Libyan Revolution Day 33 part 2 (Misurata in trouble, US jet down)

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-22">AJE Live Blog March 22 (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

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://audioboo.fm/feb17voices">feb17voices http://www.google.com/search?q=time+in+libya">Current time in Libya http://www.islamicfinder.org/cityPrayerNew.php?country=libya">Prayer times in Libya

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x709976">Day 33 part 1 here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/21/libyan-rebellion-chaos-civilians-war">Libyan rebellion reveals chaos of civilians at war
The planes were barely out of earshot when the charge of the ad hoc motorised cavalry began.

The young fighters, the "shabab" as they proudly proclaim themselves, piled on to scores of pick up trucks with mounted machine guns and squeezed in to saloon cars with their Kalashnikovs hanging out of the windows. Some had no more than old hunting rifles. One man was waving a bayonet as his only weapon.

With threats to kill Muammar Gaddafi and cries of "God is great", vehicles packed with hundreds of men sped off to liberate the town of Ajdabiya, under siege by the Libyan dictator's forces five miles down the road.

Minutes later the charge was in terrified retreat after a clash that not only revealed the weaknesses of the rebel forces, not least their lack of discipline, but raised a question for the countries leading the air strikes on Libya: do they intend to fight the revolutionaries' war for them or are they prepared to accept the division of Libya?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/21/libya-conflict-mps-unease-military-action-gaddafi">Libya conflict: MPs voice unease over military action
Deep unease about military action against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi was voiced on both sides of the House of Commons yesterday as a series of MPs registered reluctant support for Britain's involvement in the campaign.

In contrast to David Cameron and Ed Miliband, who voiced strong support for the action, Conservative and Labour backbenchers warned of the dangers of Britain's third major military campaign in a decade and spoke out against the media for romanticising the horrors of war.

The concerns were raised in the Commons as the foreign secretary, William Hague, was told in private of deep fears among Conservative MPs about the possible length of the military campaign. Tories who had threatened to challenged the prime minister during his speech, ended up registering their concerns in the Commons by putting pointed questions to Miliband as he offered strong support for the government.

Kris Hopkins, a former soldier who was elected as Conservative MP for Keighley last year, was heard in near silence as he said that Britain, the US and France were struggling to find the moral high ground for military action.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x677397">Text of the resolution.

How will a no fly zone work? AJE reports: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWEwehTtK2k

Canada:

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110317/cf-libya-canada/20110317/?hub=WinnipegHome">Canada to send six CF-18s for Libya 'no-fly' mission
Canada will contribute six CF-18 fighter jets to help enforce a no-fly zone in Libya, sources have told CTV News.

Norway:

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFOSN00509220110318">Norway to join military intervention in Libya
OSLO, March 18 (Reuters) - Norway will join the international military action against Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya, a Norwegian daily quoted the defence minister as saying on its website on Friday.

"We will contribute to the operation," Grete Faremo told the daily Verdens Gang. "But it is too early to say exactly in what way. Sending air capabilities would be natural."

Belgium:

http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/monde/2011-03-18/la-belgique-prete-a-une-operation-militaire-en-libye-828970.php">Belgium ready for a military operation in Libya
Our country is available to take part in a military operation in Libya, following the UN vote authorizing the use of force against Gaddafi. The government has observed, in Parliament yesterday, a broad consensus in the Belgian political class on the need to prevent the Libyan leader to crush the rebellion in Benghazi.

Qatar and the UAE:

http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/776/?SID=e80884adc09a37d26904578a9b5978cb">Run-up for Western world’s next military commitment ... with unusual support
France and the United Kingdom, which spearheaded the diplomatic push in the Security Council for the implementation of a no-fly zone, received unusual but certainly very welcome support. According to a further unnamed AFP source, the Council confirmed that Qatar and the UAE will join the international effort.

Denmark:

http://www.cphpost.dk/news/international/89-international/51229-denmark-ready-for-action-against-gaddafi.html">Denmark ready for action against Gaddafi
Espersen will discuss the resolution “as soon as possible” with the other political parties.

“We’re ready to take action immediately, and that includes ensuring prompt treatment of the resolution in parliament, so that Denmark can deploy its four F-16 fighter jets,” she said.

France:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19libya.html?src=twrhp">Following U.N. Vote, France Vows Libya Action ‘Soon’
UNITED NATIONS — Only hours after the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize military action, including airstrikes against Libyan tanks and heavy artillery and impose a no-flight zone to try to avert a rout of rebels by forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. French officials said on Friday that military action would start “within a few hours” and news reports said British and French warplanes would spearhead the attack.

Italy:

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE72G2HE20110317">Italy to make bases available for Libya no-fly zone-source
TUNIS, March 17 (Reuters) - Italy is ready to make its military bases available to enforce a U.N. Security Counci resolution imposing a no-fly zone on Libya, an Italian government source told Reuters on Thursday.

United Kingdom:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12770467">Libya: UK forces prepare after UN no-fly zone vote
UK forces are preparing to help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya after the UN backed "all necessary measures", short of an invasion, to protect civilians.

United States:

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/nations-draw-up-plans-for-no-fly-zone-over-libya-1.2765122">Nations draw up plans for no-fly zone over Libya
The United States, France and Britain were making plans Friday to prevent Moammar Gadhafi's forces from attacking Libyans after the U.N. Security Council authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and "all necessary measures" to protect civilians.

Jordan:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/military-strikes-on-libya-within-hours-20110318-1bzii.html?from=smh_sb">Military strikes on Libya 'within hours'
Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will join international forces ready to enforce the no-fly zone, US Congress and UN diplomatic sources say.

Spain:

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/03/19/2801s627320.htm">Spain Expected to Join NATO No-fly Zone Enforcement over Libya Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is expected to confirm Spain's contribution of two air force bases at a summit in Paris to discuss the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya Saturday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mo leaves behind a wife who is with child.

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

Mo's last report, a fallen hero trying to spread the word to the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecu_iWLn-rg

[joshcryer]

1. Current time in Libya 12:53pm Tuesday, March 22

[joshcryer]

2. Libya: US fighter jet crash lands in field near Benghazi

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8397587/Libya-US-fighter-jet-crash-lands-in-field-near-Benghazi.html">Libya: US fighter jet crash lands in field near Benghazi
The pilot of the F-15E fighter jet was rescued by rebel soldiers after ejecting from the aircraft, it is understood. Another crew member is also thought to have ejected.

The crashed plane was discovered by a Telegraph journalist reporting in and around Benghazi, the rebel-held city.

It is thought the F-15E fighter jet came to ground after suffering a mechanical failure.

The US military confirmed that one of its jets had crash landed. Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the U.S. military's Africa Command, said that one crewman had been recovered and one was "in process of recovery".

Crawley said the crash occurred "overnight." He declined to give the location of the crash and also would not say how the rescued crewman was picked up.

[pinboy3niner]

3. Both crew mbrs ejected, minor injuries, one recovered and 2nd recovery in progress

The Guardian blog:

10.52am:

Little bit more on that US plane which has crashed in Libya, courtesy of AP:

The US military says an Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle has crashed in Libya but it was not shot down. Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Africa Command, says both crew members ejected and sustained minor injuries. He says one crew member has been safely recovered and the operation to recover the other is under way. Crawley said Tuesday the plane was not shot down and may have suffered a mechanical problem.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[joshcryer]

4. Libya Alhurra says that CNN says that Libyan TV says that jet was shot down.

Source of a source of a source that's known to lie? I can't even cite it. :rofl:

Thought it merited mentioning anyway... (Libya Alhurra commentators tend to be OK).

[pinboy3niner]

5. And don't you dare call it hearsay!1!!

Anybody wanna play 'Telephopne'? :rofl:

[pinboy3niner]

6. Reuters now reporting 2nd flier is in U.S. hands nt

[Ghost Dog]

21. Careful. Does that mean "is in US hands"

on the ground in E. Libya? (Cough, cough).

[pinboy3niner]

7. 'Can you hear me now?' Freedom fighters' communications by cell phone haphazard

AJE reports:

1:09pm

Al Jazeera's James Bays, on the road outside Ajdabiya with opposition fighters, says his group came under rocket fire from loyalist troops outside the town, around 160km south of Benghazi.

The rebels have been using mobile phones throughout the uprising, but when the network goes down, they are forced to rely on word-of-mouth, sending men forward in trucks and jeeps with mounted machine guns and hearing from them what the situation is ahead.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-22

[joshcryer]

8. That invokes your post #5. Very unfortunate.

They need communications equipment. You can get 2 mile walki-talkies for $10 here. Surely someone can hook 'em up. :)

[pinboy3niner]

9. "A dodgy-sounding tip..."

12:04pm

Two minutes after writing on Twitter that it was a "good day to check out a dodgy sounding tip," Telegraph newspapers correspondent Rob Crilly said he had found a US warplane that apparently crash-landed in a field late last night. The Telegraph says the plane seems to be an F-15E. Crilly has been reporting from the rebel stronghold on Benghazi, in the east.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-22

[pinboy3niner]

10. ‘No, they’re American. We can’t shoot them’--NYT report on captured journos' ordeal

Source: New York Times

Freed Times Journalists Give Account of Captivity


By JEREMY W. PETERS
Published: March 21, 2011


The Libyan government freed four New York Times journalists on Monday, six days after they were captured while covering the conflict between government and rebel forces in the eastern city of Ajdabiya. They were released into the custody of Turkish diplomats and crossed safely into Tunisia in the late afternoon, from where they provided a harrowing account of their captivity.

...


“I heard in Arabic, ‘Shoot them,’ ” Mr. Shadid said. “And we all thought it was over.”

Then another soldier spoke up. “One of the others said: ‘No, they’re American. We can’t shoot them,’ ” Mr. Hicks said.

...


Their captors held them in Ajdabiya until the fighting with the rebels died down. Soldiers put the four in a vehicle and drove them out of the city around 2 a.m. One threatened to decapitate Mr. Hicks. Another stroked Ms. Addario’s head and told her repeatedly she was going to die.

...



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/world/africa/22times.html

[pinboy3niner]

11. #Gaddafi promised everyone $5000 from oil profits, gave us bullets instead

10:16am

Libyan expats are tweeting short snippets about their family and friends and what it was like for them to live under the tyranny of Gaddafi's 41-year regime, using the hashtags #100factsaboutme and #gaddaficrimes:

@LibyaCyrenaica: "I am Libyan and #Gaddafi shot my 16 year old cousin in the spine. He is now paralyzed."

@bunbunbunnyyy: "My father's friends in college were tortured & murdered by #gaddafi , we have yet to see justice."

@AliLePointe: "My dad and 1000s of others had attempts on their lives when they started speaking against #gaddafi in '70s."

@Bint_Al_Sahraa: "Some of my relatives r very high ranking G goons, are an embarrassment to my family for their roles in #gaddaficrimes"

@Tripolitanian: "#Gaddafi used to promise every man woman and child $5000 from oil profits, gave us bullets instead."

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-22

[joshcryer]

14. Gaddafi millitia confessed they are being paid LYD 600 for each dead body they bring back to Tripoli

http://twitter.com/#!/ShababLibya/status/50149510571237376">@ShababLibya
LibyanYouthMovement
1 of Gaddafi millitia caught in Zitan confessed they are being paid LYD 600 for each dead body they bring back to Tripoli" #Libya Confirmed
1 hour ago

[joshcryer]

12. Libya: rebels push on to the disputed town of Ajdabiya

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8396300/Libya-rebels-push-on-to-the-disputed-town-of-Ajdabiya.html">Libya: rebels push on to the disputed town of Ajdabiya
Buoyed by the sight of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's tanks lying smashed and charred along the route, the disparate column of pickups and saloon cars had chased government troops almost 90 miles out of the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

But it wasn't supposed to be like that. The Daily Telegraph has learned that commanders have begun coordinating attacks with coalition leaders to enable French and British war planes to bomb Gaddafi targets before rebel fighters advance.

Yet there was no sign of anything reining in the chaotic advance – not until the sound of Katyusha rockets slamming into the sandy soil sent the ranks of volunteers into a frenzied panic of honking three-point turns.

Bullet rounds fizzed through the air past our ears. It felt like an ambush. The revolutionary soldiers had been lured too close to the town where they were horribly exposed on the road.

They retreated just as fast as they had advanced, finally stopping to catch their breath about 10 miles from Ajdabiya.

[joshcryer]

13. US Air Force F-15E Incident in Libya; Crew Safe

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=6252&lang=0">US Air Force F-15E Incident in Libya; Crew Safe
USS MOUNT WHITNEY, Mediterranean Sea, Mar 22, 2011 — Two crew members ejected from their U.S. Air Force F-15E
Strike Eagle when the aircraft experienced equipment malfunction over northeast Libya, March 21, 2011 at approximately 10:30 p.m. CET.

Both crew members ejected and are safe.

The aircraft, based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Aviano Air Base in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn at the time of the incident.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

The identities will be released after the next of kin have been notified.

Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and control of U.S. military forces supporting the international response to the unrest in Libya and enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973. UNSCR 1973 authorizes all necessary measures to protect civilians in Libya under threat of attack by Qadhafi regime forces.

Full text; public domain.

[pinboy3niner]

17. Crew ejected at high altitudes, were separated and ended up in different areas

The crew members were separated because they ejected at high altitudes and ended up in different areas, Crawley said, adding that both had minor injuries.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fgw-libya-us-jet-crash-20110323,0,6432862.story

[joshcryer]

15. Libya intervention threatens the Arab spring

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/20113227357222118.html">Libya intervention threatens the Arab spring
Western air and naval strikes against Libya are threatening the Arab Spring.

Ironically, one of the reasons many people supported the call for a no-fly zone was the fear that if Gaddafi managed to crush the Libyan people''s uprising and remain in power, it would send a devastating message to other Arab dictators: Use enough military force and you will keep your job.

Instead, it turns out that just the opposite may be the result: It was after the UN passed its no-fly zone and use-of-force resolution, and just as US, British, French and other warplanes and warships launched their attacks against Libya, that other Arab regimes escalated their crack-down on their own democratic movements.

In Yemen, 52 unarmed protesters were killed and more than 200 wounded on Friday by forces of the US-backed and US-armed government of Ali Abdullah Saleh. It was the bloodiest day of the month-long Yemeni uprising. President Obama "strongly condemned" the attacks and called on Saleh to "allow demonstrations to take place peacefully".

[joshcryer]

16. In Yemen things turned out differently, but I thought the essay was still worth posting.

[Ghost Dog]

23. Yemen, part of the heartlands of the Arabian Peninsula and therefore

of the Arab people, I am sure, would make a very significant left-wing democracy showing due respect to long-standing traditional tribal, religious and of course commercial as well as social interests.

[joshcryer]

18. Arab spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests (amazing!)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline

[rucky]

20. It looks like Guitar Hero

:thumbsup:

[joshcryer]

19. Ministry of Defense just showed on BBC the razing of a city by Gaddafi.

Photographic proof that he was attacking homes indiscriminately. :puke:

The war crimes trial is going to be really interesting.

[pinboy3niner]

22. "A civilian car was destroyed killing four children on board, the oldest is aged 13 years"

From The Guardian's news blog:

11.34am:

Sam Jones writes that according to Reuters, 40 people were killed yesterday as Gaddafi's tanks shelled the rebel-held western city of Misrata — and there appears to be no let-up today.

Residents have told the news agency that casualties in today's fighting include four children who were killed after the car they were travelling in was hit.

"The situation here is very bad. Tanks started shelling the town this morning," a resident, called Mohammed, told Reuters by telephone from outside the city's hospital, adding:

"Snipers are taking part in the operation too. A civilian car was destroyed killing four children on board, the oldest is aged 13 years."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[Ghost Dog]

25. Who holds the Port of Misurata?

[pinboy3niner]

26. The port is under Gadafi control; the city is opposition-held, but under siege nt

[pinboy3niner]

24. Pro-Gadhafi forces shell 2 towns

Pro-Gadhafi forces shell 2 towns


U.S. fighter jet crashes, pilots safe

The Associated Press Posted: Mar 22, 2011 6:58 AM ET Last Updated: Mar 22, 2011 7:38 AM ET


Libya leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces lobbed artillery shells at rebels regrouping outside a strategic eastern city, forcing a band of fighters to scatter and signaling a prolonged battle as the U.S. said it was shifting its focus to widening a no-fly zone across the North African country.

The first round of the allied assault over the weekend smashed a column of regime tanks that had been moving on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in the east, reversing the government's advance and allowing the rebels to barrel to west, vowing to break a siege on Ajdabiya, a city of 140,000 that is the gateway to the east.

...


A rebel commander who defected from the Libyan special forces said a lot of professional ex-soldiers also had poured into Ajdabiya and the nearby oil port city of Brega starting Monday, encircling the Gadhafi forces to disrupt their supply lines as the airstrikes had leveled the playing field.

...


A senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss classified data, said Monday that the attacks thus far had reduced Libya's air defense capabilities by more than 50 percent.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/03/21/libya-attack-tuesday.html

[pinboy3niner]

27. TIME: Libya's Rebels: Taking the Fight to Gaddafi, with Help

Libya's Rebels: Taking the Fight to Gaddafi, with Help


By Abigail Hauslohner/ Zuweitina Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2011



East Libya's rebels are fighters, but they're not an army. As forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi continue to rain Grad missiles and tank shells on rebel positions about 10 km north of Ajdabiyah, most of the rebel fighters seem less than willing to charge forward, despite the frantic urging of some of their peers. "Move! Move, everyone!" shouts a volunteer fighter standing on the roof of a car several kilometers from the battle zone, where crowds of men have gathered on Monday morning. He speaks through an old bullhorn in an effort to mobilize the boisterous group of mostly unarmed men and boys who shout excitedly back at him. "I know that many of you are civilians, but you have the courage to go and protect," he says.

...


At mid-morning, one group of men in a pickup roars back up to the checkpoint, attracting a crowd of hysterical men and boys as they unload a blood-soaked mattress piled with bits of human flesh. It belongs to a man who had just been torn apart by an exploding shell. The crowd chants, "There is no God but God," as they rush to bury the body parts in the sand. Others — injured and dead — are hauled toward Benghazi throughout the day, past the onlookers. And more often than not, the spectacle seems to convince most of those gathered there that waiting is a better option than charging at tanks with infantry weapons.

...


While Benghazi is eerily quiet by day, it is wracked by odd explosions and gunfire at night. (At least one rebel activist admits that some of the violence could be playing out between confused groups of rebels hunting government cells. "It has happened a couple of times, but thankfully nobody was injured," says Shamsiddin Abdulmolah.)

Most shops in the city remain shuttered and few pedestrians move through the streets. Checkpoints are few and manned by civilians. And the headquarters of the rebels' transitional government has nearly emptied of its usual swarm of activists and revolutionary officials. Fears of pro-Gaddafi cells working inside the city have kept many indoors, some say. Other members of the rebels' national council appear to have gone into hiding after one prominent activist, Mohamed Nabous, was assassinated in his car on Saturday night, shot in the head at close range.

...



Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060716,00.html#ixzz1HKc6DTsa

[pinboy3niner]

28. The Guardian's summary of events so far today:

• Coalition planes have attacked Gaddafi forces in and around Ajdabiya, but rebel troops are still coming fire indicating that air attacks have not knocked out all the positions yet. The Ministry of Defence says the Libyan government attack on Benghazi has been "stopped in its tracks".

• Gaddafi's tanks continue to shell the rebel-held western city of Misrata. Witnesses say casualties include four children when their car was hit. Residents say 40 people died yesterday from the bombardment of the city centre. Gaddafi forces are also attacking the western rebel-held town of Zintan near the Tunisian border.

• A US air force F-15E Eagle crashed overnight. Both crew members ejected and sustained minor injuries and were rescued. The crash was likely caused by mechanical failure and not hostile fire, says the US military.

• A naval base was hit in Tripoli last night in what appeared to be a highly precise strike. Curious Libyans have been crowding round the area to inspect the damage.

• Nato officials resume talks in Brussels on whether Nato should command the operation. France says Arab countries do not want the US-led alliance to be in charge.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

29. The Telegraph's exclusive photos of crashed U.S. F-15 in Libya:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8397634/Libyan-residents-discover-wreckage-of-US-plane.html?image=4

[pinboy3niner]

30. Locals queued up to hug and shake hand of crewman to thank him for the work of the coalition

The Telegraph reports:

12.42

Rob Crilly, referring to the crewman who ejected from his US jet as it crashed into a field near Benghazi, tweets:

Locals queued up to hug and shake hand of the crewman to thank him for the work of the coalition

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[bobbolink]

121. I was going to ask if there were any Libyans who have changed their minds and now want an end to the

creation of a no fly zone. I think this tweet answers my question.

Thank you for this post!

[pinboy3niner]

31. Telegraph reporter lands on USS Kearsarge, somewhere off Libya

12.01

Nick Squires has just landed on USS Kearsarge, a large amphibious assault ship sitting in the Mediterranean. He has said:

"There are US Marine Harriers on the deck and we have been told that they are to carry out bombing missions over Libya tonight. We are not being told how close to the coast of Libya we are. It could be a long night. We arrived here after spending a night on the USS Ponce, a smaller ship which is part of the American naval operation here in the Med. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

32. BREAKING, CNN: One downed crew member on USS Kearsarge; other on way nt

[pinboy3niner]

33. AJE's James Bays reports on latest fighting at Ajdabiyah:

Front line stalls outside Ajdabiya (4:58)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKoI6D_kRvc&feature=player_embedded

[pinboy3niner]

34. America Jet crash and airmen landed in a field and approached a crowd of people

Posted in GD by nmbluesky:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x714456

[pinboy3niner]

35. AFP reports EU will take part in African Union meeting on Libya today nt

[pinboy3niner]

36. Witnesses describe bloody, nightmarish scenes in fiercely-contested Misrata

1.11pm:
In this Reuters dispatch, witnesses in Misrata describe nightmarish scenes in Libya's third biggest city, which has been under siege for weeks.

Doctors in Libya's rebel-held city of Misrata are operating on people with bullet and shrapnel wounds in hospital corridors after attacks by government forces killed dozens and wounded many more, residents said on Tuesday.

"There is a catastrophic situation here," a resident, called Mohammed, told Reuters by telephone. "We call on humanitarian organisations to intervene as soon as possible to provide food and medical help."

A rebel spokesman described chaotic scenes at a clinic which has been turned into a makeshift field hospital, as people arrive with bullet and shrapnel wounds.

Another resident, called Saadoun, said the four young children were killed when they were being driven out of the city. He said the parents were safe.

"The children have been turned to pieces. We do not know which part is for which child. It's horrible. Horrible," said Saadoun. "Their father ... has collapsed and is in total shock."

Accounts pieced together from people inside Misrata speak of a town where residents huddle in their homes because they fear if they go out they could be hit by snipers on rooftops or tanks in the centre of town firing shells.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

37. Obama, Libya and the authorization conflict

Obama, Libya and the authorization conflict


Authorization isn't a cure-all ... sometimes members of Congress suffer from buyer’s remorse


By Tom Curry
National affairs writer

msnbc.com
updated 24 minutes ago 2011-03-22 T13:41:42


The president does not need authorization from Congress before launching a military offensive — so said Vice President Dick Cheney and other advisors to President George W. Bush in the summer of 2002 as that administration prepared to use force to topple Saddam Hussein.

...


In the case of Libya, President Barack Obama has consulted with congressional leaders, but sought no authorization for his military operation against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

...


In a letter to congressional leaders Monday, Obama claimed that his actions in Libya "are in the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive."

...


So too, in theory, disgruntled members of Congress could now vote to deny funding for the Libya operation. That looks unlikely at this point, partly because Obama so far has kept the stakes low.

...


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42201792/ns/politics/

[pinboy3niner]

38. Fox News' Jennifer Griffin Admits Error In Libya Human Shield Story (VIDEO)

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin Admits Error In Libya Human Shield Story (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post Jack Mirkinson First Posted: 03/22/11 07:34 AM Updated: 03/22/11 09:06


A Fox News reporter who claimed that journalists are being used as human shields by the Libyan government acknowledged that she had made an error in her reporting on Monday night. Still, she stood by the bulk of her story, even after a CNN correspondent harshly criticized her reporting and called it "outrageous and hypocritical."

...


CNN's Nic Robertson, one of the journalists on the tour, tore into Griffin for the report, calling it "outrageous and hypocritical" and alleging that, far from staying away, as Griffin had said, Fox News had also sent an employee on the tour. Robertson also criticized Fox News' Steve Harrigan, who is in Libya.

...


Speaking to Greta Van Susteren on Monday night, Griffin acknowledged that a Fox News "security guard" had gone on the tour in Harrigan's place. Harrigan, she said, had stayed in his hotel because he "wanted to stay on the air to provide full coverage." She said that the earlier assertion that no Fox News personnel were present on the tour was "my mistake, and I apologize for the error."

But Griffin did not back down from the earlier report that had gotten Robertson so heated. She repeated her claim that the Libyans are using journalists as human shields, and that there is "frustration" in the international coalition that journalists are going on government tours of certain sites.


(Video at link)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/fox-news-jennifer-griffin-error-libya-human-shield_n_838906.html

[MedleyMisty]

39. Fox and Libyan State TV

Is there a difference? You decide.

[pinboy3niner]

41. LOL! You can't explain it! nt

[CommonSensePLZ]

40. GADDAFI COMPOUND BOMBED

http://www.newser.com/story/114554/gadhafi-compound-bombed.html

[pinboy3niner]

42. CNN: Coalition missiles destroyed Gaddafi rocket launch systems at Tripoli harbor base

In a live report minutes ago, CNN's Nic Robertson said regime officials took press to the strike site, a military facility at the harbor, where he saw 4 'rocket launch systems' that were completely destroyed.

He said there were 2 very precise strikes in which coalition missiles came through the roof of a building to take out the rocket launchers.

The Libyan Govt. told the press there were no casualties, and Robertson said he was also told by officials that it was only a "repair facility."

He said it was "incredibly accurate firing through the roof of the bldg," and that "much of the equipment was still burning and still smoldering."

[pinboy3niner]

76. The port in #Tripoli...hit by a missile strike overnight, CNN’s Nic Robertson reports

The port in #Tripoli appears to have been hit by a missile strike overnight, CNN’s Nic Robertson reports. http://t.co/m4QPUNF #Libya

[pinboy3niner]

43. Adjabiyah: At the front line, opposition has the momentum, "Gaddafi forces have the power"

3:20pm

Al Jazeera's correspondent, James Bays, who is 9km from Ajdabiya, said that rebel fighters were attacked 800m from where they are stationed.

"Fighters gathered up there and one of their vehicles was hit ... all fighters fled that position and are now where I am, which is basically the front line," he said.

"Their vehicle was hit by tank round or a missile. I don't think anyone was hurt.

No one really is making any progress. The oppositon are where they were 24 hours ago ... They are lightly armed volunteers ... a professional officer on the rebel side told me they're very brave but to the point of being suicidal.

"Gaddafi forces are much more heavily armed. The opposition have the numbers and they seem to have the momentum but on the other side the Gaddafi forces have the power."

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-22

[pinboy3niner]

44. Libyan bombing 'unconstitutional', Republicans warn Obama

Posted in LBN by pampango:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4782200

[pinboy3niner]

45. 2 more journalists reported missing in Libya

2.41pm:

Fripouille in the comments section has news that two journalists (one for Tunisia's Le Quotidien another for Al-Jazeera) are missing in Libya:

A bit of bad news here I'm afraid, from Le Figaro, which reports that a Tunisian journalist - Fatma Ben Dhaou, a special envoy from Le Quotidian - has been missing in Benghazi since last Friday, which was the last time she filed anything....:(

http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/10058612

AFP has more – in French via L'Express site here. http://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/economie/deux-journalistes-tunisiens-portes-disparus-en-libye_975012.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

46. AJE reports allies attacked a Libyan mil. aircraft flying twd rebel stronghold of Benghazi nt

[DevonRex]

47. I really appreciate the information you're sharing with us.

You put so much work into letting us know what's going on.

[pinboy3niner]

48. French planes launched first mission in Libya from carrier Charles de Gaulle today

5.09

Two French planes launched their first missions in Libya from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on Tuesday, France's armed forces spokesman said. The two Rafale jets were on a reconnaissance mission and did not fire any shots, Colonel Thierry Burkhard told Reuters. The aircraft carrier left southern France for Libya on Sunday afternoon to take part in operations in the region.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

49. The Guardian: 500 protesters outside Arab League meeting in Cairo today

3.10pm:

The Guardian's Martin Chulov is outside where the Arab League have been meeting today in Cairo.

"There's been large numbers of protesters outside," Martin says. "Around about 500 of them, most of them carrying the new Libyan flag, which is actually the original Libyan flag before Gaddafi's rule, they're waving that along with Egypt's flag. Half of these protesters are Libyans, half are Egyptians, and they're calling on the secretary general of the Arab league, Amr Moussa, to clarify his position on the no-fly zone."

will need to declare their hand today. Amr Moussa's under a lot of pressure to clarify what it is that he is looking for in Libya and what it is that he will accept. It all comes down to a definition of what is a no-fly zone. There seems to be a mood within the organisation that there was almost a rush into battle as Gaddafi's forces advanced on Benghazi on Saturday. They say there wasn't a battle plan, there needs to be one, and there needs to be some clarity about outcomes. The Arab League are looking to work towards a statement which they will release tonight which they hope will get rid of any ambiguity.

(Audio report at link)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

50. Video of crashed U.S. F-15 fighter wreckage - LINK:

Length: 1:07

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/mar/22/f15-fighter-jet-crashes-rebel-libya-video

[pinboy3niner]

51. Dr from #Misrata:"We need sea ambulance or med supplies by sea..hosp suffering”

Doctor from #Misrata:"We need a sea ambulance or medical supplies brought by sea.. the hospital is suffering.” http://t.co/m4QPUNF #Libya
5 minutes ago

[pinboy3niner]

52. BREAKING: One station reports 6 villagers shot by helicopter in rescue of downed fliers

3.37pm:

Fascinating line on the rescue of the F-15 crew from Channel 4 News, which reports that six villagers on the outskirts of Benghazi were shot and injured when a US helicopter swooped in to extract the pilot.

According to their foreign editor, Lindsey Hilsum, the injured villagers are now in hospital.
The US military has not made any reference to this in its official statement on the incident.

< Link has embedded hotlinks to more info: >
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

53. Reporter who broke crash story discovers 6 Libyan locals were shot by U.S. chopper

15.34

Huge development on the allegations that civilians have been shot by the US today during the rescue missions. Our man on the ground, Rob Crilly, who broke the original story of the US fighter jet crashing, has discovered that six Libyan locals were shot by a US helicopter as it recovered one of the two pilots. More to come soon.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

67. Six Libyan villagers shot by US team rescuing pilot--Channel 4 News

Six Libyan villagers shot by US team rescuing pilot

Tuesday 22 March 2011


Six Libyan villagers shot by US team rescuing pilotTuesday 22 March 2011 .EXCLUSIVE: Six villagers in a field on the outskirts of Benghazi were shot and injured when a US helicopter landed to rescue a crew member from the crashed jet, reports Lindsey Hilsum.

Channel 4 News International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, says that the villagers were shot when a US helicopter picked up the pilot who had ejected from the F-15E Eagle plane after it experienced a mechanical failure.

...


The local Libyans who were injured in the rescue mission are currently in hospital. They are the first confirmed casualities of allied operations, almost four days after operations began. At the time of writing, no one had died as a result of the gunfire.

Lindsey Hilsum has been in the hospital where some of the injured were taken. She has spoken to the father of a young boy who expects to have his leg amputated due to a bullet wound.

Gauging the reaction of locals in the area, she said: "the local Libyans do not seem resentful, they still want the coalition forces to keep operating."

More:
http://www.channel4.com/news/third-night-of-bombing-in-libya

[pinboy3niner]

54. Witness: at least 10 killed in shelling of western town of Zintan by Gaddafi forces--Reuters nt

[pinboy3niner]

55. Latest remarks on Libya mission by British Foreign Secretary:

4.02pm:

Here's the passage of Hague's address to the Times CEO Summit Africa that relates directly to Libya:

"As I speak British Forces are conducting the fourth day of operations to enforce a no fly zone and arms embargo over Libya, to protect civilians against a government which has responded to legitimate demands for change with crushing military force and is now under investigation by the International Criminal Court.

"It is not for us to choose the government of Libya – that is for the Libyan people themselves. But they have a far greater chance of making that choice now than they did on Saturday, when the opposition forces were on the verge of defeat. With our partners we have halted the advance of Gaddafi's troops towards Benghazi and prevented his planes from wreaking havoc from the skies, and this has undoubtedly saved many lives.

"We will continue to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 until there is a complete and genuine ceasefire and an end to attacks on civilians. At a time of such hope and optimism in the Middle East, we cannot let the Libyan government violate every principle of international law and human rights with impunity."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

56. U.S. Libya task force cmdr: Regime forces still violating Sec. Council resolution

4.11pm:

The US joint task force commander, Admiral Samuel Locklear, somewhere in the Mediterranean is taking questions from reporters. In opening remarks, he said despite current coalition successes, Libyan forces are not yet in compliance with UN security council resolution 1973 because of continued Libyan government actions against civilians.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

57. The Telegraph: "During the rescue of the second pilot a US heliocpter shot and injured villagers"

15.59

Events are moving fast so let's clear up any confusion. This is what we know now. Two pilots crash landed in a field near Benghazi this morning. One was handed over to rebels and then given to US officials before being taken to the USS Kearsarge in the Mediterranean. During the rescue of the second pilot a US heliocpter shot and injured villagers. This pilot is believed to be "safe in American hands" at an unknown location.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html


Other reports say BOTH crew members are aboard the Kearsarge.

[pinboy3niner]

58. Gaddafi forces still attacking civilians in Misrata; coalition "considering all options"

4.20pm:

Locklear says he is aware that Gaddafi forces are attacking civilians in Misrata in contravention of the UN security council and that the coalition is "considering all options". It sounds like there have been no coalition attacks yet against those Gaddafi forces.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

59. U.S. Joint TF Cmdr refuses comment on reports of villagers shot; probe of rescue launched

16.15

The US Joint Task Force Commander has just refused to comment on the reports that six Libyan civilians were shot by US rescuers. Admiral Locklear said that an investigation into the rescue mission had been launched and he would say nothing until it was complete. When pushed, he also refused to comment on whether any shots had been fired. He was fielding questions during a US press briefing.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

69. Commander's refusal to deny U.S. shooting of villagers "will lend credence to" the story

4.45pm:

Ewen MacAskill, our colleague in Washington, has sent his take on the briefing from Locklear.

Admiral Samuel Locklear, the US commander in the Mediterranean briefing Pentagon reporters from aboard the USS Mount Whitney, twice refused to deny that a US helicopter sent to rescue downed airmen opened fire on Libyan villagers.

If the story was untrue, it seems likely that Locklear would have emphatically denied it and his failure to do so will lend credence to it. He said the rescue mission had been executed as he had expected it to be, given the circumstances. Asked if they had opened fire on villagers, he said he would restrict his comments to saying that an investigation was under way.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

60. RT @rima_misurata Leading cause of death in #Libya? #Gaddafi

notagentsmith CLASSIC -> RT @rima_misurata Leading cause of death in #Libya? #Gaddafi

[pinboy3niner]

61. Friend of mine died for #Libyan freedom on Feb21, #gaddaficrimes

Friend of mine died for #Libyan freedom on Feb21, #gaddaficrimes
23 minutes ago

[tabatha]

62. Top Ten Ways that Libya 2011 is Not Iraq 2003

Top Ten Ways that Libya 2011 is Not Iraq 2003

Posted on 03/22/2011 by Juan

Here are the differences between George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the current United Nations action in Libya:

1. The action in Libya was authorized by the United Nations Security Council. That in Iraq was not. By the UN Charter, military action after 1945 should either come as self-defense or with UNSC authorization. Most countries in the world are signatories to the charter and bound by its provisions.

2. The Libyan people had risen up and thrown off the Qaddafi regime, with some 80-90 percent of the country having gone out of his hands before he started having tank commanders fire shells into peaceful crowds. It was this vast majority of the Libyan people that demanded the UN no-fly zone. In 2002-3 there was no similar popular movement against Saddam Hussein.

3. There was an ongoing massacre of civilians, and the threat of more such massacres in Benghazi, by the Qaddafi regime, which precipitated the UNSC resolution. Although the Saddam Hussein regime had massacred people in the 1980s and early 1990s, nothing was going on in 2002-2003 that would have required international intervention.

4. The Arab League urged the UNSC to take action against the Qaddafi regime, and in many ways precipitated Resolution 1973. The Arab League met in 2002 and expressed opposition to a war on Iraq. (Reports of Arab League backtracking on Sunday were incorrect, based on a remark of outgoing Secretary-General Amr Moussa that criticized the taking out of anti-aircraft batteries. The Arab League reaffirmed Sunday and Moussa agreed Monday that the No-Fly Zone is what it wants).

.......

http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/top-ten-ways-that-libya-2011-is-not-iraq-2003.html

[tabatha]

63. Global Insights: Coalition Must Act on Libyan Chemical Weapons

Recent events in Libya have refocused attention on Libya's remaining chemical agents, with particular concern over the possibility that Moammar Gadhafi will use them against the Libyan insurgents or against other targets, such as Western civilians. But there are also fears that the Libyan government could somehow lose control of some of the agents, whether due to ongoing domestic chaos or an eventual collapse of the regime, allowing terrorists to acquire them. Leaders of the coalition currently enforcing the U.N.-mandated no-fly zone over Libya need to adopt a strong declaratory policy against any misuse of these agents, even while they contemplate unpleasant contingency plans to secure or eliminate the material on their own.

Following the American-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Libya agreed (.pdf) to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction programs in return for normalizing relations with Washington and other anticipated rewards. The Libyan government subsequently made considerable progress in eliminating its nuclear weapons program, which had received significant assistance from the A.Q. Khan trafficking network. The United States removed Libya's stockpiles of uranium hexafluoride, its uranium-enriching centrifuge machines, and other materials and technologies intended to construct nuclear weapons, including detailed blueprints for making an atomic bomb. Libya also eliminated its longer-range ballistic missiles.

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/8262/global-insights-coalition-must-act-on-libyan-chemical-weapons

[pinboy3niner]

64. You think #Libya State TV is bad now? In the 80s he would broadcast live executions. #gaddaficrimes

You think #Libya State TV is bad now? In the 80s he would broadcast live executions. #gaddaficrimes
6 minutes ago

[pinboy3niner]

65. ShababLibya Libyan Youth support the UN & Op Odyssey Dawn efforts to save Libyan lives #

ShababLibya We are the Libyan Youth & we support the UN intervention & Operation Odyssey Dawn efforts to save Libyan lives #libya #feb17 #gaddaficrimes

[pinboy3niner]

66. France: new steering comm., not NATO, will oversee NFZ, according to AP nt

[tabatha]

68. Battle for Benghazi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0vChMDuNd0

Great video - does anyone know how to load it into the Video section.

[Iterate]

105. It is good, very good.

I've been looking for a time for the original(so I could give attribution), or a better version because that one is clipped front and back. I found it here, but it's not a youtube vid, so I don't know yet if it's under some permission restrictions or what. I'll stay on the case.

Site:
http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/about/id/601012/n/Battle-for-Benghazi
Video:
http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/601012/n/Battle-for-Benghazi

As troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi close in on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Dateline reports from that city, amid preparations for a final showdown with the Libyan leader.

French film maker Gwen Le Gouil takes us into the ranks of the newly-formed revolutionary army - and shows us gruelling images of underground prison cells beneath Gaddafi's abandoned Benghazi residence - where anti-Gaddafi rebels had been held and tortured prior to the revolution.

Le Gouil also films the beginnings of Benghazi's free press, as the city celebrates what may be a short-lived liberation.

Executive Producer Peter Charley narrates the story.

It covers the interim time the departure of G troops until just before the counter-attack and NFZ.

[tabatha]

129. Thanks for finding the original.

What I love about that is after seeing it, it is abundantly clear that this was NOT organized from outside.

[pinboy3niner]

70. CBS News/AP: Villager reportedly shot during Libya rescue

March 22, 2011

Villager reportedly shot during Libya rescue

U.S. investigating operation that recovered two crew members who parachuted into rebel territory after F-15 crashed, CBS News has learned; Differing accounts on injuries

(CBS/AP)

...


During a briefing Tuesday, Admiral Samuel Locklear, refused to address a British television report that several Libyan civilians were shot by the crew of a Marine Osprey aircraft during the rescue.

...


"We didn't think it was an American plane. We thought it was a Qaddafi plane. We started calling out to the pilot, but we only speak Arabic. We looked for him and found the parachute. A villager came who spoke English and he called out 'we are here, we are with the rebels' and then the man came out," Hamid Moussa el-Amruni said.


The pilot left in a car with the Benghazi national council, taking with him the water and juice the family provided. They kept his helmet and the parachute.


A second plane reportedly strafed the field where the pilot went down. Hamid Moussa el-Amruni himself said he was shot, suffered shrapnel wounds in his leg and back, but he could still walk. He used an old broomstick as a crutch and said he held no grudge, believing it was an accident.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/22/501364/main20045905.shtml

[pinboy3niner]

71. U.S. Marines spokesman denies "100%" the story that civilians were shot during rescue

The Guardian reports:


5.26pm:

Breaking news from Tom Kington on the USS Kearsarge - who has had a "100%" denial from the US military that Libyan civilians were shot by a rescue mission for downed airmen. He writes:

A US military spokesman has denied reports that US Marines rescuing a downed pilot in Libya on Monday night shot and injured six civilians.

"It didn't happen, I can deny this 100%,"said Captain Richard Ulsh, a spokesman for the US Marines.

Two pilots parachuted from their US Air Force F-15E near Benghazi after their aircraft suffered a mechanical failure. Two Osprey tiltrotors based on USS Kearsarge off the Libyan coast were dispatched to rescue the pilots, who landed separately. The Osprey has two rotors and can take off vertically before the rotors swivel to allow it to fly like a plane.

One pilot was picked up and brought back to the Kearsarge, where he is being given medical treatment but is in good condition. The US military has said it picked up the second pilot but has not revealed his whereabouts.

Each Osprey was manned by a 12 strong squad of armed Marines, but Ulsh said no shots were fired. "The Osprey is not armed and the Marines barely came off the aircraft," he said. "I was in the landing force operations centre (on the Kearsarge) and firing was never reported."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-no-fly-zone-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

72. n2doc does it again--Libya TOONS

In case you missed it, here are n2doc's latest toon threads on Libya:

Tuesday TOON Roundup 1 -Libya
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x715050


Tuesday TOON Roundup 2 - More Libya
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x715058

[pinboy3niner]

73. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 8:02 PM TUESDAY, MARCH 22

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

[pinboy3niner]

74. Quick update: Yemen, Syria, Egypt

17.04

Time for a quick update on the rest of the region. Yemen's embattled president warned that a coup attempt could spark civil war, as army units clashed and opposition movements rejected a proposal for him to step down next year. In Syria protesters gathered in the southern town of Daraa for the fifth straight day, undeterred by a heavy security force presence.

In Egypt a fire broke out in an interior ministry building in Cairo as thousands of policemen protested there in continuing labour unrest following the country's political revolution. And in Tunisia a man died after setting himself alight in the town where a similar act by a fruit and vegetable seller in December sparked the wave of revolts across the region, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited the country.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

75. AFP reports rebels claim to have pushed Gaddafi's forces back from the outskirts of Zintan

The Telegraph:

17.59

The AFP news agency is reporting that rebels claim to have pushed Gaddafi's forces back from the outskirts of Zintan, putting an end to the shelling of the town that has been taking place since Saturday. A resident told the agency:

The situation reversed overnight...Gaddafi forces were bombing the town from a position 10 kilometres out of Zintan, but were forced to retreat under rebel fire.

This morning Gaddafi forces retreated towards Gueriane, north of Zintan...On the abandoned position there were burnt-out tanks and gutted trucks.

Zintan is euphoric. The rebels are proud they pushed back Gaddafi forces without anyone's help. There were no coalition strikes in this area.

He added that there were "quite a number of bodies" at the morgue in Zintan, all of them "rebels fallen in the recent clashes".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

77. libya_Horra tears wont stop falling i guess, but my beloved country is worth every tear...

libya_Horra tears wont stop falling i guess, but my beloved country is worth every tear, #Libya i pray for you, i stand by you, i believe in you! #feb17

[pinboy3niner]

78. Sky News defense correspondent Niall Paterson tweets:

F15 rescue mission now under investigation by Pentagon following reports that shots were fired on and injured civilians.

[pinboy3niner]

79. AJE's Anita McNaught in Tripoli reports AA fire and explosions began 10 min. ago nt

[pinboy3niner]

80. Libya crisis: Defiant Gaddafi forces go on the offensive

Source: The Guardian


Libya crisis: Defiant Gaddafi forces go on the offensive


• Latest Gaddafi onslaughts target Ajdabiya, Misurata and Zintan

• US fighter jet crashes near Benghazi after mechanical failure

• Britain and US launch 24 Tomahawks at Libyan targets

• Divisions continue over transfer of command of mission to Nato


Sam Jones and agencies guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 March 2011 16.11 GMT


Muammar Gaddafi's armed forces are continuing to attack Libyan towns and cities despite three nights of western air strikes and another day of missile strikes.

Gaddafi's troops shelled rebels regrouping in the desert dunes outside the strategic eastern town of Ajdabiya, as well as civilians in the rebel-held western city of Misurata.

...


Al-Jazeera reported that Gaddafi's forces were trying to seize the western rebel-held town of Zintan, near the Tunisian border, in an attack using heavy weapons. Residents had already fled the town centre to seek shelter in mountain caves.

...


At the frontline, in desert scrub about three miles outside the town, which marks the gateway to the rebel-held east, rebels said air strikes were helping cripple Gaddafi's heavy armour. But there was no sign of a swift drive forward.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/libya-gaddafi-forces-offensive

[pinboy3niner]

81. AJE reporting Senior Gaddafi military commander killed near Tripoli

6.49pm:

A senior military commander in one of the 'elite' brigades of Muammar Gaddafi's army has been killed near Tripoli, Al Jazeera television is reporting.

The broadcaster gave his name as Hussein El Warfali.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

82. Reporter tweets: "Some of the rebels have very new looking AK-47s today. Shiny..."

18.42

Meanwhile the Telegraph's Rob Crilly, with rebels near Adjabiya, tweets:

Some of the rebels have very new looking AK-47s today. Shiny and they are covering the muzzles to keep dust out.

Dunno where they came from. But they are getting stuff for sure.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

83. Libya no fly zone: Operation Gibberish Name Generator

Libya no fly zone: Operation Gibberish Name Generator

BY Joanna Sloame
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, March 22nd 2011, 11:32 AM


The U.S. military's campaign in Libya has been dubbed Operation Odyssey Dawn - but the moniker isn't a homage to the revered Greek writer Homer.

The Pentagon uses a computerized word generator to spit out nicknames for Defense Department undertakings - this time, Operation Odyssey Dawn.

...


The modern naming system - the Code Word, Nickname and Exercise Term Generator dubbed NICKA - was created in 1975.

The Pentagon turned to technology after names selected randomly by commanders, such as Operation Killer during the Korean War and Vietnam's Operation Masher, sparked media firestorms.


More:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2011/03/22/2011-03-22_libya_no_fly_zone_operation_gibberish_name_generator.html

[pinboy3niner]

84. Channel 4 News airs report of U.S. helicopter shooting civilians during flier rescue

7.07pm:

At least six villagers were injured when US forces came in with "all guns blazing" in an operation to extract US pilots whose fighter crashed in the east of Libya, said Lindsey Hilsum of Channel 4 News in her report at 7pm.

Reporting from the scene of the crash, she said that a US helicopter came in and opened fire as villagers were handing over one of the downed pilots to local rebel authorities.

Omar Sayd, who was described as a military policeman, told the channel: "We are disturbed about the shooting because if they had given us a chance we would have handed over both pilots."

In Benghazi, Hilsum interviewed one of the injured villagers, who was in a hospital bed. Local people had been giving a "party" for giving a party for the pilot when they were fired on.

Earlier today a US spokesman "100%" denied reports that the civilians were injured by shooting from a US helicopter rescue mission for the two pilots, who have both been taken out of Libya.

Their F-15E Strike Eagle jet was conducting a mission Monday night when it crashed outside Benghazi, apparently from a malfunction.

Channel 4 news said that the pilot and a weapons officer had been aboard the fighter jet, having set off from from Aviano Air Base in Italy. After experiencing mechanical difficulties, both pilots ejected safely, but suffered minor injuries.

The pilot was rescued by the US helicopter soon after crash landing and opposition rebels recovered the weapons officer, taking "took good care of him" before coalition forces picked him up some time later.

Local people told Hilsum that they believed the jet may have been on the way to a radar site 20 miles south of the crash location, not realising that it was already in rebel hands.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

85. Salon: John McCain's Libya amnesia

John McCain's Libya amnesia


The senator, who met with Moammar Gadhafi in 2009, now complains the dictator has "American blood on his hands


By Justin Elliott


In a single interview this morning, John McCain managed to inadvertently highlight one of the potential dangers of the war against Moammar Gadhafi, while at the same time experiencing a bout of amnesia about his own record on Libya.

The Arizona senator was out front in recent weeks as one of the biggest proponents of a war with Libya, and is now calling for a wider mission, including arming the rebels.

Speaking on CBS' The Early Show today, McCain twice cited the fact that Moammar Gadhafi has "American blood on his hands" as a reason the U.S. should try to oust the dictator. McCain specifically referred to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, which was indeed carried out by a Libyan agent.

What McCain is apparently forgetting is that, apart from the past few weeks, the last decade has been a period of rapprochement between the United States and Libya. It started with President Bush announcing in 2003 that Gadhafi had agreed to give up his "weapons of mass destruction" programs. In 2006 Bush removed Libya from the official list of state sponsors of terrorism. In September 2008 Condoleezza Rice traveled to Libya to have talks with Gadhafi. And just a few days before the 2008 presidential election, Bush signed a settlement under which Libya compensated families of victims of Lockerbie and other 80s-era attacks.

Who else was involved in the effort to forge better ties with Gadhafi? John McCain. In August 2009 he led a delegation of senators including fellow hawks Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman on a trip to visit the Libyan leader in Tripoli. Discussed during the visit was delivery of -- get this -- American military equipment to Gadhafi (a man with American blood on his hands no less).


http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/22/john_mccain_libya/index.html

[pinboy3niner]

86. At least 10 reported killed in clashes in Zintan today

19.40

The clashes in Zintan today have cost 10 lives, Reuters has reported, while Channel Four news reported the figure as 10 to 15 dead

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

87. Some snipers from Niger we are sure of...not sure of ones from Algeria yet #Libya #Feb17

ShababLibya Caller to BBC from Misrata: Some snipers from Niger we are sure of, but not sure of the ones from Algeria yet #Libya #Feb17
6 minutes ago

[pinboy3niner]

88. Romania will send frigate to Med to help enforce NATO arms embargo on Libya

19.50
Romania will send a frigate with a crew of more than 200 to the Mediterranean to take part in a NATO arms embargo on Libya, President Traian Basescu has said.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[Iterate]

107. At least someone has a cultural memory.

[pinboy3niner]

89. Cameron, Obama agree NATO should play a "key" role in coalition effort in Libya

19.58

Downing Street has confirmed that David Cameron and Barack Obama agree Nato should play a "key role" in the coalition effort in Libya and that western forces have made "substantial progress" in acting on the UN resolution, following a phone call between the leaders earlier.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

90. U.S. military sources confirmed to Fox News that shots fired during flier rescue mission

8.17pm:

Sky News has reported that US military sources confirmed to Fox News that shots were fired during the rescue operation of US pilots whose plane crashed in eastern Libya on Monday night.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-live-updates

[Turborama]

91. K&R& Thanks to you & pinboy3niner for all the work you're putting into keeping this place up to date

n/t

:kick:

[pinboy3niner]

92. Hey, another day, another dollar--right, LBN Man? :)

[pinboy3niner]

93. @LibyaFeb17_com At least two of the aircraft promised by Qatar have now arrived in Cyprus nt

[pinboy3niner]

94. Congress Not Eager to Assert Power of Purse in Libya Operations

Source: National Journal

Congress Not Eager to Assert Power of Purse in Libya Operations

War costs could mean new cuts elsewhere.

By Tim Fernholz

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 | 4:00 p.m.


When President Obama proposed his 2012 budget, congressional Republicans were quick to criticize the spending increases included, even as they were busy hunting for cuts in 2011. But when the president ordered the U.S. military to intervene in Libya’s civil war, a decision that could end up costing billions, the congressional leadership from both parties had little to say about the expense, preferring to let Obama make the decisions.

While a recess week and fast-moving events are partially to blame for Hill inactivity, it’s a glaring example of the double standard between spending on defense and spending on anything else. Though legislators from both parties have complained about the administration’s process in reaching decisions and lack of a clear endgame, there is no clear consensus on what, if anything, Congress will do to use its power of the purse to limit the Libya campaign.

...


The Department of Defense said it is funding its operations in Libya from existing 2011 appropriations, and the White House Office of Management and Budget said that the administration is not currently planning to request supplemental funding.

...


“It’s going to cost, money that will have to be borrowed, and the way the House is plunging along these days, there’s no doubt in my mind it will be paid for by additional squeezes on domestic activities that we can ill-afford to squeeze,” Obey said.




http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress-not-eager-to-assert-power-of-purse-in-libya-operations-20110322

[pinboy3niner]

95. MORE from NYT on controversial circumstances of downed flier rescue:

Excerpt:

...

But a Marine Corps officer said that two Harrier attack jets dropped two 500-pound bombs during the rescue of the pilot, about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday local time (about 7:30 p.m. Monday E.D.T.). The officer said that the grounded pilot, who was in contact with rescue crews in the air, asked for the bombs to be dropped as a precaution before the crews landed to pick him up.

“My understanding is he asked for the ordnance to be delivered between where he was located and where he saw people coming towards him,” the officer said, adding that the pilot evidently made the request “to keep what he thought was a force closing in on him from closing in on him.”

The officer said he did not know if the people approaching the pilot were friendly or hostile or whether any Libyans had been killed or injured in the explosions from the bombs.

Channel 4 News in Britain reported that six villagers were shot by American troops during one of the rescue operations, but it was unclear whether it was the rescue of the pilot or the weapons officer. None of the villagers — who were interviewed by a Channel 4 reporter in a nearby hospital — were killed, though a small boy could have a leg amputated.


Defying Airstrikes and the U.N., Qaddafi’s Forces Fight On
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23libya.html?_r=2&hp

[pinboy3niner]

96. Libya: Three Western journalists to be released soon

20.20 <4:20pm EDT>

Libyan authorities will free three western journalists - two from Agence France-Presse and one from the Getty agency - in the next hour or two. A spokesman said:

The leader of the revolution (Muammar Gaddafi) received an appeal from the French press agency, the CEO Mr Emmanuel Hoog, and the leader basically asked the Libyan state and government to release these journalists and indeed they are going to be released within the next hour or two

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

97. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 11:30 PM TUESDAY, MARCH 22

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

[pinboy3niner]

98. British Ministry of Defence bill for Libyan operations likely to go over budget

The Guardian reports:

8.46pm:

The British Ministry of Defence bill for carrying out the current Libyan operations in the sea and air is likely to go over budget, reports Nick Hopkins, the Guardian's defence and security correspondent.

While the chancellor, George Osborne, has claimed that "the Ministry of Defence's initial view is that will be in the order of the tens of millions not the hundreds of millions of pounds" the real cost won't be known until months after the operation has ended.

Nick reports that Defence analyst Francis Tusa has used answers to parliamentary questionse to estimate that major costs are likely to come from:

• The four RAF Tornado GR4s now based in Italy. Running costs are £35,000 an hour, once they are in the air. The Tornados fired Storm Shadow and possibly Brimstone missiles during their first two sorties, but the MoD won't say how many they used. Each missile costs £750,000 to £800,000.

• The 10 Typhoon fighters also in Italy, more expensive because they are new. The cost to fly them is thought to be £70,000 an hour, though that may reduce to £40,000 an hour the longer the operation goes on.

• The Trafalgar-class submarine HMS Triumph, which has been in the Mediterranean for more than a week. It has been firing Tomahawk cruise missiles at Gaddafi's air defence systems. Running a submarine costs up to £200,000 a day. Its cruise missiles cost £500,000 each.

• The navy's two frigates in the Mediterranean – HMS Cumberland and HMS Westminster. Running costs about £90,000 a day. HMS Cumberland was diverted to Libya on its journey home to be scrapped, so every day it is there is above and beyond budget.

Although these are the principal costs, there are many more.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

99. The Guardian ~ Libya: air strikes continue. Click here for our latest live blog:

Libya: air strikes continue. Click here for our latest live blog http://gu.com/p/2zvd7

[meow mix]

100. k&r

[pinboy3niner]

101. Reports: HOLLAND latest to join coalition; sending 6 F-16's to Libya mission nt

[pinboy3niner]

102. POLL: Majority of French support the Libya intervention

11:27pm

A majority of French support the foreign military operations in Libya, according to the first poll carried out in France since operations started against Gaddafi's forces on Saturday.

According to the survey conducted by pollster IFOP, 66 per cent of those surveyed supported the intervention and there was no difference between left-wing or right-wing political streams.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-22

[pinboy3niner]

103. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 12:10 AM WEDESDAY, MARCH 23

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

[pinboy3niner]

104. Gaddafi makes first public appearance since start of bombing campaign 4 days ago

21.55

Meanwhile Muammar Gaddafi has made his first public appearance since the western bombing campaign began four days ago, in footage broadcast as live on state TV.

In a brief appearance in front of cheering crowds at the bombed-out building in his compund in Tripoli, which was attacked by British forces over the weekend, he vowed to continue fighting and told his supporters they would emerge victorious in the war against rebels and international forces.

He promised: "We will be victorious in the end."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

111. Here are some more quotes from that extraordinary rallying cry by Col Gaddafi:

We will not surrender ... We will defeat them by any means.

We are ready for the fight, whether it will be a short or a long one.

I am staying here, my home is here, I am staying in my tent...I am here, I am here, I am here.

There are demonstrations everywhere against this unjustified assault, which breaches the United Nations' charter.

This assault ... is by a bunch of fascists who will end up in the dustbin of history.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

112. "This time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living"

12:27am

Libyan state TV has broadcast what it said was live coverage of a brief address Gaddafi made to enthusiastic supporters at his residential compound in Tripoli.

Standing on a balcony, he denounced the coalition bombing attacks on his forces, and told the crowd, "in the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them."

State TV said Gaddafi was speaking from his Bab Al-Aziziya residential compound, the same one hit by a cruise missile on Sunday night.

"O great Libyan people, you have to live now, this time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living".

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23

[pinboy3niner]

106. UPDATE, The Guardian: U.S. bombs dropped during pilot rescue may have injured civilians

9.59pm:

Tom Kington, who is on board the USS Kearsarge in the Mediterranean, has filed an update for the Guardian which clarifies the circumstances in which a number of villagers were injured during the extraction of a downed US air crew on Monday night:

A US military spokesman has said that American Harrier jump jets dropped two bombs in Libya on Monday close to where a US pilot parachuted to the ground after his jet suffered a mechanical failure.

Reports from Libya on Tuesday claimed that a US helicopter arriving to rescue the F-15E pilot near Benghazi fired on locals, injuring six.

The spokesman denied those reports, but he later conceded on Tuesday that two Harrier aircraft on the scene had dropped two 500lb laser guided bombs on armoured vehicles seen near the downed pilot.

"We did drop two GPU bombs to defend the pilot," said Captain Richard Ulsh. "There were armoured vehicles in the area, close to him, enough to be a threat."

Ulce said he could not confirm reports that the strike had been called in by the downed pilot.

"I know the vehicles were spotted by the Harrier pilots. They did a show of force, flying very low, but the vehicles continued on their path. The pilots got permission to strike because they believed they were endangering our pilot."

The Harriers flew to the scene from the USS Kearsarge off the Libyan coast. Two Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were also dispatched from the Kearsarge to pick up the pilot and returned him to the vessel where he is now being given medical treatment.

Early reports claimed those helicopters fired on locals, but Ulsh said there had been no gun fire, suggesting the Libyans may have been injured by the bomb blasts.

A second crew member who ejected was rescued by Libyans and later handed over to US officials.

"The two Ospreys went after the pilot because we had a fix on him. We did not have instructions to go after the other crew member," said Ulsh. "It must have been felt he was safe."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-live-updates

[tabatha]

108. Perditta (Mo's wife) holding up the fort.

perditta: that the Lijan werent men only
perditta: but Women as well
perditta: they were driving in cars and shooting
perditta: and they were and still are knocking on homes asking for shelter pretending they are refugees and then they shoot the family once they enter
perditta: , also there are from time to time snipers on top of buidling shooting at civilians
perditta: alot of confrontations took place between our brave men and the Lijan on sunday
perditta: and alot from the lijan got killed and captured
perditta: and thats how it has been going on since , we r after the Lijan and we wont stop untill we get them all
perditta: the randon shooters and the snipers have been trying to hide but they wont be able to for long .........
perditta: so its getting more quit and safe again in the streets
perditta: but we have soo many check points now every where to ensure security

http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb

[pinboy3niner]

109. America believes Gaddafi may be exploring exile option--Hillary Clinton

22.08

Col Gaddafi may have just appeared publicly in front of frenzied supporters, but Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, has said America believes he may be exploring the option of exile, according to ABC.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

Clinton told ABC:

We've heard about... people close to him reaching out to people that they know around the world - Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond - saying 'What do we do? How do we get out of this?'

A lot of it is just the way he behaves. It's somewhat unpredictable. But some of it, we think, is exploring. You know, 'What are my options, where could I go, what could I do'. And we would encourage that.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[tabatha]

110. deleted

[pinboy3niner]

113. Libya: Six injured as US team botches rescue of downed airmen

Source: The Guardian

Libya: Six injured as US team botches rescue of downed airmen


Libyans said US helicopter came in with guns firing, creating panic and wounding onlookers after F-15E Strike Eagle crash


Ewen MacAskill in Washington, Tom Kington on USS Kearsarge and Chris McGreal on the outskirts of Ajdabiya

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 March 2011 21.25 GMT




Libyans inspect the remains of a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that crashed due to a suspected malfunction. Photograph: Sean Smith for the Guardian


US forces sent into Libya to rescue two downed American airmen botched the mission by shooting and wounding friendly villagers who had come to help, witnesses have said.

Libyans who went to investigate the US warplane's crash site said that a US helicopter had come in with guns firing, creating panic and wounding onlookers, some of whom had to be taken to hospital; one 20-year-old man is expected to have his leg amputated.

...


"We consider that whoever is shot down or a prisoner of war, we should save him and hand him over," he told Hilsum from his hospital bed. "But another plane shot at me and Hamdy, my son. I have shrapnel in my hand."Hospital staff said that Hamdy, aged 20, wa s having an operation to amputate his leg.

"Why did this happen? My car is destroyed, my home is damaged. We would have just picked the second pilot up and put him wherever he wanted in a safe place. Even the other one, we had a celebration for him," Abdul Ati said.

...


Admiral Samuel Locklear, the US commander co-ordinating coalition operations from aboard USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean, declined to deny that the marines had opened fire.


More details at link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/libya-downed-airmen-rescue

[tabatha]

114. Direct from Misratah

01:30 DIRECT from Misratah The revolutionaries have launched an attack on the remaining Gaddafi forces in Tripoli Street right now

01:11 Direct from Misratah: Gaddafi’s forces which are stationed in the square near the Central Hospital have been targeted with air strikes. The fighter jets are still flying above Misratah

01:02 Direct from Misratah Sounds of fighter jets can be heard over the skies of Misratah right now, and the noise of explosions is also audible but residents are unable to pinpoint its exact source.

00:43 Reuters Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his allies may be exploring exile options, although it is unclear if he would seriously contemplate stepping aside, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday.

“Some of it is theater,” Clinton told ABC News in an interview, saying the United States was aware of people reaching out “allegedly on Gaddafi’s behalf” to try to assess their options.

“A lot of it is just the way he behaves. It’s somewhat unpredictable. But some of it, we think, is exploring. You know, what are my options, where could I go, what could I do. And we would encourage that,” she said.

23:46 Al Jazeera Arabic At last, a coordinating council has been formed between the Revolutionary brigades and the defected Army battalions. This council will ensure that all military action is coordinated for maximum effectiveness.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/

[pinboy3niner]

115. UN to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to eastern Libya Wednesday

12:49am

The UN is preparing to bring more aid into Libya. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards says the agency will send truckloads of goods to Benghazi on Wednesday, including 5,000 blankets and 5,000 sleeping mats.

"Providing humanitarian assistance under current circumstances is very challenging," he said."There are reported shortages of medical supplies and basic commodities in the eastern part of the country, with prices having increased dramatically."

The UN World Food Programme plans to move 19 tons of lentils and 11 tons of vegetable oil in the next two days from Egypt into eastern Libya


http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23

[tabatha]

116. deleted

[pinboy3niner]

117. See Post #106 :)

We've been following the story in the thread all day, beginning with Post #52.

[pinboy3niner]

118. US VP Biden phones UAE Crown Prince to discuss Libya efforts

23.31

After David Cameron and the Saudi foreign minister held a discussion on Libya earlier, Joe Biden, the US vice president, has telephoned the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates to discuss "the importance of the unified international effort under way", the White House has said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html

[pinboy3niner]

119. EXCELLENT account from Egyptian cardiologist who met downed American airman:

The Daily Beast has an excellent account <link below> from an Egyptian cardiologist who met one of the downed American airmen after he was rescued by rebel forces and taken to the Fadeel Hotel in Benghazi.

Dina Omar, 30, was in the hotel internet cafe when she was told by staff he had arrived, and went to visit him with two Egyptian medical volunteers.

The pilot initially refused offers of coffee and panadol, but later accepted some painkillers after seeing Ms Omar take some from the same pack and opened up:

He was feeling insecure and unsafe...He did not talk much. After two hours, he started to speak and started to smile.

Rebel officials reportedly brought him a bunch of flowers, and Ms Omar took him to the internet cafe to try and help him contact his family using Skype. When that did not work, someone brought him a satellite phone, which he used to call his family. He left in a civilian car early this morning.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html



Daily Beast story here:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-22/us-plane-crashes-in-libya-new-details/?om_rid=Dg8WXR&om_mid=_BNiPewB8Z0lZVL#

[bobbolink]

125. Greeted with flowers...

[pinboy3niner]

120. Interesting...Gaddafi's 'live' televised address today may not have been live, after all

Nice catch by Anita McNaught. :thumbsup:

1:07am

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught in Tripoli says Gaddafi's televised address may not have been broadcast live as state TV runs a lot of recycled material, and no busloads of foreign journalists were brought to his palace to witness the event.


http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23

[pinboy3niner]

122. President Obama weill cut short his trip by 2 hrs to meet w/ security team on Libya nt

[pinboy3niner]

123. President Obama reiterates: US will hand off control of Libya operations within days

11.30pm:

Airstrikes on Libya will soon achieve the objectives of establishing a no-fly zone and averting a massacre of civilians by Muammar Gaddafi's troops, US President Barack Obama has said in a press conference as he nears the end of his tour of Latin America.

Despite squabbling among allies, he reiterated that the US will hand off control of the operation to other countries within days, adding: "When this transition takes place, it is not going to be our planes that are maintaining the no-fly zone. It is not going to be our ships that are necessarily enforcing the arms embargo. That's precisely what the other nations are going to do."

Speaking at a news conference in El Salvador, he said he has "absolutely no doubt" that a non-US command entity can run the operation.




US President Barack Obama is briefed on the situation in Libya during a secure conference call today in the company of National Security Advisor Tom Donilon (R) and Chief of Staff Bill Daley (L) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Credit: The White House/Getty Images



The president said that Nato, which is the most obvious candidate to take on the role, was meeting to "work out some of the mechanisms."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-live-updates

[pinboy3niner]

124. Secretary Clinton: Evidence for rumors of Gaddafi sons' deaths 'not sufficient'

2:10am

Four a couple of days, rumours have floated around that one, maybe two, of Gaddafi's seven sons have been killed.

When US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked by ABC News if she could confirm the reports, she said: "I can’t confirm it, but we’ve heard it, and we’ve heard a lot.

"We hear it from many different sources, and I – that’s why I can’t confirm it. I can’t give any confirmation because the evidence is not sufficient."

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-23

[pinboy3niner]

126. Split on Libya averted as Nato given military control

Source: The Guardian

Split on Libya averted as Nato given military control


International coalition including Qatar and United Arab Emirates to share oversight of UN-mandated anti-Gaddafi campaign


Nicholas Watt, Ian Traynor in Brussels, Nick Hopkins and Kim Willsher in Paris The Guardian, Wednesday 23 March 2011


...


The diplomats are now looking to Bosnia which was famously failed by the European Union in the mid 1990s. The EU finally redeemed itself when it assumed command from Nato of the peace keeping operation in Bosnia in 2004. The EU force, known as Eufor, has been in the lead ever since but is able to draw on Nato assets when needed.

In separate phone calls Tuesday night Barack Obama agreed with David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy that a similar structure would be established to run the no-fly zone over Libya.

Political oversight would be in the hands of members of the international coalition joining the action to enforce the UN security council resolution 1973. Britain, France and the US are in the lead, but the coalition also includes Arab countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. This oversight would be akin to the EU's role in Bosnia.

But the military campaign to enforce the no-fly zone would be run by Nato. This could mean that James Stavridis, an American admiral who is Nato's current Supreme Allied Commander Europe, could be in charge of the military operation.

The agreement by Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron will have to be put to all 28 members of Nato. The alliance operates by consensus which means that a raised eyebrow could scupper the plan.


MORE:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/us-nato-libya-operation-infighting

[Iterate]

142. Did you read that last paragraph?

"One observer..."

[pinboy3niner]

144. Yeah, I thought that was really funy!

I wish I could have included more paragraphs. Maybe that paragraph alone would make a good OP! :rofl:

:hi:

[Iterate]

145. I think you're right,

but maybe when the timing is better. I thought for a while this thread would become the Misurata holdout. I could happen still.

[joshcryer]

127. OMG pinboy3niner you're a hero, sorry for being very late getting day 34 up, working on it now!

Take a break man! Jesus!

[pinboy3niner]

128. Libya: air strikes move from 'static' to 'dynamic' targets

Source: The Guardian

Libya: air strikes move from 'static' to 'dynamic' targets


Surveillance planes are now seeking 'dynamic' targets in Libya such as tanks, anti-aircraft guns and radar


Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 March 2011 21.40 GMT


...


Defence officials suggested that they were already running out of targets and British and other forces were conducting "battle damage assessments".

The initial attacks were directed at such "static" targets as Libya's military command and control centres, air defence installations and air bases.

Surveillance planes are now seeking what officials call "dynamic" targets – mobile equipment including tanks, anti-aircraft guns and radar.

Tornados and Eurofighter/Typhoons – not equipped for ground attack, but only for air-to-air combat and unlikely to participate in a hostile act – were flying over Libya late on Monday before returning to their new forward base at Gioia del Colle in southern Italy.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/libya-air-strikes-dynamic-targets

[pinboy3niner]

130. Libya Crisis Thrusts U.S. Africa Command Into Leadership Role

Source: New York Times

Libya Crisis Thrusts U.S. Africa Command Into Leadership Role

By ERIC SCHMITT
Published: March 22, 2011



WASHINGTON — When the United States Africa Command was created four years ago, it was the military’s first “smart power” command. It has no assigned troops and no headquarters in Africa itself, and one of its two top deputies is a seasoned American diplomat.

Indeed, the command, known as Africom, is intended largely to train and assist the armed forces of 53 African nations and to work with the State Department and other American agencies to strengthen social, political and economic programs in the region, including improving H.I.V. awareness in African militaries and removing land mines.

Now the young, untested command and its new boss, Gen. Carter F. Ham, find themselves at their headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, setting aside public diplomacy talks and other civilian-military duties to lead the initial phase of a complex, multinational shooting war with Libya.

“Are they up to the task?” said Kenneth J. Menkhaus, an Africa specialist at Davidson College in North Carolina. “So far, I’d say yes. Down the road, though, if it gets messier, it’ll test the capacity of Africom. This is certainly a baptism by fire.”


MORE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23command.html

[bobbolink]

131. I didn't know this. Thanks, pinboy.... I appreciate you bringing all this to us!

:yourock:

[pinboy3niner]

134. Thanks for the nudge, bobbo

After seeing your reply, I posted it as an OP in GD.

:hi:

[bobbolink]

135. I saw that and gave it the requisite K and comment. ^_^

I hesitated saying that I didn't know about it.... I am so damned tired of attacks for everything I utter.

I actually feel safest on these threads.... so you are damned stuck with me.

"No good deed goes unpunished." :rofl:

I don't know how you are doing all of this, but just know that I deeply appreciate it. You all have opened up a whole new world for me... I have now met the Egyptians and the Libyans, and that is a real gift to me.

teary thanks...

B.

[pinboy3niner]

132. AFP: 3 journos held by Libya--2 AFP employees and a getty photog--have been released

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[bobbolink]

133. Great news... thanks... we needed some bright spots!

:bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[pinboy3niner]

136. JOSH, YOU CAN TAKE THIS JOB AND...

...handle it for a while, would you? I need a break for a while. :hi:

[bobbolink]

137. Job well done, pinboy!

:applause: :toast: :applause:

[pinboy3niner]

138. Another day, another dollar, bobbo...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[bobbolink]

139. Oh, shit.. we're gonna sing a hymn and take up the collection......

:hide:

[tabatha]

140. That was one awesome job.

You were right on top of things to the nearest 5 mins.
I had to delete twice!

[pinboy3niner]

141. Polls Finds Bipartisan Support for Libya Campaign

March 22, 2011, 6:30 pm

Polls Finds Bipartisan Support for Libya Campaign


By MARJORIE CONNELLY

...


The public is more positive on balance about Mr. Obama’s response to the situation in Libya. Fifty percent approve and 29 percent disapprove. Republicans, who are generally negative about Mr. Obama’s job performance, are evenly split in their review of his handling of Libya: 43 percent approve and 41 percent disapprove. Two-thirds of Democrats approve, and independents are divided (43 percent to 32 percent).

Opinion about Mr. Obama’s handling of the situation in Libya improved slightly after the military campaign began. Forty-five percent of those interviewed on Friday and Saturday approved of how the president was dealing with Libya. The United States and its European allies began its attack on Libya on Saturday afternoon. A majority, 54 percent, of those interviewed on Sunday and Monday approved of Mr. Obama’s handling of the circumstances in Libya.

The opinion of Republicans and Democrats did not change after the attack started. Yet even though less than a third of independents approved of Mr. Obama’s handling of Libya before the attack, more than half did after the missile strikes began.

...


There is no partisan disagreement when it comes to the military operation itself: 70 percent of both Republicans and Democrats and 65 percent of independents approve of the missile and airstrikes. Three-quarters of the public think the campaign to enforce a no-fly zone authorized by the United Nations Security Council will be effective, but only 20 percent expect it to be very effective in protecting civilians and rebels from Colonel Qaddafi’s forces.


The nationwide telephone poll was conducted Friday through Monday with 1,022 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Results about the airstrikes in Libya are based on questions asked Sunday and Monday of 622 adults and have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.



http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/polls-finds-bipartisan-support-for-libya-campaign/?partner=rss&emc=rss

[joshcryer]

143. Day 34 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x720880

So sorry for being late today, I had to edit images and had some other stuff I had to attend to. :(