's forces were advancing and taking a succession of towns.

Coupling his 'final phase' comment with a statement about the government's advance makes it seem pessimistic, but he's also saying the opposition can either win or lose. In other words, we don't really know how this is going to end.

[joshcryer]

116. That's true, Brega was the big loss for me, and it has left me worried.

The airstrikes on Ajdabiya left me really fearing for the revolutionaries. I assumed that the Gaddafi armies were marching forward at a full breadth, perhaps they are and the re-taking of Brega was what gave them pause. We'll have to see.

[pinboy3niner]

111. The re-taking of Brega, 1-2-3

Major General, Omar Al Hariri, the military chief of the interim national council told Al Jazeera how his forces were able to take Brega back last evening.

"Today, the armed forces and the revolutionary youth have reorganised and maneuvered the Gaddafi forces, which are weak because they are not fighting for a cause.

"Most of the Gaddafi forces are mercenaries, who are fighting for money. Therefore, they were very weak and the revolutionary forces were able to kill and capture so many of them.

"The revolutionary forces were then able to enter Brega and to push Gaddafi forces to outside of Brega and Aqaila. They are now taking fortified defensive positions in Aqaila."

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

[pinboy3niner]

113. US Amb. to UK: 'America will not move unilaterally. We are clear that Gaddafi has to go’

Louis Susman: 'America will not move unilaterally. We are clear that Gaddafi has to go’


In his first major newspaper interview since taking up his post 19 months ago, Louis Susman, the American ambassador to London, explains how the strong understanding between David Cameron and Barack Obama will be a source of strength in solving the Libyan crisis


By Con Coughlin 7:34AM GMT 14 Mar 2011


...


“So far as the Libya situation is concerned, everything starts here in Britain,” says Louis Susman, the American ambassador to London. “That is a great indication of how we feel about this relationship.”

...


In his public pronouncements, Mr Obama has appeared more cautious in his handling of the Libyan crisis than Mr Cameron. But Mr Susman insists that some form of military intervention remains a distinct possibility if the United Nations gives its backing for military action.

“The President has made it clear that all options are on the table,” says Mr Susman, in his first major newspaper interview since taking up his London post 19 months ago. “A no-fly zone is an option, but if we do it we will do it with our allies.

"We will not move unilaterally. We are clear that Gaddafi has to go, and the violence is terrible. We have put as much financial pressure on him as possible and we are trying to isolate him.”


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8380006/Louis-Susman-America-will-not-move-unilaterally.-We-are-clear-that-Gaddafi-has-to-go.html

[joshcryer]

115. Expected.

[pinboy3niner]

117. Joe Scarborough defends Obama on Libya

I caught a few minutes of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" this AM, just when the Arab League's call for a no-fly zone came up.

Noting criticism the President has taken for "dithering and dallying" on Libya, Scarborough said he thought Obama did the right thing.

Now "We've got buy-in from the Arab League," he said. "This is not American imperialism now."

Ed Rendell, former PA governor, agreed. "It's time for the U.S. to move, and move decisively," Rendell said.

[joshcryer]

118. +1

[pinboy3niner]

119. AJE: Former Libyan Army commander returns to join opposition

According to Al Jazeera's sources in Libya, Khalifa Belqasim Haftar, former Libyan army commander, who was one of Gaddafi's commanders during the war against Chad, has returned to Libya to support the rebels.

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

[pinboy3niner]

120. Plan A and Plan B...

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Benghazi, "The rebels here have two plans, Plan A is about what will happen if Gaddafi goes, how they can run their country according to their own rules and Plan B is run."

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

[pinboy3niner]

121. Sources in Libya council: US, UK, France promise to back NFZ when Sec. Council meets

AJE Libya Live Blog - March 14:

1:28pm

Sources inside Libya's Interim National Council have told Al Jazeera that they received promises from the US, France, and UK that they will agree on a no-fly zone in the first UN Security Council meeting.

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

[pinboy3niner]

122. Sources: Gaddafi forces attack Zuara (in the West, near Tunisia border)

1:38pm

According to our sources, Gaddafi forces have attacked Zuara trying to take control of it - the city is close to Libya-Tunisia border.

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

[pinboy3niner]

123. Update: AJE now reporting 1 killed, 7 injured in Zuara attack so far. nt

[pinboy3niner]

124. Are 100 Egyptian commandos providing weaponry and training to Libyan rebels?

Buried in the last four sentences of an Irish Times news story:

Impatience over the inaction of western powers may have prompted Egypt to provide the rebels with military aid.

About 100 commandos from unit 777 – which has had French, German and US trainers – are said to be providing assistance to the rebels.

The US security consultancy Stratfor revealed that the commandos “have played a key role in quietly providing weaponry and training to Libyan opposition forces while trying to organise a political command in the east”.

A journalist in Benghazi dismissed the report.

UK and US hail Arab League call for Libya no-fly zone
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0314/1224292063249.html

Thanks to David__77 for finding this story. :toast:

[pinboy3niner]

125. Reuters: Ominous deja vu as Saddam's victims watch Libya

Ominous deja vu as Saddam's victims watch Libya

'God willing, the rebels in Libya will still succeed. But I fear the casualties will be huge'


By Peter Graff

updated 2 hours 52 minutes ago 2011-03-14T10:06:48


BAGHDAD — ...

A survivor of the failed 1991 uprising against Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Saidi knows what it feels like to believe the international community will help you overthrow a dictator, only to find your town abandoned to merciless revenge.

...


"God willing, the rebels in Libya will still succeed. But I fear the casualties will be huge."

...


Soldiers banged on the door with rifle-butts and ordered people to leave their homes and gather in an open area in the desert. Thousands walked on foot to the staging ground, where young men were herded into waiting trucks and driven off.

Nasir. Ali. Saidi calmly recalls the names of his childhood friends who were driven off that day, never to be seen again.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42067389/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

[pinboy3niner]

126. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 3:35 PM MONDAY, MARCH 14

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

[pinboy3niner]

127. Recap of today's events by The Guardian:

The Guardian's quick recap of today's events in the Libya/Middle East uprising:

Libya

• Muammar Gaddafi's forces continue to push eastward, having taken the town of Braga last night following a fierce artillery barrage.

Rebels say they re-took Braga after dark, but there is no way to verify this. The Guardian's Chris McGreal, who left Braga with the fleeing rebel forces, says it is by no means inevitable that Gaddafi's troops will be able to move swiftly towards Benghazi, the main rebel stronghold.

• G8 foreign ministers are to meet in Paris this evening to discuss a no-fly zone and other possible responses, with William Hague saying "a point of decision" is near.

The foreign secretary remains officially non-committal on a no-fly zone but rebel leaders reportedly say they have been promised this by the UK, US and France. In the meantime Gaddafi's warplanes have bombed the eastern city of Ajdabiya.


Bahrain:

• In a significant development following six-weeks of opposition protests, around 1,000 Saudi troops have arrived in the country.

They have been sent to shore up the rule of Bahrain's fellow-Sunni Muslim royal family, under siege from the demands of opponents in the majority Shia community.

• A group of independent MPs in Bahrain's parliament have called for a period of martial law to restore order.


Yemen

• A stand-off between security forces and opposition groups continues in Sana'a, with the president sacking one of his ministers.

Political correspondent Allegra Stratton has been listening to the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, discuss options for Libya at a press conference in Westminster. She writes:

Ed Miliband edged towards supporting military action in Libya, telling journalists the west cannot "stand by". Miliband said he supported the idea of a no-fly zone but called for more details from the government on what type of troop detail would be involved. He said: "I don't think we can stand by as Colonel Gaddafi takes greater hold of Libya."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/14/libya-middle-east-uprising-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

128. BreakingNews Turkey opposes calls to impose a no-fly zone over Libya

BreakingNews Turkey opposes calls to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, saying such an operation would be unhelpful and fraught with risk - Reuters
6:56am on 3/14/2011

[pinboy3niner]

129. AJE: Gaddafi offers amnesty to rebels who lay down their arms

...said the spider to the fly. :eyes:

[pinboy3niner]

130. Turkey/UAE send two humanitarian aid ships to Benghazi

Televised AJE report by Anita McNaught in Tripoli indicates ships should arrive at Port of Benghazi at any time now.

On board are 30 tons of medicines with 20 Red Crescent workers, hundreds of tons of food, plus water, tents, and more.

[pinboy3niner]

131. Gaddafi army penetrates rebel areas

Gaddafi army penetrates rebel areas

Libyan leader's forces bombard Ajdabiya, the last town standing before Benghazi, the rebel stronghold in the east.

Last Modified: 14 Mar 2011 11:47 GMT


As Muammar Gaddafi's forces ratchet up their military offensive against the rebels, shells have fallen six kilometres west of the key Libyan town of Ajdabiya, which the rebels have vowed to defend against government forces.

Journalists for AFP news agency saw two craters of some four metres across and five metres apart near a road junction, after Monday's shelling.

Rebels said there had been no casualties, but the attack on Ajdabiya is seen, from the rebels' viewpoint, "as the last line of defence," said Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Benghazi.

As a sandstorm blew over the area, dozens of civilians were evacuating the town, heading east for the rebel capital of Benghazi aboard light trucks loaded with suitcases, bags and mattresses.


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011314103349669135.html

Birtley reported on-air that a no-fly zone would allow the rebels to use their heavy weapons--tanks and artillery. "They have been saving them because out in the open they'd be destroyed by Gaddafi's air force and it would be 'game over,'" he said.

[pinboy3niner]

132. News- evacuations of Gaddafi loyalists&apos; families and their workers/maids from #Tripoli

ChangeInLibya: News of ongoing evacuations of Gaddafi loyalists' families and their workers/maids from #Tripoli - interesting #libya #feb17
about 2 hours ago

[pinboy3niner]

133. rights groups reporting mass arrests underway in #Tripoli

FourYawkeyWay: #Libya: #Gaddafi steps up crackdown, rights groups reporting mass arrests underway in #Tripoli: http://tinyurl.com/4so5l6k (expand) #feb17

[pinboy3niner]

134. every family knows some who got kidnapped or killed. EVERY FAMILY. #libya #feb17

Gheblawi: RT @ChangeInLibya: "Everything is ok in Tripoli".. No, not when every family knows some who got kidnapped or killed. EVERY FAMILY. #libya #feb17

[pinboy3niner]

135. @libyansrevolt: #Libyan State TV website has been successfully hacked!

Dibola: RT @libyansrevolt: #Libyan State TV website has been successfully hacked! http://t.co/aCGYNwW #libya #feb17

[pinboy3niner]

136. @N_Benghazi CONFIRMED: Libyan State TV (LJBC) site hacked

N_Benghazi: RT @Jeroen_Snijders: @N_Benghazi CONFIRMED: Libyan State TV (LJBC) site hacked - http://yfrog.com/h8h7jg #Libya #Feb17 #prayforlibya
2 minutes ago

[pinboy3niner]

137. ROFL! Views of hacked page--before & after:

http://egyptday1.blogspot.com/2011/03/libyan-state-tv-website-hacked.html

[ileus]

138. Hands off....that's what we voted for in 2008.

[pinboy3niner]

139. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 6:30 PM MONDAY, MARCH 14

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

[pinboy3niner]

140. Security Council mtg today to consider Libya options ("taking the temperature of mbrs")

From AJE:

6:41pm < (12:41pm EDT) >

The UN Security Council is meeting on Monday to consider options on Libya but no resolution is expected yet.

Scott Heidler, Al Jazeera's correspondent at the UN headquarters in New York, said the Security Council is going to be discussing a viewpoint on the no-fly zone resolution - that they don't yet have a draft resolution.

"They are taking the temperature of the other members to see what kind of draft they can put together now," he said.

"The French and the British are behind this resolution. They are saying because of the Arab League resolution encouraging the UN Security Council to pass a resolution calling for a no-fly zone - that it's not just coming from them now, it's also coming from these 22 Arab nations...

"These discussions will go on at least for today, maybe in couple of days we will see some kind of draft resolution but there are still a lot of hurdles to overcome."

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

[pinboy3niner]

141. Things are slow...I'm taking a break

Not much going on, so I'm going to eat and get some rest. Be back later. :hi:

[pinboy3niner]

142. One more--here's a screencap of hacked Libyan State TV site:

[pinboy3niner]

143. Here's what the SECOND hack attack looked like:

[David__77]

144. It's working again.

http://www.ljbc.net/home.php

[David__77]

145. BTW, is there an opposition TV within Libya?

I was curious about that.

[joshcryer]

146. Day 26 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x644489