Libyan Revolution Day 56

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14">AJE Live Blog April 14 (today) http://blogs.aljazeera.net/twitter-dashboard">AJE Twitter Dashboard http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/libya">The Guardian http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/">Telegraph 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=439x877949">Day 55 here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixwx_B38678">Marching On in Libya, for the revolutionaries!

A rebel fighter passes along a road near a checkpoint

Photograph: The Guardian

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2011/0413/US-resists-pressure-from-Europe-s-hawks-to-boost-role-in-Libya-fight">US resists pressure from Europe's hawks to boost role in Libya fight
Some of the planes the US pulled out of the campaign after the initial week of bombing are the kind of low-flying, precision fighters the NATO mission needs as Qaddafi shifts to fighting with tanks and artillery, say some military analysts.

But the US is showing no signs of yielding to pressure to return to a front-row role in Libya.

At the Pentagon on Tuesday, spokesman Col. David Lapan said the 28-member NATO alliance had not made any request to the US to resume its participation in the bombing mission in Libya. At the State Department, spokesman Mark Toner said the US would “help out if requested in other capacities” but added that the US role “has receded.”

The White House is keen on sticking to the subordinate role for several reasons, analysts say. President Obama wants to avoid the image of an America leading a third war in a Muslim country, for one thing. He also sees Libya as more of an European interest, given its proximity and economic ties to Europe. With the US role in Libya already having cost more than $600 million, according to the Pentagon, Mr. Obama sees a budgetary reason to limit it, analysts say.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hM3VyhXoC_FSqRRycYTOeByAn6tg?docId=CNG.02e59dd6cb2c6353408522f79d0dd27f.31">US says fighters still bombing Libya air defenses
WASHINGTON — US fighter jets are still carrying out bombing raids on Libya's air defenses, the Pentagon said Wednesday, days after indicating American combat aircraft had withdrawn from NATO operations.

US warplanes have attacked air defense targets three times since April 4, when NATO assumed command of the air campaign, spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said in a statement.

US military officials had previously said about 50 combat jets had been pulled back after the handover to NATO, and that air strikes would be carried out by allies while the United States would provide refueling and surveillance aircraft.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/13/libya-receives-boost-international-community">Libyan rebels receive boost of support from international community
Muammar Gaddafi's regime has "lost all legitimacy" and he must leave power to allow the Libyan people to determine their own future, the international community warned as it boosted support for opposition forces.

After three weeks of Nato-led air strikes, Arab and western ministers meeting in Qatar closed ranks to issue a first unanimous call for Gaddafi to step down, boasting that they were "united and firm in their resolve" about the outcome of the crisis – or, at least, more than they were at the London conference late last month.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=428280&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16">Doha meeting backs aid to Libyan people
At a joint news conference with the British Foreign Secretary William Hague and the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani explained that assistance meant extending all the requirements for which they are in dire need, including the need for self-defence, and other humanitarian aid.

“The important message of the meeting is that Gaddafi has to resort to wisdom and step down, and those around him should advise him to give prime priority to the interests of the Libyan people and to leave the Libyan people to determine their own destiny,” HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said.

He noted that the policy of Qatar and HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani was clear, notably always to extend support to Arab brethren.

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

Video of the convoy sent to take Benghazi, taken from a dead soliders cell phone (shows how massive the operation was): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwWwOeZqz6M

Sky News went with Gaddafi minders to find a "civilian town bombed" only they were never shown any such thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O5KJavfiQo

TNC presser talking about various details of the revolution (thanks to Waiting for Everyone): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=730234&mesg_id=731532

Topic on the women of the revolution, dispels myths that they are treated poorly: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x594751

Videos to bring the Libyan Revolution into context:

The Battle of Benghazi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0vChMDuNd0

BBC Panorama on Libya Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyaPnMnpCAA

BBC Panorama on Libya Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMzwQvcx62s

Tea of Freedom Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD5tu5bJWKc

Latest indiscriminate shelling in Misurata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wop3C4zrPXI

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 Norway: http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFOSN00509220110318">Norway to join military intervention in Libya 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 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 Denmark: http://www.cphpost.dk/news/international/89-international/51229-denmark-ready-for-action-against-gaddafi.html">Denmark ready for action against Gaddafi France: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19libya.html?src=twrhp">Following U.N. Vote, France Vows Libya Action ‘Soon’ Italy: http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE72G2HE20110317">Italy to make bases available for Libya no-fly zone-source United Kingdom: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12770467">Libya: UK forces prepare after UN no-fly zone vote 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 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' Spain: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/03/19/2801s627320.htm">Spain Expected to Join NATO No-fly Zone Enforcement over Libya

"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://jenkinsear.com/2011/03/19/a-legal-war-the-united-nations-participation-act-and-libya/">A Legal War: The United Nations Participation Act and Libya
The above link is to an overview of why Obama's implementation of the NFZ and R2P is perfectly legal under the law. I will not post it entirely here, however, all objections come down to the misinformed position that Obama, by using forces in Libya, was invoking Article 43 of the United Nations. This is wrong. Obama invoked Article 42, which does not require congressional approval to implement. Proof of this is that Article 43 has http://www.un.org/en/sc/repertoire/actions.shtml#rel5">never been used.

It goes like this: The US law (Title 22, Chap. 7, Subchap. XIV § 287d) grants the President the right to invoke UN Article 42 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode22/usc_sec_22_00000287---d000-.html">without authorization, the War Powers Act (Title 50, Chap. 33 § 1541) grants the President permission to act without authorization under http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/50/1541–1548.html">"specific statutory authorization" which, by definition, is what 287d does. § 1543 of the War Powers Act requires the President to report to Congress, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/obama_explains_libya_mission_to_congress/2011/03/03/ABU9377_blog.html">which he did. One can argue all day and night about the legality of the War Powers Act, doesn't change the fact that under the law as it is written, the President acted within the law.

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://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2011/03/2011328194855872276.html">Libyan Karzai? Chalabi? Forget it
Fortunately, the Council wasn't made-in-the-USA or manufactured by another foreign power. Rather it came into existence, a month ago, at Libyans' own initiative, soon after the winds of revolutionary change blew Libya's way, and after its people rose to the occasion with pride and courage.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/03/31/getting_libyas_rebels_wrong">Getting Libya's Rebels Wrong
Don't buy Qaddafi's line: The rebels aren't al Qaeda.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/04/04/110404taco_talk_anderson#ixzz1HvS7iW22">Who Are the Rebels?
During weeks of reporting in Benghazi and along the chaotic, shifting front line, I’ve spent a great deal of time with these volunteers. The hard core of the fighters has been the shabab—the young people whose protests in mid-February sparked the uprising. They range from street toughs to university students (many in computer science, engineering, or medicine), and have been joined by unemployed hipsters and middle-aged mechanics, merchants, and storekeepers. There is a contingent of workers for foreign companies: oil and maritime engineers, construction supervisors, translators. There are former soldiers, their gunstocks painted red, green, and black—the suddenly ubiquitous colors of the pre-Qaddafi Libyan flag.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/29/vision-democratic-libya-interim-national-council">A vision of a democratic Libya
The interim national council, formed by opposition groups in Libya, has said it will hold free and fair elections and draft a national constitution. Here is its eight-point plan in full.

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'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

Mo leaves behind a wife who is with child, she had http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/23/a_bright_voice_from_libyas_darkness">this to say about the No Fly Zone and R2P UN resolution:

We started this in a pure way, but he turned it bloody. Thousands of our men, women, and children have died. We just wanted our freedom, that's all we wanted, we didn't want power. Before, we could not do a single thing if it was not the way he wanted it. All we wanted was freedom. All we wanted was to be free. We have paid with our blood, with our families, with our men, and we're not going to give up. We are still going to do that no matter what it takes, but we need help. We want to do this ourselves, but we don't have the weapons, the technology, the things we need. I don't want anyone to say that Libya got liberated by anybody else. If NATO didn't start moving when they did, I assure you, I assure you, half of Benghazi if not more would have been killed. If they stop helping us, we are going to be all killed because he has no mercy anymore.

[joshcryer]

1. Current time in Libya, 3:14am Thursday, April 14

[joshcryer]

2. Pentagon officials disclosed that American fighter jets have continued airstrikes in Libya

1:31am Pentagon officials disclosed that American fighter jets have continued airstrikes in Libya even after the US turned over the mission to NATO last week.

The revelation that Americans have flown 35 per cent of all air missions over the past 10 days came even as their allies complain that the US military should be doing more.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14#update-26096

:rofl:

Funny spin by Al Jazeera.

[joshcryer]

3. EXCLUSIVE: ITV News goes inside Misrata's war zone to uncover a humanitarian crisis (MUST SEE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XMbnBhpi2Q

I'm continually amazed by these guys coming back to Libya to fight knowing that it'll probably mean their certain death.

[defendandprotect]

45. K/R

[tabatha]

4. The Libya Stalemate

NATO's internal debate over Libya has now broken into public view, with Britain and France publicly blaming other members for the slow pace of the bombing campaign. The Brits and French are right, but the real problem here is a military intervention with half-hearted U.S. involvement and incompatible goals. Moammar Gadhafi must be smiling at his luck.

The U.N. Security Council last month approved a no-fly zone and air strikes for the humanitarian purpose of stopping assaults on rebel forces and civilians in Benghazi and other cities. The U.S., Britain and France still say their other goal is to topple Gadhafi, but the refusal of the NATO-led coalition to make his ouster central to the military effort has only made Gadhafi more likely to resist. International support is already flagging, with growing calls for a cease-fire, and Gadhafi has reason to doubt the West has the will to bomb indefinitely.

Gadhafi's forces have already changed their military tactics to avoid NATO air power, using trucks of the kind the rebels use and fighting near civilians. The Brother Leader and his sons have little to lose, knowing that their alternative to fighting is a ticket to the International Criminal Court.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704529204576256842836936566.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

After 3-4 weeks, it is a stalemate in a limited exercise in Libya, but how about years and years and years in Iraq and Afghanistan?

[pinboy3niner]

5. K&R

:hi:

[joshcryer]

6. Get a nap pinboy3niner!

That's an order!

[pinboy3niner]

9. Yes, Sir!

Actually, I'm still wound up. Now, hanging around the thread is okay--as long as I don't have to do all the work of scrounging for news to post.

So, as I wind down, I'll still be around for a little while before I crash.

Good to see you back, Josh--hope you're doing okay. I know the other stuff can be an emotional roller coaster--which is one reason why I stick to these threads and don't go off tilting at windmills, as bobbolink put it. Not that tilting is a bad thing. (I'll have to look up something that is a fave of mine on that and post it here OT.)

[joshcryer]

10. Yeah, I'm sorry for being neglectful.

I got wound up in that copyright thread but it looks like it's dying off now (if not about to be locked), so I'm paying more attention today. Please don't let this consume you though, we got weeks if not months to go, it's really just starting here. :hug:

[pinboy3niner]

15. We both need to take care of ourselves

It is a hell of a lot of work--good thing we're being paid so well for it! :)

Yes, it's consuming, too. As it must be for those who are in the thick of it in Libya. I count my blessings...


:hug:

[tabatha]

16. Yes, counting blessings

exact terminology I used on my blog this weekend after a neat walk, even though my day job extracts blood.

Stay well, pinboy3niner, and thanks for your extraordinary news gathering !

[mariposalily]

34. thanks to you, Josh and Pinboy

I have been a silent reader -reading avidly, day and night,
and I'm so very grateful for what you are doing there.  I'm
not very computer literate and would have a hard time
gathering info.  So glad I can find it all in one place - and
also that you keep the discussion decent - as far as possible.
Thank you both, and Tabatha too.

[pinboy3niner]

12. Found it (OT post):

ALDONZA
Why do you do these things?

DON QUIXOTE
What things?

ALDONZA
These ridiculous... the things you do!

DON QUIXOTE
I hope to add some measure of grace to the world.

ALDONZA
The world's a dung heap and we are maggots that crawl on it!

DON QUIXOTE
My Lady knows better in her heart.

ALDONZA
What's in my heart will get me halfway to hell.
And you, Se�or Don Quixote-you're going to take
such a beating!

DON QUIXOTE
Whether I win or lose does not matter.

ALDONZA
What does?

DON QUIXOTE
Only that I follow the quest.

ALDONZA
(spits)
That for your Quest!
(turns, marches away; stops, turns bock
and asks, awkwardly)
What does that mean... quest?

DON QUIXOTE
It is the mission of each true knight...
His duty... nay, his privilege!
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go;
To right the unrightable wrong.

To love, pure and chaste, from afar,
To try, when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star!

This is my Quest to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far,
To fight for the right
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause!

And I know, if I'll only be true
To this glorious Quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest.

And the world will be better for this,
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach the unreachable stars!

[MedleyMisty]

19. That really speaks to me

Found it on here and quoted it in a post on my forum.

I think it applies to most of us in this thread, huh?

[pinboy3niner]

30. It applies for us, but it's mostly about lost causes...

...and none of us would consider this a lost cause.

I posted this once, and thought that would be it. There wouldn't be occasion to post it again. Yet this, now, is the fourth time I've posted it. It looks like I may have to keep it handy...

[defendandprotect]

37. k/r --

[tabatha]

7. Libya's child traffic cops

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13069330

Trying to manage the traffic in Benghazi, Libya can be a difficult job - not least when you are a child. But that is exactly what Islam Mohammed Abdulsalam, 14, has to contend with when he puts on his uniform and takes to the streets as a volunteer traffic cop.

Islam has been part of an organisation called Friends of Benghazi Traffic Police since it was set up in 2004 - when he was just six years old. It was established to improve road safety in the city, after an alarming number of accidents, and also helps paraplegic victims of road incidents.

The organisation aims to educate and give support to Benhgazi's traffic police, and the child volunteers that have been involved from the outset are usually seen after school.

Islam works each day from 4pm until 9pm. Due to the current unrest, the city's schools are closed so the children are more conspicuously present on the streets.

[joshcryer]

8. Is he the same kid in the Marchin' On video?

[tabatha]

11. I just checked.

I could not tell (you have a good memory, it was very fleeting).

The so called "rats" of Libya continue to impress - they seem smart and very community oriented and well adjusted.

I do like the way they vent their stress - as in the urban warfare clip - very vocal and supportive of each other. That would have been funny if not so tragic.

Great people - they have to win.

[joshcryer]

14. I don't think it's the same kid but I spotted several kids his age.

I think this is the sort of thing a lot of kids want to do to keep them busy in this time of strife. It's heartening that the traffic admin. gave them uniforms and is supporting them. Remember, 33% of all of Libya is 14 and under. They will be the future of Libya.

[joshcryer]

13. Libya contact group meets in Doha as fighting continues (closed now, but worth posting)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/apr/13/libya-contact-group-meets-doha-live-coverage">Libya contact group meets in Doha as fighting continues - live coverage
• The Doha meeting of the Libya contact group comprising European powers, the United States, Middle East countries and a number of international organisations has agreed to set up a "temporary funding mechanism" for the anti-Gaddafi rebels in Libya. The group called on Muammar Gaddafi to step down. (See 3.54pm).

• William Hague, the UK foreign secretary, called on other countries to send more ground strike aircraft "in order to protect civilians" (see 11.45am).

• There are reports of two loud explosions in Tripoli. A witness told the Associated Press news agency that the blasts struck near the airport, where Gaddafi has military camps and forces encircling the capital. The explosions could be Nato airstrikes on targets held by Gaddafi, speculated AP.

• In Yemen, six people were killed in anti-regime protests (see 4.06pm). In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, the former president, and his two sons, have been detained for 15 days over allegations of corruption and abuse (click here for the full story). In Syria, hundreds of women and children blocked a coastal highway to protest against the arrest of dozens of people from nearby villages in the ongoing crackdown there (see here).

[joshcryer]

17. Pic from AJE:

:puke:

[joshcryer]

18. Yes, Saif is a Gaddafi. But there's still a real reformer inside

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/13/saif-gaddafi-real-reformer-inside">Yes, Saif is a Gaddafi. But there's still a real reformer inside
The understandable but overwrought attacks on Saif Gaddafi that followed his embrace of his father, clan and regime in Tripoli at the start of the uprising, have made it extremely difficult to pursue a diplomatic track in Libya. Those of us who suggested six weeks ago that Muammar Gaddafi would be hard to topple, that the more likely outcome of the uprising would be a protracted civil and tribal war and a stalemate costly in human lives were dismissed as somehow wishing for the outcomes we predicted. Yet our predictions have turned out to be far more accurate than those of the exuberant naifs who insisted Tripoli was Cairo all over again and that democracy was at hand.

Now that the fantasy expectations are gone, and it has become apparent that there are serious fissures in the Gaddafi clan itself, now that South Africa's President Zuma is pursuing a peaceful solution and the French war party has calmed down, there is an opening. But it depends on engaging Saif Gaddafi – and recognising that there will not be a military solution to the conflict, and a partition of Libya into a pre-1934 Cyrenaica and Tripolitania is neither feasible nor desirable.

Can't believe I'm posting this. :puke:

[pinboy3niner]

20. Probably best not to post that kind of propaganda nt

[MedleyMisty]

25. Reeks of intellectual superiority

Oh, you silly little emotional idealists, my rarefied superior cynicism will win!

I'd be way more willing to listen to these people if they showed any signs of actually seeing the Libyans as real breathing people. But well...

I worked drive-thru at a fast food place for four years. Some of the customers were mean and hateful. Some were really nice and cool and really saw me a person.

To most of them, I was nothing. I didn't show up on their radar at all. And I get the feeling that's how these cynical "intellectuals" see the Libyans - or more accurately *don't* see the Libyans.

[tabatha]

28. Yes, there are many people who look at

others as something different - not of their ilk. It happens all over the world, in every country.

[joshcryer]

32. That's a sobering thought.

I try my best to be friendly to service industry people. They're the life blood of society.

[tabatha]

27. Venezuela.

[CJvR]

92. Whoa!

That's the latest from Chavezistan?

[Turborama]

131. Oops! Self edit due to question already having been answered by tabatha.

:hi:

[MedleyMisty]

21. Are you guys doing the solidarity fast tomorrow?

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210428488986656&index=1

I've seen plenty of tweets about it and about mass protests Friday - the TNC even mentioned it and said they supported the youth's plans.

I replied to some of the tweeps and said I'd participate even though I'm not religious, because I'm human and I support them. Got a few retweets and felt all special. :)

[tabatha]

22. Tales from the front: A Libyan rebel speaks

Sporting a crisp well-tailored grey suit and pink tie, Hamis Mohamed Zuwei looks more like an aspiring banker than a Libyan pro-democracy fighter who took a bullet for the cause.

Limping with crutches into the security office of a Qatari hospital where he has been recovering for the last two weeks from a bullet wound in the leg and shrapnel injuries, Zuwei only wanted to talk about one thing: revolution.

"We are just a group of young people seeking freedom without being organised," Zuwei, 26, says during an interview at the hospital. "We don’t have any military experience; the only objective is to topple Gaddafi."

Less than a dozen injured rebels are receiving medical care in Qatar, after they were airlifted out by a plane delivering aid, he says.

Before the rebellion, Zuwei worked as an administrator in a government office, earning about $170 per month. He never considered himself an activist. "I was only motivated when I saw innocent people being shot dead," he says. "I joined other young people to defend myself and others from Gaddafi."



http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/04/20114922636100124.html

[joshcryer]

24. Good find.

:hug:

[joshcryer]

23. Gaddafi has no future in governing Libya

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/13/libya-contact-group-sanctions-gaddafi">Gaddafi has no future in governing Libya
Further sanctions could be imposed on Libya at the Doha conference, the foreign secretary, William Hague, has signalled, insisting that Colonel Gaddafi and his regime have become "pariahs in the world" and have no future in governing the country.

With no immediate prospect that the Libyan leader is preparing to surrender, Hague suggested sanctions could be ramped up to force Gaddafi out as he prepared to co-host the conference on Libya in the Qatari capital.

The UN, Arab League and EU will all be represented – as will France, Italy, Germany, Turkey and others – at a gathering billed as a follow-up by the "contact group" formed after the London conference on Libya last month.

Wednesday's conference is expected to be dominated by the rejection by the Libyan opposition of the African Union plan for a ceasefire and talks on a transition period with Gaddafi and his family staying in place – a position unacceptable to the opposition in Benghazi.

[tabatha]

26. Clinton cites atrocities by Gaddafi forces

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, says the US is receiving disturbing reports of new atrocities by Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya.

Gaddafi regime militias and mercenaries have fired mortar and artillery rounds into residential areas in Misurata, Clinton said in a statement on Wednesday.

She said that Gaddafi’s forces destroyed food warehouses and cut off water and power to the contested city in an apparent attempt to starve the people into submission.

Snipers targeted people seeking medical attention, she said, and thousands were being forced from their homes by tanks.

Calling for the attacks on civilians to stop, Clinton reaffirmed that the US was documenting atrocities committed by Gaddafi's forces so that those responsible could be held accountable.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/201141401242336763.html

[defendandprotect]

36. K/R --- Hello !!!

Couldn't find a link to you last night for a last check --

Nor earlier today!!!

[tabatha]

40. Hi ! hope all is well.

Link? did I forget something?

[defendandprotect]

47. Catching up with day 55 and 56 --

but I lost the link to this thread -- my fault!

I always go back to "My DU" to find a link to the Libyan Rev thread --

cause often it's not prominent in GD --

but last night, I had made so many posts that all my Libyan connections were

gone -- covered over by new posts --

and so I couldn't connect for a last look before going to bed --

and this morning didn't see the thread up, either!!

I try to keep it kicked during the day -- but was out the other day --

Just now trying to catch up -- seems quiet today -- am I wrong?

What's really going on?

:)

[tabatha]

51. OK, I understand about the link.

That is how I get to this page, too, via My DU. That is why I like to post at least once on each thread.

Btw, on every Libyan page, the previous page link is at the top in the OP, and the next page link is close to the last post.

I think it is quiet because the news is somewhat quiet - Pinboy spends a lot of the day searching for news, so it should all be on the pages.

There needs to be some sort of tactical change soon. I hope they have something in mind.

[defendandprotect]

55. Sad to say that ....

I've been happy to hear that NATO has been more active with bombing --

and did something happen somewhere near his compound?

Though I heard that --

What of the French criticism of NATO a day or so ago --

Now seems they teamed up with someone else to dull the criticism but

nonetheless still try to move NATO to greater activity/results?

[tabatha]

29. Human cost of Libya battle rises

There are growing concerns in Libya that the battle has reached a stalemate, and many are calling for NATO to do more.

As the fighting continues, African Union (AU) leaders say they are determined to end the fighting and have met with both Muammar Gaddafi and rebel leaders.

The European Union has sent out an appeal to Gaddafi supporters, asking them to join the democracy movement in the country.

But with no signs of an immediate ceasefire, the human cost of the battle continues to rise.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid spoke to some of the relatives of the young men who have been killed.

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/04/201141343021655681.html

(Impressed with Hoda Abdel Hamid)

[joshcryer]

31. Libya contact group discusses funds for opposition

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/13/libya-contact-group-funds-opposition">Libya contact group discusses funds for opposition
Arab and western leaders are discussing creating an international fund to help the Libyan opposition in the east of the country, amid renewed demands that Muammar Gaddafi step down at once.

In the Qatari capital, Doha, William Hague, Britain's foreign secretary, and the Qatari prime minister, Hamed bin Jassem, chaired a first session of the international Libya "contact group" to explore ways ahead in the face of military impasse between the Gaddafi regime and the rebels – and a sense that the crisis has turned into a long haul. Diplomats said the group would meet once a month, with the next session due in Italy.

Plans for what Hague called a temporary financial mechanism to channel cash to the Benghazi-based opposition are being discussed, although officials shied away from comparisons with the UN oil-for-food programme used to alleviate sanctions against Iraq under Saddam Hussein.

Any aid to eastern Libya would need to be legally consistent with existing UN sanctions, diplomats warned. But the ability to supply basic services would bolster the position and credibility of the rebel interim transitional council.

[joshcryer]

33. Libyan rebels resist Misrata onslaught as Typhoon joins Nato air campaign

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/13/libya-rebels-misrata-typhoon-nato">Libyan rebels resist Misrata onslaught as Typhoon joins Nato air campaign
Heavy fighting has continued in the centre of Misrata as rebels fight off a continued onslaught by government forces on the besieged city. Nato said it had destroyed 12 of the Gaddafi regime's tanks there.

"Today seems good, the rebels are making progress in the clashes and we can see plumes of smoke rising from several forces' positions," a rebel spokesman, who identified himself as Gemal Salem, told Reuters.

Nato, which has been urged by Britain and France to intensify its efforts around Misrata and Ajdabiya, said a total of 16 government tanks had been hit by air strikes.

British defence officials said RAF Typhoons had fired weapons for the first time, attacking two Libyan tanks with 1,000lb bombs.

[joshcryer]

35. No freedom for foreign press at Tripoli's Rixos hotel

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/13/foreign-journalists-rixos-hotel-tripoli">No freedom for foreign press at Tripoli's Rixos hotel
The call sometimes comes in the middle of the night. Pack your bags, you are being deported. Or: we would like to discuss an error in your story – now. Or even: we have news about your visa inquiry. One evening, a list of 25 names was posted in the hotel lobby. The following journalists will be leaving tomorrow. No reason, no discernible pattern. The next morning, all were reprieved. Bags were unpacked, travel arrangements unpicked.

This is part of life as a foreign journalist under virtual house arrest at the five-star Rixos hotel in Tripoli, where maddening soft pop plays on an endless loop, portraits of the Brother Leader hang in the lobby, and armed men stand guard on the gate to prevent reporters slipping out. It is a world of rumour, paranoia, mistrust, manipulation, frustration and interrupted sleep. North Korea with palm trees was how one of our number described it.

[defendandprotect]

38. Looking like a quiet day so far? What of French criticism of NATO?

Did NATO actually bomb quite near Gaddafi's compound?

Why the seeming quiet?

Unbelievable picture of the rebel fighter -- !!

Hi you all -- !!

[inna]

39. darn! K&R for consistency if nothing else.

(and i strongly oppose the imperialistic intervention, for full disclosure)

[joshcryer]

41. We're in it for the long haul.

:hi:

Thanks for the K&R.

[inna]

43. np at all. :)

btw - you're clearly not an Anarchist (never met a pro-war anarchist before, lol!) - so what's the deal with your anarchist avatar?

just curious, you don't have to answer, obviously.

[joshcryer]

46. What makes that so clear to you?

Did not the Cuban anarchists help the Spanish anarchists? What about the Kronstadt rebellion? Nestor Makhno? C'mon. Anarchists would be remiss to have fully pacifist views.

[inna]

49. lol, so you're really an Anarchist - hey, it's all good. no need to be defensive about it.

(i bet $10 you're not, though. freakishly good intuition.)

[joshcryer]

50. "No need to be defensive, hey I'm accusing you of lying."

Fun stuff. :hi:

(And yes, I am an anarchist and I have defended anarchism in the anarchist thread we had here recently.)

[inna]

52. i didn't accuse you of lying. do not misconstrue.

i don't care either way and i am not interested in further discussion. see you around.

[joshcryer]

57. 'lol'

:rofl:

Would be an easy $10 as I know more anarchist theory and am more of an anti-capitalist than most DUers. :hi:

[tabatha]

42. Tunisia files cases against Ben Ali

Tunisian authorities have prepared 18 legal cases against former president Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali, including "voluntary manslaughter" and "drug trafficking", the state TAP news agency reported.

The revelation was made by Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi in an interview aired on state television on Wednesday, TAP said.

Other charges include "conspiring against the state" and "drug use."

The news agency quoted Chebbi as saying a total of 44 legal cases had been prepared by his ministry against Ben Ali, his family and his inner circle.

Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia after he was toppled by mass protests on January 14 after 23 years in power. Several members of his family and security and some of his closest allies were detained shortly after he was forced out.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/201141421645338302.html

[defendandprotect]

48. k/r

[joshcryer]

44. Germany trends lightly on Libya - video (AJE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wexfMXs32fM

[tabatha]

53. Will take all steps to help Libyan rebels, says David Cameron

Associated Press, Updated: April 14, 2011 09:39 IST

Paris: British Prime Minister David Cameron met French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Wednesday to discuss the military operation in Libya.

In an interview ahead of the meeting, Cameron said that the international community should increase pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi and added that Britain and France would "leave no stone unturned" as they search for Cameron said Britain and France would seek ways to halt Gaddafi's assault against civilians in places like the besieged city of Misrata - the only city in western Libya still partially held by rebels.

"I will be looking at all steps that we can take to help these people," Cameron said.

"They are defending civilian life and they're standing up for the future of Libya and they're basically at the moment having an appalling onslaught from Gaddafi who in Misrata, as you've been showing on our television screens, is frankly murdering his own people."

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/will-take-all-steps-to-help-libyan-rebels-says-david-cameron-98297?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Live+News+India&utm_content=Live+News+India&utm_term=Live+News+India

[tabatha]

54. SA, US in search for Hammerl

Apr 13, 2011 10:53 PM | By SCHALK MOUTON and RETHA GROBBELAAR

Hammerl's wife, Penny Sukhraj, said a South African government official had told her on Tuesday that representatives "have moved back to Tripoli and have requested formal consular access to Anton".

US-based news website The Atlantic reported on Tuesday that the SA mission to Tripoli, which evacuated when the conflict between rebels and forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi erupted, was planning to return to Tripoli.

But neither of the department's spokesmen, Clayson Monyela and Saul Molobi, were available to confirm this yesterday.

"A consular official told us today that the matter is being dealt with at a senior level," Sukhraj said yesterday.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article1019535.ece/SA-US-in-search-for-Hammerl

[joshcryer]

56. Libya: a walk down Misurata's Tripoli Street

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8446204/Libya-a-walk-down-Misuratas-Tripoli-Street.html">Libya: a walk down Misurata's Tripoli Street
To venture where shoppers once browsed is to invite a sudden bullet from one of the Gaddafi regime marksmen crouched in office blocks along the road.

The only cars on the main artery through Libya's third biggest city are burned and twisted, while the shops are sprayed with shrapnel and gutted by fire.

This is what Col Muammar Gaddafi meant when he gave a speech at the start of the uprising threatening to root out his opponents "alleyway by alleyway, room by room".

Except, after 50 days of defiance, on Tripoli Street the tables have turned.

[joshcryer]

58. Colonel Gaddafi is not getting the message to go

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8449201/Colonel-Gaddafi-is-not-getting-the-message-to-go.html">Colonel Gaddafi is not getting the message to go
Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of what Colonel Muammar Gaddafi calls Yom al-Aza, or Day of Mourning. On April 15 1986, American planes attacked the Libyan despot’s hideout in the Bab Aziziah barracks in Tripoli. Code-named El Dorado Canyon, the air strikes followed the bombing on April 5 by Libyan agents of a Berlin discotheque frequented by US soldiers in which three people were killed and 300 injured.

El Dorado Canyon lasted only 12 minutes, and was followed by a message from the then US President Ronald Reagan: behave or there will be more. The colonel understood the message. There were no more attacks on American troops, and he stopped financing and arming numerous terrorist organisations, including the IRA. So frightened was the “Supreme Guide of the Revolution” that he has lived in a tent ever since, believing that, if bombed again, his chances of survival would be better than in a building.

It will be one month next Saturday since Nato powers, initially led by the United States and with a diplomatic fig leaf provided by the United Nations, began bombing Libya. And yet the colonel, a mixture of clown and criminal, appears more defiant than ever.

[joshcryer]

59. Scenes of destruction in downtown Misurata

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

[joshcryer]

60. Libyan official says Qatar sent missiles to opposition fighters

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1632921.php/Libyan-official-says-Qatar-sent-missiles-to-opposition-fighters">Libyan official says Qatar sent missiles to opposition fighters
Tripoli/Cairo - Qatar has sent missiles to Libyan rebels in the eastern city of Benghazi, according to a top Libyan official, as opposition fighters continued to battle Moamer Gaddafi's forces in key coastal cities on Thursday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled el-Kaim told reporters that Qatar had provided rebels in Benghazi with French-made anti-tank missiles.

He also said that there were international experts in Libya training the rebels in a camp some 1,000 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli.

The allegation against Qatar came the day after a high level meeting in the Gulf State aimed at assessing the situation in Libya.

[Waiting For Everyman]

61. K&R A couple of articles from tweets

krmaher katherine maher
Fascinating article on restoration of GSM services in East Libya http://on.wsj.com/gFegqH h/t @danjblue | (I've heard USG has hand in this)
15 hours ago

dovenews khal Ali
PLZ RT! 'How the Left Got Libya Wrong' http://goo.gl/lEEam Pls RT & comment it if u like, thnx #libya
1 hour ago

jricole Juan Cole
Free Libya plans Tripoli Uprising as Doha Conference Urges More Help to Civilians: Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports in... http://bit.ly/eyesbd
7 hours ago

[pinboy3niner]

62. Rebels in Misrata report 8 killed, 20 wounded in Grad rocket attacks

Libyan government forces have struck the coastal city of Misurata with dozens of Grad rockets, killing eight rebels, Abdelbasset Abu Mzereiq, a rebel spokesman told Reuters by telephone.

They fired Grads at a residential area called Kasr Ahmad near the port this morning. They fired at least 80 rockets on that area. So far we have eight martyrs and 20 wounded.

10:41am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14

[pinboy3niner]

67. Death toll from rocket attack on Misrata rises

Libyan rebels say that the death toll from the rocket attack by government forces on Misurata has risen to 23 people, including three Egyptians.

12:36am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14

[Iterate]

70. Misrata residents protest in street -Al Jazeera

RABAT, April 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of besieged Misrata residents took to the streets on Thursday in defiance of persistent artillery and sniper attacks by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, live footage on Al Jazeera television showed.

They gathered near a mosque in the town's Kasr Ahmad district, into where government forces had earlier fired a barrage of Russian-made Grad rockets. Rebels said 23 civilians were killed in the dawn assault.

"The blood of martyrs will not be in vain," the crowd chanted as some waved the flag of rebel-held Libya.

It was not immediately possible to verify the images' authenticity.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE73D1F120110414

Have not seen the video yet, but it appears they went right back out to protest where the rockets had just landed.

[pinboy3niner]

63. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 2 PM THURSDAY, APRIL 14

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

[pinboy3niner]

64. Libyan rebels receiving anti-tank weapons from Qatar

Source: The Guardian

Libyan rebels receiving anti-tank weapons from Qatar


Officials in Doha confirm Qatar has been secretly supplying French-made missiles to Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi


Ian Black in Doha
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 April 2011 12.29 BST



Qatar is secretly supplying anti-tank weapons to the Libyan rebels as part of its strategy of working to overthrow the Gaddafi regime, it has emerged. Officials in Doha confirmed that the Gulf state's military had been shipping French-made Milan missiles to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.


Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem, made clear on Wednesday that UN resolutions on Libya permitted the supply of "defensive weapons" to opposition forces struggling to fight Libyan armour.


Qatari government officials were tight-lipped about the deliveries, which are being organised by the joint chiefs of staff and probably made by sea. "We need to send the Libyans equipment so they can defend themselves and get on with their lives," one senior source said. "These are civilians who have had to become fighters because of the situation."


Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, and colleagues from the 21-nation Libya contact group endorsed Qatar's position. Hague insisted the UK would supply only non-lethal equipment. France's view is similar but both countries – which are leading Nato air strikes in Libya – accept that arming the rebels is legal.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/14/libya-rebels-weapons-qatar

[pinboy3niner]

65. Big five emerging powers urge end to Libya fighting

Source: Reuters

Big five emerging powers urge end to Libya fighting


SANYA, China | Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:21pm IST


(Reuters) - Five big emerging powers expressed misgivings on Thursday about NATO-led air strikes in Libya and urged an end to the fighting which, together with turbulence elsewhere in the Arab world, has added to global uncertainty.


The United Nations-authorised air campaign against the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was one of the issues on the table when the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) met in southern China for a one-day summit.


While expressing their concern about Libya, the strength of the leaders' public comments varied, suggesting that they did not emerge from their summit with a firmly united stance.


"We are deeply concerned with the turbulence in the Middle East, the North African and West African regions," the leaders said in a joint statement issued after the summit in the resort of Sanya.


http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/04/14/idINIndia-56324920110414

[pinboy3niner]

66. Italian oil firm Eni plans to move oil stored in Libya to storage in Venice 'for safety reasons'

Italian oil firm Eni plans to fill a tanker with crude oil from its oilfields in western Libya to Venice, where it can be stored more safely, a spokesman said.

Eni is taking measures to lift as much equity oil as possible from the terminal at Mellitah via an oil tanker which will take the oil to Venice and stock it there for safety reasons.

Mellitah is a light, sweet crude oil grade sourced from oilfields in west Libya. An industry source on Wednesday said the firm was in talks to charter an aframax with 600,000 barrels of Libyan oil from a western port.

2:02pm:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14

[pinboy3niner]

68. PBS: Libyan Rebels Battle Gadhafi's Forces in Misrata as NATO Debates Strategy

Libyan Rebels Battle Gadhafi's Forces in Misrata as NATO Debates Strategy (2:24)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbFdVf6bAqk&feature=player_embedded

[pinboy3niner]

69. Recent developments from Al Jazeera:

In recent field developments in Libya, pro-democracy rebels in Jebel-al-Gharbi district, have repelled Gaddafi troops in al-Haraba district, west of Rihaibat after clashes that broke out there.

The rebel fighters were able to seize a number of military vehicles and had captured some elements of Gaddafi troops as prisoners of war, rebel sources said.

In Zawiya, the siege imposed by Gaddfi troops on the town has continued, while residents continued to face food and fuel shortages. In west Misrata, rebel fighters have set an ambush for two Gaddafi vehicles in Zawiyat-al-Mahjoub and had captured a number of Gaddafi elements, local source have said.

In Ajdabiya, popular protest rallies have denounced ongoing bombardment by Gaddafi troops from where they were stationed, around 40km away from Ajdabiya, after they were repelled from the town by rebel fighters.

Meanwhile, rebel fighters have launched a search campaign for Dr. Ridha al-Mazagri, a US-educated neurology specialist surgeon, as rebel fighters believe that Gaddafi troops had abducted him and his team near Ajdabiya, then transferred him to Tripoli, around a month ago.

As for Misrata and Jebel-al-Gharbi towns, they remained targeted by Gaddafi troops which kept bombarding and besieging the towns for weeks. Rebel fighter have stated that the death toll since the breakout of the uprising, have exceeded 10.000, while more than 30.000 other people were injured.

The rebels say despite their determination to keep to their positions in Misrata, long-range rockets used by Gaddafi troops have deprived them of finding a safe spot in Misrata, including Misrata port, the sole vital inlet of incoming meager food and medical supplies.

The Libyan national humanitarian aid rebel committee has managed to operate fishing boats from Benghazi to Misrata, in coordination with NATO, for transporting aid supplies in a 40-hour-long trip between the two towns.

5:35am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14

[pinboy3niner]

71. The missing

People in Benghazi look at images of those who have gone missing or been killed during the fighting (Photo by Reuters).






4:48am:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14

[defendandprotect]

132. K/R ---

[pinboy3niner]

72. Libya: 23 civilians killed in Gaddafi rocket attack on residential district of Misurata, rebels say

Source: The Telegraph

Libya: 23 civilians killed in Gaddafi rocket attack on residential district of Misurata, rebels say


A rocket attack on a residential district of Misurata has killed 23 civilians, rebels said as they warned of an impending government "massacre" if Nato does not intensify its attacks there.


12:15PM BST 14 Apr 2011


A rebel spokesman said troops loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi appeared to be deliberately targeting civilians.


Most of the dead were reported to be women and children, along with three Egyptian migrant workers waiting to be evacuated.


"A massacre ... will take place here if Nato does not intervene strongly," the rebel spokesman, who identified himself as Abdelsalam, told Reuters by telephone from Misrata.

...


Mahmoud Shamman, a spokesman for the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council, said Nato had allowed Gaddafi to regain the initiative on the battlefield since it took over from the US.

"When the Americans were involved the mission was very active and it was more leaning toward protecting the civilians," he said. "Nato is very slow responding to these attacks on the civilians. We'd like to see more work toward protecting the civilians."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8450560/Libya-23-civilians-killed-in-Gaddafi-rocket-attack-on-residential-district-of-Misurata-rebels-says.html

[pinboy3niner]

73. US Reaffirms Support For Nato Over Libya

Source: Sky News

US Reaffirms Support For Nato Over Libya


2:20pm UK, Thursday April 14, 2011



US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has said America is committed to supporting Nato's mission in Libya,as dictator Muammar Gaddafi tests the resolve of the alliance with continued attacks on opposition forces.


At the start of a two-day Nato meeting in Berlin, Mrs Clinton assured allies that Washington is prepared to do what it takes to ensure the success of the mission.


But Mrs Clinton called on US partners in Europe and elsewhere to boost pressure on Colonel Gaddafi to step down from power.


Mrs Clinton has sought to smooth over cracks in the alliance amid calls from Britain and France for Nato members to increase support for action against Libyan forces.


The US has sought a back seat role in the campaign after handing over responsibility to Nato on April 4.

...


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Video-Libya-Nato-Faces-Calls-For-More-Resources-Amid-Pressure-On-Colonel-Gaddafi/Article/201104215972099?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_0&lid=ARTICLE_15972099_Video%2C_Libya%3A_Nato_Faces_Calls_For_More_Resources_Amid_Pressure_On_Colonel_Gaddafi

[pinboy3niner]

74. UK: Cameron criticizes Blair's “dodgy deals in the desert” with Gaddafi

David Cameron has criticised Mr Blair’s government for conducting “dodgy deals in the desert” after Gaddafi regime used air attacks and tanks in attempts to crush rebels.

Libya: Tony Blair defends 'deal in the desert' with Colonel Gaddafi

Tony Blair has defended his “great” deal in the desert with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi because it “welcomed” the Libyan leader’s decision to give up terrorism.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8449111/Libya-Tony-Blair-defends-deal-in-the-desert-with-Colonel-Gaddafi.html

[pinboy3niner]

75. Dispute Clouds Libya Diplomacy on Many Fronts

Source: New YorkTimes

Dispute Clouds Libya Diplomacy on Many Fronts


By JUDY DEMPSEY and ALAN COWELL

Published: April 14, 2011



BERLIN — As foreign ministers of the NATO alliance met here on Thursday against a backdrop of dispute over their aerial campaign in Libya, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to play down divisions, saying the allies were pursuing the common goal of ending the four-decade rule of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

...


At a news conference, (NATO Secretary General) Rasmussen said the campaign had three military objectives — an end to “all attacks and threats of attack against civilian and civilian-populated areas,” the “verifiable withdrawal” of all pro-Qaddafi forces, including “snipers, mercenaries and paramilitary forces,” to their bases and “immediate, full, safe and unhindered” access for humanitarian aid to “all the people in Libya in need of assistance.”

...


Only 14 of the alliance’s 28 members are actively participating in the operation, and only 6 are carrying out airstrikes against targets on the ground, said a NATO diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters. France and Britain have complained that other NATO allies are not sharing the burden of ground attacks equally, possibly for fear of causing civilian casualties. Libya’s rebels have also complained that the coalition is not doing enough to silence Colonel Qaddafi’s heavy weapons such as tanks, artillery and missile batteries.


“There is certainly not a shortage of aircraft among NATO nations,” the NATO diplomat said. “We get the impression that while countries are willing to do air sorties, they are not willing to strike for fear of hitting civilians. Qaddafi’s forces often place their armored personnel carriers close to civilian populations.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world/africa/15nato.html

[pinboy3niner]

76. ShababLibya: 4 explosions heard in Tripoli smoke seen rising in the city #Libya #Feb17

ShababLibya: 4 explosions heard in Tripoli smoke seen rising in the city #Libya #Feb17#gaddaficrimes
about 6 minutes ago

[pinboy3niner]

77. Libya Rebels Seek $2 Billion Loan, Allies Ponder Next Steps

Source: Bloomberg News

Libya Rebels Seek $2 Billion Loan, Allies Ponder Next Steps


By Maher Chmaytelli, Robert Tuttle and Caroline Alexander - Apr 14, 2011 3:38 AM PT



Libyan rebels want to borrow at least $2 billion to buy food, medicine, fuel and perhaps weapons as their foreign allies agreed on the need to do more to help them prevail over Muammar Qaddafi’s forces.


Members of the so-called Libyan contact group said in a statement in Qatar that they may create a “temporary financial mechanism” to finance the rebels using Libyan government assets frozen abroad.


Short-term loans are “an option on the table that we discussed” at the Qatar meeting, Ali Tarhouni, the Interim Transitional National Council’s finance minister, said in an interview in Benghazi. The borrowing, which may be for as long as two years, could be repaid when Libyan assets are unfrozen, Tarhouni said. Reserves at the rebels’ central bank in Benghazi may not be enough to cover import needs for a month, he said.


The contact group, which includes the U.S., the U.K., France and other countries lending military support, agreed at the meeting that “Qaddafi and his regime had lost all legitimacy and he must leave power, allowing the Libyan people to determine their own future,” according to a statement released yesterday after the meeting in Doha.


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-13/libyan-rebels-seek-2-billion-loan-as-allies-ponder-steps-in-qaddafi-fight.html

[pinboy3niner]

78. Reuters reports four blasts in Tripoli and says Nato warplanes could be seen overhead

One photographer said she saw a jet in the sky moments before one loud explosion that threw up a plume of smoke. A second correspondent said he could see smoke rising from the southeast of the city after hearing four blasts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/apr/14/libya-middle-east-uprising-live#block-38



Photo: Reuters

[pinboy3niner]

79. Story of a Misrata survivor...

Diana Eltahawy, Libya researcher at Amnesty International, has been to a hospital in Sfax, Tunisia, meeting people who have fled Misrata and hearing their stories:

One man we met a few days ago was an 87-year-old. We found him lying in a hospital bed in Sfax receiving treatment for an injury to his stomach that he sustained about a month ago ...

He was in the passenger seat of a pick-up truck heading from his home towards his fields about seven kilometres south of Misrata when the vehicle was struck by two rounds fired from what appears to have been a 14.5mm calibre weapon – he thought it might have been an anti-aircraft machine gun – near the area of Gherian.

The driver escaped injury but the elderly man was wounded and required an operation and three days of treatment at the Mu'gama' al-'Iyadat hospital. He then returned to his home a few kilometres west of Misrata expecting to have a happy reunion with his relatives.

But when he got there, he found members of Colonel al-Gaddafi's forces present. They entered his home and took away his son-in-law and his 26-year-old grandson. Since, then, he has had no news of them and he does not know their whereabouts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/apr/14/libya-middle-east-uprising-live#block-34

[pinboy3niner]

80. The Guardian's summary of events today:

• The opposition-held western city of Misrata has been bombarded with rockets by Gaddafi's forces, with many casualties inflicted. A rebel spokesman said 23 people were killed after 80 Grad rockets rained down on the city. Some Egyptians were among those reportedly killed. A rally is currently being held in the city calling for more protection from the international community.


• Qatar is secretly supplying anti-tank weapons to the Libyan rebels as part of its strategy of working to overthrow the Gaddafi regime, it has emerged. Officials in Doha confirmed that the Gulf state's military had been shipping French-made Milan missiles to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.


• The Brics grouping of emerging powers expressed misgivings about the Nato air strikes in Libya. It said its members "share the principle that the use of force should be avoided".


• Nato foreign ministers have been meeting in Berlin to discuss Libya. The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton expressed concern about "atrocities" in Misrata and called for efforts to "sharpen the choices facing those around him ". But she gave no hint that the US was to step up its military role in Libya, according to Reuters.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/apr/14/libya-middle-east-uprising-live#block-29

[meow mix]

89. k&r

go rebels

"military had been shipping French-made Milan missiles to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi"

well they wont be strolling into there again.

[pinboy3niner]

81. Misrata: Report from an Italian humanitarian team

Emergency is an independent NGO, "founded in Italy to provide high quality and free of charge health care to the war and poverty victims." This report is from their team in Misrata:

There was intense bombing last night; we woke up this morning to the sound of Kalashnikov machine guns, mortars and Katyusha rockets.

About ten injured people and four dead arrived during the morning; all had been shot in the head. This was probably the work of snipers.

http://www.emergency.it/libya/from-misurata-april-12-2011.html

[defendandprotect]

133. K/R

[pinboy3niner]

82. Rescue ship for Misrata forced to remain at sea because of heavy fighting

A rescue ship for migrant workers stranded in Misrata has been prevented from entering the port because of the severity of the fighting.

Michele Bombassei, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, said the ship was due to rescue around 800 people today, but had been forced to stay out at sea while the fighting rages.

In an Audioboo interview with Matthew Weaver he said: "It is out of the harbour. Unfortunately it cannot dock because of the security situation. It is not safe. There is fighting going on and the boat is one hour out of harbour waiting for the situation to stabilise."

IOM estimates that 6,000 migrant workers, mainly from Egypt, are stranded in Misrata.

The conditions are getting dramatically serious. Our immediate intervention is need, not only for the stranded migrants, but also for the Libyan population. We (will) rely on the Red Crescent there to prioritise the most vulnerable cases.

A spokeswoman told Reuters: "It has been reported to IOM that the migrants are in a desperately worrying condition with many severely dehydrated and weak. This operation is critical for saving lives of migrants because the situation is so bad. We can't take everyone at the same time."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/apr/14/libya-middle-east-uprising-live#block-40

[pinboy3niner]

83. Libya over Lindsay

Published: April 14, 2011, 2:38 am ET

By Abby Kloppenburg

...

When the uprisings began in North Africa and the Middle East, it became apparent just how little students around me knew about what was happening. They only started to get the basic gist when it flashed across news screens day after day for weeks.

Even with our own involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan — news that should be extremely relevant — I don’t think many of us could even begin to articulate why we’re there except for a brief reference to 9/11 and Bin Laden.

The problem is rooted in our media. Just looking at CNN’s homepage right now, the main story is “Nuclear threat level raised.” OK. But then the very next featured story is called “Ask Kate Hudson, John Krasinski,” and it’s an interview with these celebrities about their newest movie. Further down “France’s burqa ban takes effect” –- which, in the scheme of things, is a fairly large deal — is right next to “Lohan’s Betty White smackdown.” Really, CNN? Under that, the first video in the TV clips category is “Dr. Drew: Advice for Lohan’s Dad.”

...


But in all seriousness, this proves my point. This is why people don’t know the depth of what’s happening in Libya, because the story on Lindsay Lohan’s 48th rehab trip is right next to it. The colored pictures of Lindsay crying through her mascara look much more appealing than photos of people shaking their fists at some rally halfway across the world.

...

http://thecollegianur.com/2011/04/14/libya-over-lindsay/20088/

[pinboy3niner]

84. Nato commander of Libya mission pleads for specialised fighter jets

Admiral James Stavridis says precision ground-attack jets would help minimise civilian casualties


Helen Pidd in Berlin
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 April 2011 16.21 BST


The Nato commander in charge of the operation in Libya has issued a plea for more specialised fighter jets to join the operation if civilian casualties are to be minimised.


At a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Berlin, Admiral James Stavridis asked for more "precision fighter ground-attack aircrafts" which could best identify land targets, said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato secretary general.


The US military has the world's most sophisticated warplanes, but Rasmussen insisted Stavridis had not singled out the Americans when making his plea. After its lead role in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US has taken a back seat in the Libyan operation, leaving Britain and France to lead the charge against Muammar Gaddafi.

...


Rasmussen said he was confident more member countries would "step up to the plate" but admitted he had "no specific pledges" following the first meeting of the two-day summit.


He said he had "heard statements which give me hope" that by the time the ministers fly home on Friday, more countries will have increased their commitment to the Libyan operation.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/14/nato-commander-libya-fighter-jets

[pinboy3niner]

85. Hezbollah helping Libyan rebels, claims Gaddafi minister - VIDEO (1:01)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/apr/14/hezbollah-libyan-rebels-gaddafi-video

[pinboy3niner]

86. Ajdabiyah: Convoy of 60 rebel vehicles coming under "heavy artillery and mortar fire"--AFP

There are reports of fierce fighting in Ajdabiya, with the AFP news agency reporting that a convoy of 60 rebel vehicles coming under "heavy artillery and mortar fire" :

The rebels immediately rushed reinforcements to the front line between their territory in the east and the mainly government-held west. The AFP correspondent counted some 100 rebel vehicles heading to the front.

No aircraft from the NATO-led air operation were immediately seen.

5:32pm:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14

[pinboy3niner]

87. Gaddafi patrols Tripoli during bombing, according to Libyan state TV

Libyan state TV has been broadcasting footage of Muammar Gaddafi driving around Tripoli in an open-top SUV, claiming the outing occurred while the capital was being bombed by Nato.

Reuters reported him as wearing a green safari hat, dark glasses and a black jacket, pumping his fists in the air and waving.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/apr/14/libya-middle-east-uprising-live#block-46

[pinboy3niner]

88. An open letter to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi

Alaa al-Ameri
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 April 2011 12.03 BST

Saif al-Islam,


I am three years younger than you. My family was forced to leave Libya due to your father's habit of hanging those who contradicted him or torturing them to death under conditions that most sane people would prefer never to imagine.


One of my earliest memories of life in Libya is of watching cartoons on television one afternoon. These were interrupted without warning by images of a man being hanged in what I seem to remember was a sports arena of some kind. Your father's supporters were competing to swing from his struggling legs.


For a long time I chose to interpret the behaviour of these sociopaths as some form of desperate mercy – I convinced myself they were trying to limit the victim's suffering. It was many years before I understood that they were in fact trying to catch your father's attention. They wanted to prove they were ruthless and unforgiving enough to be considered true disciples of your father's narcissistic cult. True to form, your father rewarded people like Huda Ben Amr and Moussa Koussa with power, wealth and impunity.


As I remember these things, I wonder how you must have learned to interpret the brutality you witnessed around you as you grew up. There's no way I can blame you for the crimes your father committed before your birth and during your childhood. I'm no psychiatrist, but I'm almost certain that being raised by a man for whom murder was part of daily business does not qualify as a healthy upbringing.


I can therefore give you credit for being the only one in your family to have ever expressed an awareness that there exists in the world such a thing as human dignity – even if your realisation seems to have been based on a desire to ensure that the country you inherited would look shiny, new and modern.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/14/saif-al-islam-gaddafi-open-letter

[defendandprotect]

134. K/R -- telling it to the world!!

And can anyone imagine what it must have been like to have been the son of this monster?

As I remember these things, I wonder how you must have learned to interpret the brutality you witnessed around you as you grew up. There's no way I can blame you for the crimes your father committed before your birth and during your childhood. I'm no psychiatrist, but I'm almost certain that being raised by a man for whom murder was part of daily business does not qualify as a healthy upbringing.

[tabatha]

90. Global Affairs Table: Libya

In the 1990s, Libya saw the need to re-emerge onto the international scene because it had become so isolated due to the sanctions. In the late 1990s, “not even Gaddafi could control the system,” Vandewalle said. In 1999, the leader worked with the British to create talking points regarding potential cooperation.

In 2003, the United States and Libya recognized a shared goal of eradicating terrorism and began discussing strategies. “ thought that Gaddafi had rehabilitated,” Vandewalle explained. However, they were incorrect, and we all know what happened next.

The rebellion, which began in March of this year, was a surprise to Vandewalle. “I thought such an uprising would be impossible. The regime had systematically done away with all opposition that existed.” Additionally, it has not been as quick of an overthrow as many experts expected. “The international community now has to decide if they want to go forward and remove Gaddafi,” Vandewalle said.

http://blogs.brandeis.edu/globalbrandeis/2011/04/14/global-affairs-table-libya/

[pinboy3niner]

91. Libya: Moussa Koussa removed from EU sanctions list as a 'reward'

Source: The Telegraph

Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister, has been removed from a European Union sanctions list as a "reward" for abandoning the Gaddafi regime.


By James Kirkup6:05PM BST 14 Apr 2011
Follow James Kirkup on Twitter



The decision could allow Mr Koussa to travel freely in Europe and access financial assets held by European banks.


The decision came after Britain pressed other EU states for him to be removed from the list of sanctioned individuals.


Diplomats said the decision was taken as a reward for Mr Koussa's defection, and to encourage other members of the Gaddafi regime to follow suit.


However, the decision fuelled anger over Britain's treatment of Mr Koussa, a former intelligence chief who has been questioned by Scottish police over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8451626/Libya-Moussa-Koussa-removed-from-EU-sanctions-list-as-a-reward.html

[pinboy3niner]

93. Libyan Conflict Highlights Strains in NATO

Source: New York Times


By JUDY DEMPSEY and ALAN COWELL

Published: April 14, 2011


BERLIN — With Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warning of “atrocities” in a rebel-held Libyan city, foreign ministers of the NATO alliance met here on Thursday against a backdrop of dispute over the intensity of the group’s air campaign.


Mrs. Clinton told reporters that forces loyal to Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi were placing snipers on rooftops in the besieged city of Misurata, the last rebel bastion in western Libya, who were killing people as they came to hospitals seeking medical care. She urged “resolve and unity” among NATO nations, though she gave no indications that the United States was prepared to reassume a central role in the attacks.


At the same time, rebels in Misurata said that a rocket assault on a residential neighborhood there killed 23 people, including women and children, Reuters reported. They also warned, as they have repeatedly in the past, of an impending massacre in the absence of more robust airstrikes from NATO. Misurata has been under siege for weeks by Qaddafi forces, which have cut off food, water, electricity and communications to the city.


The NATO gathering took place as diplomats in several capitals wrestled with the conflict in Libya, seeking a formula for political progress in the absence of any decisive military gains. “Military power alone cannot provide the solution to the crisis,” the NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told reporters.

...



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world/africa/15nato.html

[pinboy3niner]

94. Reports of new airstrikes on al-Assah, 170 km west of Tripoli

News of more NATO airstrikes coming from Reuters, quoting Libyan state TV, which reports that al-Assah, about 170 km west of Tripoli, was hit on Thursday:


Citing a military source, the television said, without giving details: 'The area of al-Assah was hit moments ago by the bombardment of the crusader and colonial aggressors.'

7:46pm:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14

[pinboy3niner]

95. Libya needs political solution, Cairo meeting says

Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:02pm GMT


* Group calls for ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access

* Protesters clash in front of Arab League headquarters



By Dina Zayed


CAIRO, April 14 (Reuters) - The United Nations and other international organisations met in Cairo on Thursday to press for a ceasefire in Libya, emphasising a political solution to the conflict rather than the use of more military force.

...


"As the fighting rages, the situation will only get worse and the more distant a political situation. We call for an inclusive political process through which the Libyan people can choose their own future," Ban said at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

"The world must not waiver. The Libyan people deserve no less."

...


"Our priority is (that) there must be no further fighting. A ceasefire must be done now. Gaddafi must listen attentively and seriously to the call of the international community," he said.

...


As the group met, dozens of anti-Gaddafi protesters rallied outside the Arab League headquarters and clashed briefly with pro-Gaddafi groups, prompting Egypt's military to fire blanks into the air. Several people were injured in the clashes.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE73D1ZV20110414?sp=true

[Iterate]

96. Gaddafi cruises Tripoli, fanboy passenger falls out, run over

...and the motorcade just kept right on going. Just watch.

Title "translation": The fall of the pro-Gaddafi, Gaddafi and run over by a car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0EcjaUKN-c&feature=player_embedded#at=33

On edit: This motorcade is claimed by Libyan state TV to have taken place today and "during an air strike". The Guardian has published a placeholder page on its site, but hasn't yet posted the video. Maybe it was today, maybe it wasn't.

[al bupp]

99. Un-freaking-believable /nt

[pinboy3niner]

97. Female Colombian snipers 'fighting to defend Col Gaddafi in Libya'

Source: The Telegraph

Female Colombian snipers suspected of belonging to the Marxist guerilla group FARC are fighting as mercenaries defending Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, according to rebel forces.


By Robin Yapp, Sao Paulo7:11PM BST 14 Apr 2011



Prisoners loyal to Col Gaddafi and eyewitnesses in Misurata, the largest city in western Libya partially under rebel control, have given accounts of highly-trained women snipers from the South American country operating in the area.


Mercenaries fighting for Col Gaddafi's regime are reportedly being paid up to $1,000 a day.


None of the Colombians have yet been captured or killed but according to rebels they are part of a wider force of snipers basing themselves on high buildings in Misurata.


The female fighters are likely to be members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has been fighting Colombia's government since the 1960s.

...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8451467/Female-Colombian-snipers-fighting-to-defend-Col-Gaddafi-in-Libya.html

[tabatha]

98. And they target children... for a price.

[David__77]

108. Interesting story, true or not.

FARC, of course, will take aid where they can get it. But there's a big difference between getting funds and deploying soldiers in the Libyan civil war. Of course both sides now are deploying foreigners in their campaigns, but it is wrong.

[tabatha]

118. What foreigners are being employed by the rebels?

[David__77]

122. Deployed, not employed.

I misspoke though. I should have said, "foreigners are deployed on both sides of this war."

[tabatha]

124. What nationalities?

I presume you are talking about on the ground?

[Iterate]

100. Video from Misrata today, protests and auto tour (no one fell out)

Protests and some celebration today as rebels have reclaimed the city center during the previous week.

Video: Protests in besieged Misrata
Al Jazeera Arabic earlier today showed this amateur footage that appears to show a demonstration in Misrata in protest against Gaddafi’s attacks on the city.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/

Scenes from Misrata after a Rebel Victory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6VomjV9Gtw
Video: Hundreds of besieged Misrata residents took to the streets in defiance of persistent artillery and sniper attacks by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

[pinboy3niner]

101. NATO operations in Libya, last 24 hours:

Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:

Air Operations

Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 08.00GMT) a total of 2,191 sorties and 890 strike sorties* have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 13 April: 153
Strike sorties conducted 13 April: 58
*Strike sorties are intended to identify and engage appropriate targets, but do not necessarily deploy munitions each time.

Key Targets and Engagements**

13 April: Thirteen bunkers, one Tank and one Amoured Personnel Carrier destroyed in the vicinity of Tripoli. Three Multiple Rocket Launchers destroyed in the vicinity of Brega.
**Key Engagements are not intended to give a complete account of all targets which were engaged.

Arms Embargo Activities

A total of 18 ships under NATO command are actively patrolling the Central Mediterranean.
18 Vessels were hailed on 13 April to determine destination and cargo. 3 boardings were conducted.
A total of 316 vessels have been hailed and 9 boardings have been conducted since the beginning of arms embargo operations.

International Humanitarian Assistance Movements as recorded by NATO

Total of Humanitarian Movements***: 57 (air, ground, maritime)
Ships delivering Humanitarian Assistance 13 April: 2 executed and 7 in execution.
Aircraft delivering Humanitarian Assistance 13 April: 2
*** Some humanitarian movements cover several days.

http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_04/20110414_110414-oup-update.pdf

[Iterate]

106. Tripoli tweets tonight

Earlier in the week, of course, mass protests were rumored for Tripoli tonight.

@Tripolitanian: Very evident that there are snipers on roof tops all over #Tripoli + military checkpoints every few blocks

RT @LibyansWB: #TRIPOLI #LIBYA : There are snipers over Libyana's building in alshatt road. Also, snipers over the green square reported.

@KCLibyaHurra: #TRIPOLI : People tried to protest in a certain location but couldn't continue because they were met with #Gaddafi thugs

@LibyansWB: #Tripoli #Libya : very heavily armed gun men in 4X4 toyota cruisers on al shatt road

@Tripolitanian: Possibly thousands of police, secret police and soldiers controlling the streets of #Tripoli

@FromJoanne: #Tripoli #Journalists going to Bab Al #Aziziyah again tonight Never told what the reason might be

KCLibyaHurra: #TRIPOLI : A caller on #AJA says there is random shooting by #Gaddafi forces -who are everywhere in a certain area of #Tripoli

Tripolitanian: The person who appeared on #Libya State TV today was NOT #Gaddafi

Oooops, missed the main thread, but just by a little bit.

[pinboy3niner]

102. FULL OFFICIAL TEXT of NATO foreign ministers' statement on Libya today:

14 Apr. 2011

Statement on Libya

following the working lunch of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs with non-NATO contributors to Operation Unified Protector


Today, we, the Foreign Ministers of the Allies and operational partners participating in NATO-led Operation Unified Protector (OUP) in support of the enforcement of UNSC Resolution 1973, met in Berlin to discuss the situation in Libya and our joint efforts in support of broader international community objectives with regard to Libya. The valuable contributions made by OUP partners demonstrate broad-based support for this operation. NATO will continue to coordinate its actions in close consultation with the United Nations, other regional actors and international organizations.


We deplore the continuing violence and atrocities in Libya perpetrated by the regime against its own people, which have resulted in a very serious humanitarian situation, particularly in cities under siege. We underline the need for the regime to restore water, gas, electricity and other services to areas that have been brutalized by regime forces and to permit full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all the people of Libya in need of assistance. Qadhafi and his regime have lost all legitimacy through their comprehensive and repeated refusal to abide by UNSC Resolutions 1970 and 1973.


We welcome the outcome of the first meeting of the Contact Group which took place yesterday in Doha and strongly endorse its call for Qadhafi to leave power and its steadfast commitment to implement UNSCRs 1970 and 1973. We commend its role in providing wider political guidance for international efforts in Libya, recognizing that the political direction of the military mission is executed by the North Atlantic Council, with the indispensable involvement of its OUP partners. We reiterate our adherence to the strong commitments made at the London Conference by the international community to help end the violence and to support the Libyan people and their legitimate aspirations.


NATO-led forces are taking robust action to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack in Libya and enforcing the No-Fly Zone and arms embargo authorized by UNSCR 1973. We pay tribute to the skill, bravery and professionalism of our men and women in uniform carrying out this difficult task. We will continue to adapt our military actions to achieve maximum effect in discharging our mandate to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas. To this end, we are committed to provide all necessary resources and maximum operational flexibility within our mandate. A high operational tempo against legitimate targets will be maintained and we will exert this pressure as long as necessary and until the following objectives are achieved:

1.All attacks and threats of attack against civilians and civilian-populated areas have ended;

2.The regime has verifiably withdrawn to bases all military forces, including snipers, mercenaries and other para-military forces, including from all populated areas they have forcibly entered, occupied or besieged throughout all of Libya, including Ajdabiyah, Brega, Jadu, al Jebal al Gharbiyah, Kikla, Misrata, Nalut, Raslanuf, Yefrin, Zawiyah, Zintan and Zuara;

3.The regime must permit immediate, full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all the people in Libya in need of assistance.

We remain committed to the full implementation of UNSC Resolutions 1970 and 1973. In carrying out our mission, we reaffirm our support to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya. We reiterate our strong support for the development of a transparent political solution as the only way to bring an end to the crisis and build lasting peace in Libya and a better future for the Libyan people.

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_72544.htm

[pinboy3niner]

103. Libyan Port City, Under Siege, Brimming With Migrants Desperate to Exit

Source: New York Times

By C.J. CHIVERS

Published: April 14, 2011


MISURATA, Libya — A passenger vessel chartered by an international aid organization entered the port of this beleaguered city Thursday afternoon, pressing on in spite of heavy artillery or rocket barrages earlier in the day with the mission of rescuing migrant workers stranded by the Libya war.


The vessel, the Ionian Spirit, a tourist cruise ship from the northern Mediterranean, was chartered by the International Organization for Migration, which hoped to pick up at least 800 of the more than 6,500 migrant workers who have been trapped in Misurata, Libya’s third largest city.It arrived to nearly desperate conditions. Since February, Misurata has been besieged, largely cut off from the world by forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Front battle lines cross through several of its neighborhoods, and artillery or rocket batteries fire their munitions into residential areas.


Unconfirmed estimates claim as many as 1,000 people of have been killed.Medical officials said at least 23 people were killed and many more wounded early Thursday, when a barrage of 80 or more rockets landed beside the port where the Ionian Spirit docked. As two journalists from The New York Times left the harbor in the evening, the smoldering remains of damaged shipping containers could be seen. Smoke rose in places in the city, which at the moment was quiet.


The vessel’s mission was urgent, said Jeremy R. A. Haslam, head of the crisis response team on board, as the Ionian Spirit, a brightly painted vessel that usually plies the Greek, Italian and Albanian coasts, steamed on the nearly 19-hour passage from Benghazi, the rebel capital in eastern Libya.

...


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world/africa/15libya.html

[pinboy3niner]

104. Doctor in Ajdabiyah tells of finding the body of a pregnant woman shot, beaten, cut, and disfigured

Al Jazeera's Sue Turton interviewed a doctor in the Libyan city of Ajdabiya. He describes coming upon a woman who had been shot the chest three or four times. She had been beaten, cut and disfigured. She was also in the last trimester of her pregnancy.

Watch at AJE...

9:55pm:
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-14


...OR on YouTube:

Ajdabiya: Survivors speak of extreme atrocities (2:13):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9R5_7n8umk&feature=player_embedded

[pinboy3niner]

105. Witnesses: Gadhafi forces shell rebel-held city, kill 13 civilians; Tripoli hit by new blasts

By Associated Press, Thursday, April 14, 6:19 AM


TRIPOLI, Libya —

...


Gadhafi’s troops unleashed heavy shelling for three hours on the port city of Misrata, which is partly held by rebels who are defending positions against government forces. Gadhafi’s troops have laid siege to the city, taking control of some neighborhoods. The port is Misrata’s only lifeline.


Gadhafi’s troops hit the port with tank shells and Grad missiles, said a rebel who only gave his first name, Abdel-Salam.


At least 13 people — all civilians — were killed and an unknown number were wounded when scores of Grad rockets struck targets in Libya’s third-largest city of Misrata, said a doctor there who gave his name only as Ayman.


“They want to flatten the area to deploy the troops on foot and invade the city,” the doctor said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. He added that a ship sent by Doctors Without Borders to evacuate 165 critically injured people to Tunisia had been scheduled to arrive Thursday morning at Misrata’s port, and he believed the government had shelled the port to interfere with the humanitarian aid.


Another doctor in Misrata, who gave his name only as Khaled for fear of retribution, said some of those killed were inside their houses asleep at the time of the shelling. Among the dead were two men aged 75 and 80.

...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/libyan-rebel-in-besieged-western-city-says-gadhafi-troops-unleash-heavy-shelling-kill-9/2011/04/14/AFhsSFbD_story.html

[pinboy3niner]

107. Continued kidnapping today in Zawiya by Gaddafi thugs #Libya #Feb17 #gaddaficrimes

ShababLibya: Continued kidnapping today in Zawiya by Gaddafi thugs #Libya #Feb17 #gaddaficrimes
about 1 minute ago

[David__77]

109. Who is being arrested? Is there a compendium of missing persons?

Shining light on specific cases would be helpful to opposition. In this day, informal media allow for much documentation.

[tabatha]

117. It appears that men of fighting age are being arrested.

There are people keeping documentation on them.
That is all I know.

[David__77]

123. That is good.

In Argentina, "Mothers of May Square" was very helpful in putting a face on fascist disappearances. Otherwise, it is "just numbers."

[pinboy3niner]

110. Libya frees al-Jazeera cameraman

Source: Reuters

Norwegian Ammar al-Hamdan is third of four al-Jazeera staff detained by Gaddafi forces last month to be released

Reuters
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 April 2011 18.39 BST



Libyan officials have released another one of the four al-Jazeera staff members detained by Muammar Gaddafi's forces last month.


Norwegian cameraman Ammar al-Hamdan, who spent 14 days in solitary confinement, said: "I am in good health and I'm now in Tunisia."


In a telephone interview with al-Jazeera, he said three accusations had been levelled against him, including co-operation with Qatari and Norwegian intelligence and "infiltrating Libya". The third accusation was not clear.


Hamdan and three colleagues were arrested by pro-Gaddafi forces on 6 March after leaving the city of Zawiyah, where there had been heavy fighting. Al-Jazeera's Mauritanian correspondent Ahmad Vall Ould was released on 11 April and Tunisian Lotfi al-Masoudi a few days earlier.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/14/libya-frees-aljazeera-cameraman

One Al Jazeera cameraman remains unaccounted for. British citizen Kamel al-Tallou hasn't been seen since he was arrested with the other three AJ journalists.

[pinboy3niner]

111. Rebels warn of 'massacre' in Misurata

Source: Al Jazeera

Artillery barrage kills at least 23 in besieged Libyan city while port entry point for humanitarian aid also attacked.


Last Modified: 14 Apr 2011 13:51

...

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Benghazi, said that "Gaddafi's forces are still using their fire power" in "quite significant" ways.


"They did pound the city of Misurata," said Abdel-Hamid. "According to an opposition spokesman, they were actually queuing up at a bakery this morning when they came under attack by Grad missiles," said Abdel-Hamid.


She added that Misurata's port, the entry point for any humanitarian aid, had also come under attack.


"We have seen some pictures and some very graphic videos of wounds and casualties in Misurata - stuff we really can't broadcast because they're so graphic - but they do tell you about how bad the situation is in that city."

...


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/201141494016905479.html

[defendandprotect]

135. K/R ---

[pinboy3niner]

112. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 12:01 AM FRIDAY, APRIL 15

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

[Waiting For Everyman]

113. Wow, the TNC oil minister Tarhouni snuck in and out of Misrata last week.

From NPR News. Tarhouni is the former U of Washington professor. I was impressed by him before, but this rocks!

...

It wasn't the usual workday for a de facto Cabinet minister, even in these extraordinary times. Tarhouni spoke to NPR on Thursday about his daring clandestine trip to bring money and moral support to the place he calls Libya's "small Leningrad."

...

He arrived carrying badly needed money for salaries and, perhaps more importantly, the message that the people of Misrata had not been forgotten.

What Tarhouni wasn't prepared for were the scenes of devastation and the daily acts of bravery that have helped the last major rebel holdout in western Libya endure Gadhafi's barrage.

"I went there to boost their morale — the fact of the matter they boosted my morale," he says. "It's a very courageous city."

...

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/14/135414611/rebel-leader-finds-hope-in-courageous-misrata

[MedleyMisty]

114. Libyans are the most honorable and courageous people on this planet

May we all learn from them, and honor them, and hold them up as an example as we fight our own dictators.

The day Americans show such solidarity and common humanity and courage is the day the world will be free.

[tabatha]

116. I agree with that sentiment completely.

And just as the French helped the US in its quest for freedom, I am glad to see that they are helping the Libyans in theirs.

[defendandprotect]

136. Wish more Americans felt what you are saying --

and expressing so beautifully in echoing the spirit of Libyans -- !!

Still now, we do not even acknowlege the political violence -- assassinations --

and stolen elections, nor the brutal rule the rise of the right has brought us.

[pinboy3niner]

115. Libya: Moussa Koussa 'may not return to Britain'

Source: The Telegraph

Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister, may not come back to the UK amid concerns he could face prosecution for terrorist offences, sources have suggested.


By James Kirkup, Damien McElroy in Cairo9:00PM BST 14 Apr 2011


Mr Koussa was on Thursday night still in Qatar after attending a one-day conference on Libya on Wednesday. British and Arab diplomats said it was possible he could decide not to return to Britain, where campaigners want him to account for his role in the regime of Col Muammar Gaddafi.


The prospect of Mr Koussa choosing not to return came on the day that he was removed from a European Union sanctions list, giving him free access to financial assets held in European banks.

...


British diplomats said that since Mr Koussa was never formally detained in the UK, he was free to decide whether to return. It is understood that Mr Koussa has told MI6 that he plans to return to London, where several members of his family are based.

...


Sources said Mr Shalgam has been "exploring options" for Mr Koussa. An Arab diplomat said that Morocco could emerge as his permanent home.

...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8451926/Libya-Moussa-Koussa-may-not-return-to-Britain.html

[David__77]

125. He'd be foolish to voluntarily return.

Morocco sounds like a reasonable destination.

[pinboy3niner]

119. Obama, Cameron, Sarkozy in joint op-ed: won't "rest" until UNSC res's have been implemented...

@marcambinderMarc Ambinder
Obama, Cameron, Sarkozy in joint op-ed: won't "rest" until UNSC res's have been implemented AND "the Lbyan people" can choose their future.
9 minutes ago

[tabatha]

120. Well, they better do better.

[pinboy3niner]

121. RAF brass dismissed need to train Typhoon pilots for ground attacks just days before Libyan action

Source: The Telegraph


Libya: RAF bosses dismissed plan to train Typhoon pilots


RAF chiefs dismissed the need to train Typhoon pilots for ground attacks just days before the Libyan conflict began, it can be disclosed.


By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent and James Kirkup10:30PM BST 14 Apr 2011


The news emerged as MPs have savaged the Air Force for its dire mismanagement of the Typhoon project that saw costs “spiral” by 75 per cent to £126 million per aircraft, the Public Accounts Committee said today (fri).


But in evidence given to MPs just 10 days before the air strikes on Col Gaddafi’s forces began on March 19 Air Vice Marshal Stephen Hillier said the RAF saw no reason to spend money giving Typhoon pilots “skills that we do not expect to deploy in operations”.


The RAF are now frantically training up more pilots in the ground attack role as it can only field a force of just four Typhoon aircraft to bomb Libyan forces due to a shortage of personnel and equipment.


In the PAC report Air Force chiefs are accused of a litany of failings that in one instance saw them ground five pilots because they had run out of spare parts for aircraft.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8450691/Libya-RAF-bosses-dismissed-plan-to-train-Typhoon-pilots.html

[pinboy3niner]

126. Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy: no let-up in Libya until Gaddafi departs

Source: The Guardian

Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy: no let-up in Libya until Gaddafi departs


US president reverses previously cautious approach to Libyan conflict and signs America up to more muscular intervention


Allegra Stratton, political correspondent
The Guardian, Friday 15 April 2011


President Obama today signals the return of America to the forefront of the international effort in Libya, writing a joint article with David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy in which the three leaders commit their countries to pursue military action until Colonel Gaddafi has been removed.


In the joint article, Obama reverses America's earlier cautious approach to the conflict – which saw the US hand control to Nato and withdraw fighter planes just days after the intervention began – and signs up his country to the more muscular intervention of his European colleagues.

...


Writing in Washington Post, the Times and Le Figaro, the three leaders say the world would have committed an "unconscionable betrayal" if the Libyan leader is left in place, putting rebels who have been fighting against the Gaddafi regime at the mercy of his government. If left, Libya risks becoming a failed state, they write.


Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron call on Gaddafi to "go and go for good", rejecting demands for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated exit for the Libyan dictator.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/15/obama-sarkozy-cameron-libya

[pinboy3niner]

127. FULL TEXT OF JOINT OP-ED: Libya's Pathway to Peace

Libya's Pathway to Peace


By BARACK OBAMA, DAVID CAMERON, and NICOLAS SARKOZY


Published: April 14, 2011



Together with our NATO allies and coalition partners, the United States, France and Britain have been united from the start in responding to the crisis in Libya, and we are united on what needs to happen in order to end it.


Even as we continue our military operations today to protect civilians in Libya, we are determined to look to the future. We are convinced that better times lie ahead for the people of Libya, and a pathway can be forged to achieve just that.


We must never forget the reasons why the international community was obliged to act in the first place. As Libya descended into chaos with Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi attacking his own people, the Arab League called for action. The Libyan opposition called for help. And the people of Libya looked to the world in their hour of need. In an historic resolution, the United Nations Security Council authorized all necessary measures to protect the people of Libya from the attacks upon them. By responding immediately, our countries, together with an international coalition, halted the advance of Qaddafi’s forces and prevented the bloodbath that he had promised to inflict upon the citizens of the besieged city of Benghazi.


Tens of thousands of lives have been protected. But the people of Libya are still suffering terrible horrors at Qaddafi’s hands each and every day. His rockets and shells rained down on defenseless civilians in Ajdabiya. The city of Misurata is enduring a medieval siege, as Qaddafi tries to strangle its population into submission. The evidence of disappearances and abuses grows daily.


Our duty and our mandate under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 is to protect civilians, and we are doing that. It is not to remove Qaddafi by force. But it is impossible to imagine a future for Libya with Qaddafi in power. The International Criminal Court is rightly investigating the crimes committed against civilians and the grievous violations of international law. It is unthinkable that someone who has tried to massacre his own people can play a part in their future government. The brave citizens of those towns
that have held out against forces that have been mercilessly targeting them would face a fearful vengeance if the world accepted such an arrangement. It would be an unconscionable betrayal.


Furthermore, it would condemn Libya to being not only a pariah state, but a failed state too. Qaddafi has promised to carry out terrorist attacks against civilian ships and airliners. And because he has lost the consent of his people any deal that leaves him in power would lead to further chaos and lawlessness. We know from bitter experience what that would mean. Neither Europe, the region, or the world can afford a new safe haven for extremists.


There is a pathway to peace that promises new hope for the people of Libya — a future without Qaddafi that preserves Libya’s integrity and sovereignty, and restores her economy and the prosperity and security of her people. This needs to begin with a genuine end to violence, marked by deeds not words. The regime has to pull back from the cities it is besieging, including Ajdabiya, Misurata and Zintan, and return to their barracks. However, so long as Qaddafi is in power, NATO must maintain its operations so that civilians remain protected and the pressure on the regime builds. Then a genuine transition from dictatorship to an inclusive constitutional process can really begin, led by a new generation of leaders. In order for that transition to succeed, Qaddafi must go and go for good. At that point, the United Nations and its members should help the Libyan people as they rebuild where Qaddafi has destroyed — to repair homes and hospitals, to restore basic utilities, and to assist Libyans as they develop the institutions to underpin a prosperous and open society.


This vision for the future of Libya has the support of a broad coalition of countries, including many from the Arab world. These countries came together in London on March 29 and founded a Contact Group which met this week in Doha to support a solution to the crisis that respects the will of the Libyan people.


Today, NATO and our partners are acting in the name of the United Nations with an unprecedented international legal mandate. But it will be the people of Libya, not the U.N., who choose their new constitution, elect their new leaders, and write the next chapter in their history.


Britain, France and the United States will not rest until the United Nations Security Council resolutions have been implemented and the Libyan people can choose their own future.


Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States.David Cameron is prime minister of Britain and Nicolas Sarkozy is president of France.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/opinion/15iht-edlibya15.html

[defendandprotect]

137. Great News -- but is the US actually still in this ... as it should be -- ???

[pinboy3niner]

128. War compounds the plight of Libya's mentally ill

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2011


War compounds the plight of Libya's mentally ill


By Shashank Bengali | McClatchy Newspapers


BENGHAZI, Libya —

...


Doctors in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and the capital of the rebel east, say that visits to the psychiatric hospital there have increased 50 percent since the revolt against Gadhafi's nearly 42 years of one-man rule began in mid-February. The patients comprise relapsed victims of mental illness, such as Fatma, as well as people who are experiencing symptoms for the first time.

...


There's Majid, the 25-year-old who lost a leg in a factory accident but joined the rebel army anyway and now suffers night terrors after burying comrades who were killed in vicious battles in the oil towns of Brega and Ras Lanouf.

...


Doctors also had to battle a propaganda war by the Gadhafi regime that took direct aim at the hospital. In the early days of the conflict, Libyan state news media based in the western capital, Tripoli, spread rumors that mental patients had escaped from the Benghazi hospital, to sow fears of chaos in the east.


"They said patients went out and were wandering in the streets, killing people," Roey said. "They said that female patients had been raped and that the pharmacy was spreading drugs among the children."


http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/04/14/112177/war-compounds-the-plight-of-libyas.html#ixzz1JXpugaph

[defendandprotect]

138. K/R --

[joshcryer]

129. Day 57 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x894185

[MedleyMisty]

130. Sun's gone down

I made it through the solidarity fast! Even did a little non-religious non-dogmatic prayer of my own for Libya, and for the world, to be free.

Cooking some dinner now. :)