The Libyan Crisis

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Gaddafi insists his people "love him", while UN says 40,000 people have fled to Tunisia

---

Already up to 75,000 have struggled into Tunisia, but yesterday the crossing system collapsed as thousands of men -- almost all Arabs desperate to escape Muammar Gaddafi's state -- fought with local Tunisians who, under the eyes of the army, attacked them with stakes and iron bars.

Robert Fisk: No food or water for 20,000 in four days at hell's border - Analysis, Opinion - Independent.ie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNsMc3rZS2Q

The latest footage from the border between Libya and Tunisia where tens of thousands of migrants are struggling to leave the country in the wake of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi

youtube.com

If you want to see this at its most ridiculous, watch Lisa Holland on Sky "interviewing" Seif Gaddafi. What a odious fucking toad he is. I hope they nail this fucker like they nailed Saddam's sons. The sooner someone double taps this arsehole the better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3afu6JMbdeM
youtube.com

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OhOh

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Britain is working with its allies on a plan to establish a military no-fly zone over Libya, says David Cameron.

The prime minister said the threat of "further appalling steps" being taken by Col Muammar Gaddafi to oppress his own people was behind the talks.

He said he did not rule out "the use of military assets" in Libya and said the "murderous regime" must end.

---

Another illegal war for the UK. Here we go again.

Has the UK declared war on Libya and if so on what grounds. If the Libyans shoot down a UK aeroplane does Dave plan to go nuclear?

Will he do the same to the Israelis who are currently bombing the Palestinians in the Gaza strip with "military assets" supplied by the US?

Will he do the same to the Bahranis whose mercenaries/Police/Armed forces from the Sudan, Pakistan and Egypt are currently shooting the local population in Manama with "military assets" supplied by the US/UK?

Will he do the same to ...........

---

But at the end of the day in bosnia, it was the systematic bombing, probably illegal, of bosnian serb military assets that brought that conflict to an end. Once their military superiority was gone, they seemed take negotiations much more seriously.

The idea of a UN sanctioned no-fly zone with associated asset bombing would gadafi's loyalists in position of not being able to organise large scale turkey shoots of the Libyan population. It evens up the fight, giving the Libyans their own victory over gadafi. More importantly concentrate loylist minds on whats going happen to them, when they inevitably end up on the loosing side.

With the authorisation of the security council, this would be a morel and ethical action. But then when china faced similar issues to those gadaffi was initially faced with, they resorted to battlefield weapons and civilian slaughter much earlier in the escalation. by not vetoing such action at the security council, they might be denying themselves the future right to use such tools, again, to keep hold on power in china.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

If you want to see this at its most ridiculous, watch Lisa Holland on Sky "interviewing" Seif Gaddafi. What a odious fucking toad he is. I hope they nail this fucker like they nailed Saddam's sons. The sooner someone double taps this arsehole the better.

---

As some wise person once said, --"the first casualty of war is the truth".

Government propaganda is routinely used by all governments to put their own spin on events. Although this idiots spiel is a bit (a lot) over the top, it does have some minor factual content, as most propaganda does.
The west too along with the anti-Gaddafi resistance is not immune from bending the truth. Reports of Gaddafi using his airforce to strafe protesters is an example.
They bombed ammunition stores in rebel held areas to stop them getting more arms and ammo is all. The only evidence to substantiate the rebels claim is a short video of a helicopter flying overhead with the sound of gunfire in the background. And another of a jet flying past. Sure some people got killed when they hit the ammo dumps, but its not like jets attacking protesters. Its the verbal narration (spin) that builds the picture.

Today the USA and other countries backed down from their threat of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya saying it would be too difficult. Utter crap! The Yanks could completely wipe out the Libyan air force and its infrastructure in less than a day if they wanted to. But the reality is that they have no grounds to do so since these claims of the Libyan airforce attacking unarmed protesters is baseless and would be proved to be so in the future. Add into this that the protesters are now well armed with captured weapons and the situation has now escalated into a civil war rather than simply people protesting on the streets.

Dont believe everything the western mainstream media feeds you anymore than the crap this son of Gidaffi is dishing out. The facts are out there somewhere, but its a hell of a job to sift through the propaganda and find it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hazz

With the authorisation of the security council, this would be a morel and ethical action

---

A SC resolution would never happen because some of the members actually believe in the rights of sovereign states.

The UN general assembly would never authorise an invasion on the grounds of it illegality.

But wtf this will not stop the real warmongers in starting another illegal war without the slightest idea as to their objectives, their strategy and most importantly their exit route!

Let us see if Dave can get a motion passed in the House of Commons. Lets see if he has the balls to put it to a vote.

ICC - ICC Prosecutor to open an investigation in Libya


Statement: 02.03.2011

ICC Prosecutor to open an investigation in Libya

On Thursday 3 March 2011 International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, in accordance with the requirements under the Rome Statute will announce the opening of an investigation in Libya.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011) provides jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court over the situation in Libya since 15 February 2011. As per the Rome Statute, the Prosecutor shall proceed with an investigation if there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes falling under the ICC jurisdiction have been committed.

Following a preliminary examination of available information, the Prosecutor has reached the conclusion that an investigation is warranted.

Tomorrow at a press conference in The Hague, the Prosecutor will present an overview of the alleged crimes committed in Libya since 15 February 2011 and preliminary information as to the entities and persons who could be prosecuted and put them on notice to avoid future crimes.

The Office of the Prosecutor is liaising with the United Nations, the African Union, the Arab League, as well as States. Additionally, the Prosecutor will also request information from other sources including from Interpol who will provide assistance. The Prosecutor will act independently and impartially.

The next step is for the Prosecutor to present his case to ICC judges who will then decide whether or not to issue arrest warrants based on the evidence.


Source: Office of the Prosecutor

obviously the ICC has now other priorities than investigating the ridiculous claims brought forward by Amsterdam and paid for by Thaksin

^
I think you'll find "we're too busy" doesn't in itself constitute grounds for not proceeding.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/af...ict/index.html

Libyan military bombs area controlled by opposition

By the CNN Wire Staff
March 2, 2011 -- Updated 1443 GMT (2243 HKT)

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2011/03/379.jpg
Gadhafi: Libyan power is people's

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan military aircraft flew over a section of eastern Libya Wednesday, dropping two bombs on an area largely controlled by the opposition.

A CNN crew saw the bombings. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The battle in the area of al-Brega, which has key oil and natural gas facilities, came as leader Moammar Gadhafi tried to regain control.

Earlier Wednesday, military aircraft bombed military camps on the outskirts of the town of Ajdabiya, a tribal leader said.

The tribal leader, who did not want to be identified for safety reasons, said youth in Ajdabiya were amassing and heading toward the conflict area to help defend the town, which has been in the control of opposition forces in recent days. Some military bases in eastern Libya have fallen into the hands of protesters as more members of the military have abandoned Gadhafi's regime and joined demonstrations.

The aerial bombings could support calls by some in the opposition for the United States and international groups, such as the United Nations, to impose a no-fly zone over the country, preventing Gadhafi from using aerial attacks. The United States has said all options are on the table. Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said imposing a no-fly zone would be "an extraordinarily complex operation."

The Arab League met Wednesday to consider a resolution rejecting foreign military intervention in Libya, where protesters have been demonstrating for weeks, calling for more freedoms and for the longtime ruler to step down.

As Gadhafi's forces launched their aerial attacks, the 68-year-old leader warned that "thousands and thousands of people will be killed" if the United States or NATO "intervene in our country."

(more at the link, long report)

France24 - Gaddafi loyalists mount counter-attack in east Libya

Gaddafi loyalists mount counter-attack in east Libya

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have recaptured the eastern town of Brega after violent clashes with rebel forces, marking the biggest military success for Gaddafi loyalists since the start of the uprising.

By Cyril VANIER in Benghazi (video)
News Wires (text)

REUTERS - Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have recaptured a town in Libya's mostly rebel-held east, rebel military officers said on Wednesday, in an attempt to break the momentum of a popular rebellion against his 41-year-old rule.

Forces sent by the Libyan leader had seized back Marsa El Brega after violent clashes with rebels who had controlled the town 800 km (500 miles) east of the captial Tripoli, the rebel officers told Reuters.

"It's true. There was aerial bombardment of Brega and Gaddafi's forces have taken it," Mohamed Yousef, an officer in the town of Ajdabiyah which is about 75 km (47 miles) from Brega, told Reuters on Wednesday.

The assaults are the most significant military success for Gaddafi since the uprising began two weeks ago and and set off a confrontation that Washington says could descend into a long civil war unless the veteran strongman ruler steps down.

<snip>

"We are going to keep the pressure on Gaddafi until he steps down and allows the people of Libya to express themselves freely and determine their own future," Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told ABC's "Good Morning America".

Captain Faris Zwei, among officers in the east who joined the opposition to Gaddafi, said there were more than 10,000 volunteers in Ajdabiyah, a short distance from Marsa El Brega.

"We are reorganising the army, which was almost completely destroyed by Gaddafi and his gang before they left," he said. "We are reforming, as much as we can, the army from the youth that took part in the revolution."

Two amphibious assault ships, USS Kearsarge, which can carry 2,000 Marines, and USS Ponce, entered the Suez Canal on Wednesday en route to the Mediterranean. The destroyer USS Barry moved through the canal on Monday as part of efforts to increase diplomatic and military pressure on Gaddafi to quit.

The two ships entered through the southern end of the canal, an official said, adding that they were expected to pass through by 3:30 p.m. (1330 GMT) or 4:00 p.m. local time.

Arab League foreign ministers meet on Wednesday at an extraordinary session in Cairo and are expected to reinforce their condemnation of Gaddafi. Some delegates want the meeting to underline the League's unwillingness to see foreign intervention in Libya.

The repositioning of U.S. ships and aircraft closer to Libya is widely seen as a symbolic show of force since neither the United States nor its NATO allies have shown any appetite for direct military intervention in the turmoil that has seen Gaddafi lose control of large swaths of his country.

<snip>

US rules nothing out

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "Libya could become a peaceful democracy or it could face protracted civil war."

The U.S. Senate, in a unanimous vote, approved a resolution "strongly condemning the gross and systematic violation of human rights in Libya, including violent attacks on protesters demanding democratic reforms".

The White House said the ships were being redeployed in preparation for possible humanitarian efforts but stressed it "was not taking any options off the table". Gates said: "Our job is to give the president the broadest possible decision space."

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe sounded a note of caution, saying military intervention would not happen without a clear United Nations mandate.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said Britain would work with allies on preparations for a no-fly zone over Libya, said it was unacceptable that "Colonel Gaddafi can be murdering his own people using airplanes and helicopter gunships".

General James Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate hearing that imposing a no-fly zone would be a "challenging" operation. "You would have to remove air defence capability in order to establish a no-fly zone, so no illusions here," he said. "It would be a military operation."

<snip>

The United States has frozen $30 billion in Libyan assets.

Libya's National Oil Corp said output had halved due to the departure of foreign workers. Brent crude surged above $116 a barrel on Tuesday as supply disruptions and potential for more unrest in the Middle East and North Africa kept investors edgy.

(Edited out bits to avoid repetition from earlier reports..click the link to see the full version)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OhOh

A SC resolution would never happen because some of the members actually believe in the rights of sovereign states.

---

I think you will find that the countries that believe that the rights of sovereign states extends to killing their own citizens, libyan style would comprise a list of the must odious countries from around the world. china is one of those countries so it's veto would make you right, bit I'm not convinced that this is a good thing

^^ It is now reported (John Simpson, BBC, who is there) that Brega has been recaptured by the anti-Gaddafi forces.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hazz

a list of the must odious countries from around the world

---

Are you suggesting that the, as defined by you, less odious countries would allow armed groups to overthrow the government without firing on the armed insurgents. Would they also allow foreigners to assist and arm the insurgents.

I would suggest they would start with "kettling", then tear gas and water cannons, then riot police attacks. At this stage the the "insurgents" would arm themselves with whatever was available. In some countries arms are held by some or are available easily. The mobile networks and landlines (Internet) would be switched off.

This has already happened in a number of the "less" insidious countries in the last year. France, Greece, UK, Germany and the US.

The next step is not so far away. Pro government v insurgent clashes, paving slabs, Molotov cocktails. French aircraft carriers/Chinese container ships turning up with containers full of "aid". Armed police on the streets/airports/ports becoming twitchy.

Doesn't take much for the police, who have today been informed that they must take a pay and conditions cut in the UK, to start realising where their allegiance lays.

Read the comments pages from the UK national papers, the telegraph ( the most pro army/government paper) is full of posters, 80%, telling the army/navy/airforce not to get involved with another illegal war. The Guardian and Independent are similar. The Washington Post similar.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

^^ It is now reported (John Simpson, BBC, who is there) that Brega has been recaptured by the anti-Gaddafi forces.

---

If it's on the BBC it must be fact then.:rolleyes:

Airstrikes in Brega, Libya

As Libyan air force pilots still loyal to Gaddafi drop bombs on the oil-rich town of Brega in the north of the country, armed Gaddafi opponents encircle his loyalists in the center of the town.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley describes the situation from just outside the town in the north-east of the country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVCQnteO12s

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
An airstrike narrowly misses opposition forces - and Al Jazeera reporters - outside Brega [Picture: [at]evanchill]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAXxL-MtYEk

There have been no confirmed reports of the Libyan air force bombing the rebels.

Not yet anyway. The mad man Gaddafi is capable of using such brutal force as a last ditch effort if cornered though. Quite probably the threat of the international community imposing a no fly zone over Libya is the main thing stopping him from attacking the rebels with his airforce, as a no fly zone would completely decimate his airforce and deny Gaddafi of his last ace card when his back is truly against the wall.

Battle rages over Libyan oil port - Africa - Al Jazeera English

"Libyan forces have launched repeated air raids during the two-week revolt but all of them have been reported to target facilities that store weapons in areas controlled by the rebels"


Battle rages over Libyan oil port The Libyan air force bombs Brega as fighting between pro-Gaddafi forces and opponents continues.


"
The Libyan air force has bombed the oil refinery and port town of Marsa El Brega as battles between forces loyal and against Muammar Gaddafi continued to rage in several towns across the North African country.
"We just watched an air force jet ... fly over Brega and drop at least one bomb and huge plumes of smoke are now coming out," Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said on Wednesday.
The warplane from Gaddafi's air force struck a beach near where the two sides were fighting at a university campus.
witness said the blast raised a plume of sand from a dune but caused no casualties, apparently an attempt to scare off the anti-Gaddafi fighters besieging regime forces in the campus"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

on the oil-rich town of Brega

---

The built up area, the beach, the airport, the weapons dump, or the oil storage. Which is it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Panda

no confirmed reports of the Libyan air force bombing the rebels

---

So no massacre of the missile equipped rebels.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Panda

Quite probably the threat of the international community imposing a no fly zone over Libya

---

Maybe the fact that Libya has Russian supplied S200 and S300 anti-aircraft missile defences has something to do with it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Panda

target facilities that store weapons

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Panda

bombed the oil refinery and port town

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Panda

Gaddafi's air force struck a beach

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Panda

We just watched an air force je

---

The report talks of one aircraft and one bomb, must be a pretty large bomb to take out all four at once.

Your youtube report is labelled "Missile Strike near Bega" is this a Libyan missile or a "friendly fire" mistake from the US, the UK, the Dutch or the Egyptians, all of which are reported to have military forces in the area.

A few inconsistencies in the media reports Eh?

Gaddafi's loyalists have captured the port and the harbour near the township of Brega. Reports indicate little of no resistance at the refinery which is reportedly still operating with a reduced staffing.

The refinery and harbour are tactical prizes of great economic importance to both sides.
The township of Brega itself is surrounded and under siege. It has been reported that supplies are running low in the town with no milk available to feed the babies.
It would appear that the refinery and harbour were the real targets of the recent government thrust while the rather half hearted assault on the town was simply a distraction rather than the way it is being reported in the world media as a great victory for the rebels.

There have been no reports of the airforce bombing the rebels, merely reports of one or two bombs dropped one a beach near where the rebels were massed.
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2011/03/642.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Panda

Gaddafi's loyalists have captured the port and the harbour near the township of Brega. Reports indicate little of no resistance at the refinery which is reportedly still operating with a reduced staffing.

The refinery and harbour are tactical prizes of great economic importance to both sides.
The township of Brega itself is surrounded and under siege. It has been reported that supplies are running low in the town with no milk available to feed the babies.
It would appear that the refinery and harbour were the real targets of the recent government thrust while the rather half hearted assault on the town was simply a distraction rather than the way it is being reported in the world media as a great victory for the rebels.

There have been no reports of the airforce bombing the rebels, merely reports of one or two bombs dropped one a beach near where the rebels were massed.

---

My apologies, the rebels in Brega did indeed beat back the pro Gaddafi forces.
It is the town of Zawiyah that is surrounded and under siege.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/20...04/140140.html

Libyan officials bar reporters from leaving hotel

Tripoli braces for mass anti-Gaddafi protests

Friday, 04 March 2011

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
A Libyan civilian hold anti aircraft ammunitions at an army barrack in Benghazi

Al-Bayda, LIBYA (Agencies)

Protesters demanding the departure of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi plan to hold mass protests in the capital Tripoli following the weekly prayers on Friday.

Tripoli has been relatively calm under a deadly crackdown with a reported wave of arrests, killings and disappearances by paramilitaries loyal to Gaddafi’s regime.

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif We are preparing to pay this price of preventing you guys from reporting to avoid turning Tripoli into Baghdad https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif Govt spokesman Mussa Ibrahim

Libyan authorities blocked foreign journalists from leaving their hotel to report on expected protests after Friday prayers.

When journalists including Reuters reporters tried to walk out of the gates of the main media hotel, to the south of Tripoli city centre, security guards blocked their way.

A Libyan government spokesman said journalists were being kept in the Rixos hotel because their presence could trigger violence from what he described as affiliates of al Qaeda.

"These are exceptional circumstances. I know you're going to talk about it and twist it the way you want," said the spokesman Mussa Ibrahim. "We are preparing to pay this price of preventing you guys from reporting to avoid turning Tripoli into Baghdad."

A revolt against Gaddafi's four-decade rule has left the eastern side of the country, and several towns elsewhere, in rebel control with the capital now his principal strong-hold.

Several residents of Tripoli have said they are planning to protest against Gaddafi when they leave their mosques after Friday prayers, and that they anticipate a violent crackdown by armed pro-Gaddafi militias.

Overnight, gunshots could be heard outside the Rixos hotel. Ibrahim said the firing was an attempt by the rebels to disturb stability in central Tripoli.

About 130 journalists are in the hotel after being invited to Libya on an officially-organised media visit. Their movements are monitored by officials.

No talks

In the eastern part of the country, protesters who have set up a National Libyan Council said they were open to talks only on Gaddafi's resignation or exile to stop bloodshed, an aide to a top public figure said on Thursday.

Ahmed Jabreel, an aide to ex-justice minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil who heads the council now based in Benghazi, said air strikes to set up a "no-fly" zone were needed to help rebels topple Gaddafi, who has refused to step down despite a revolt.

"If there is any negotiation it will be on one single thing -- how Gaddafi is going to leave the country or step down so we can save lives. There is nothing else to negotiate," Jabreel, authorized to speak on Abdel Jalil's behalf, told Reuters.

"We are not going to negotiate any political solution. We want him put on trial, but if we don't give him an exit, we know more people will be killed," he said in al-Bayda, a coastal city in rebel-controlled eastern Libya.

The council has called for U.N.-backed air strikes against what they say are African mercenaries fighting for Gaddafi. Warplanes raided eastern towns on Thursday after launching a ground assault on Brega on Wednesday that rebels repulsed.

"I don't think Gaddafi is thinking any more about getting the east of Libya back. He is trying to keep whatever he has in his hands and find a political solution," Jabreel said.

Asked about Brega, Jabreel said: "On the ground, people are in control. We are saying we need airstrikes to impose a no-fly zone in Libya. With this, people will be able to defeat Gaddafi for sure."

"We have the weapons, the support, we have almost half of Libya that we can defend, so we are convinced that we can defeat any movement Gaddafi may make," he added.

Consensus

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif The military council in Benghazi started organizing themselves, they have not taken any decision to move to the west https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif Mustafa Abdel Jalil

Rebels have pushed the front line west from Brega and Gaddafi's forces have retreated to Ras Lanuf, 660 km (410 miles) east of Tripoli, rebel commanders and soldiers said.

"The military council in Benghazi started organizing themselves, they have not taken any decision to move to the west but they are organizing themselves so they can be ready for any development in the coming days," he said.

A council spokesman announced on Wednesday that Abdel Jalil would chair the 30-member body that will represent those rebelling against Gaddafi's 41-year rule.

But the spokesman said the council, which wants to move to Tripoli once Gaddafi falls, was not an interim government.

Jabreel, formerly a Libyan diplomat based in New York, said Abdel Jalil had been travelling around towns in the region to build support and a consensus about the council's plans.

"Everyone is saying the same thing. We want a constitution that divides between the three authorities, a civil participative state that is respected and respects other members of the international community," Jabreel said.

Rebel council spokesman Hafiz Ghoga has accused several African countries of sending troops to support Gaddafi and said there was evidence that Algeria, a fellow North African state, was playing a role. But Jabreel trod more cautiously.

"There is no proof at this stage that any government has been involved. I met some of the mercenaries a couple of years ago, they were given Libyan nationality," he said.

"That is why, when you see them, they don't look Libyan but have Libyan papers. The recruitment started a few years ago without the cooperation of any government," he added.

He also said there was stability in the eastern region, which has a history of revolting against Gaddafi's rule and which fell into rebel hands swiftly after protests erupted in mid-February.

"Security-wise things are very stable. We have not seen any instability in this part of Libya. People are very happy, very safe. There have been no clashes," Jabreel said.

"Libyan authorities blocked foreign journalists from leaving their hotel to report on expected protests after Friday prayers.

When journalists including Reuters reporters tried to walk out of the gates of the main media hotel, to the south of Tripoli city centre, security guards blocked their way. "

As Gaddafi has repeatedly vowed to kill any who oppose him and there's a mass demonstration in the capital, one has to wonder what is going to happen...

No witnesses?

Today should be interesting.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/afri...-0#update-8046

12:40pm Rebel fighters gather in the oil-rich town of Ras Lanuf as Libyan state television claimed that the town had been recaptured by loyalist forces [AFP].

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/20...07/140470.html

UN urges Libya to end "indiscriminate" attacks on civilians

Libya protesters losing ground as UN gains access

Monday, 07 March 2011

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
A young Libyan girl flashes the "V sign" with her fingers painted with the old national flag's colours, during a demo in Benghazi

TRIPOLI/UNITED NATIONS (AlArabiya.net, Agencies)

Muammar Gaddafi's forces were holding off protesters near the Libyan leader's hometown and recaptured a key city, as the United Nations prepared to send a special envoy to Tripoli while its chief demanded an end to "indiscriminate" attacks against civilians in Libya and warned Tripoli that anyone who violates international law will be brought to justice.

Untold numbers of "injured and dying" in the western city of Misrata prompted a U.N. demand for urgent access to the civilian population repeatedly shelled by Gaddafi tanks Sunday.

The U.N. Secretary General, meanwhile, demanded an end to "indiscriminate" attacks against civilians in Libya and warned Tripoli that anyone who violates international law will be brought to justice.

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
UN chief Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-moon's press office said Gaddafi's foreign minister agreed to let a "humanitarian assessment" team visit Tripoli and he named a special envoy to deal with the regime, former Jordanian foreign minister Abdelilah al-Khatib to undertake "urgent consultations" with the Tripoli government.

"He (Ban) notes that civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence, and calls for an immediate halt to the government's disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets," the statement said.

"He stresses that those who violate international humanitarian law or commit grave crimes must be held accountable," it added.

Ban appealed to the Libyan government to call an end to the hostilities and urged it to comply fully with a U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution adopted a week ago.

That resolution called for an end to the violence and imposed U.N. sanctions on Qaddafi, his family and inner circle. It also referred the violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrators to the International Criminal Court.

Frustration

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Protesters wave a Kingdom of Libya flag during an anti-Gaddafi protest in Benghazi

Protesters' frustration was apparent as ragtag opposition forces squabbled over a bitter defeat in the coastal city of Bin Jawad.

And revolutionary leaders rejected a secret British mission sent to establish contact with them. In the eastern city of Benghazi, a protesters stronghold, a spokesman said the British team that landed nearby had not made prior arrangements, and was sent away.

Pro-Gaddafi forces beat back protesters making a westward approach to Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.

Protesters also pulled back from the coastal hamlet of Bin Jawad, occupied on Saturday, after clashes left two dead and around 50 wounded.

"We retreated from Bin Jawad. Ras Lanuf will be our line of defense," rebel Aqil al-Fars told AFP.

Demonstrators in the oil port of Ras Lanuf argued about what went wrong in nearby Bin Jawad, with one proclaiming: "The problem is we have no leadership."

Attacks in the western city of Misrata prompted the U.N. demand for urgent access to civilians.

"People are injured and dying and need help immediately," said U.N. emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos. "I call on the authorities to provide access without delay to allow aid workers to help save lives."

Residents of Misrata, strategically located between the capital Tripoli and Sirte, said earlier that government tanks were shelling the town and warned of "carnage" if the international community did not intervene.

A spokesman for the protesters confirmed Misrata was under intense fire from pro-Gaddafi forces and reported casualties, but insisted the city was still in rebel hands.

The opposition vehemently denied a report by Allibiya state television that Gaddafi's forces had retaken a string of strategic oil towns from the rebels.

Taking back control

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Supporters of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi attend a rally in central Tripoli

Thousands celebrated in Tripoli with gunfire, horn-honking and flag waving after Allibiya said government forces had taken control of Misrata, Libya's third city, the key oil hub of Ras Lanuf and even Tobruk near the Egyptian border.

AFP reporters in Ras Lanuf, taken by protesters early on Saturday, confirmed it was still in opposition hands despite being hit by air strikes early Sunday.

A defected officer, Colonel Bashir al-Moghrabi, told reporters the opposition also still controlled Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, where fierce battles took place on Saturday.

A local doctor said there had been a "massacre" in Zawiyah and a Sky News journalist said Gaddafi's forces had fired on civilians.

Libya's deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaaim told reporters the armed forces would not take the fight to the protesters.

"The order for the armed forces is to take defensive positions, and not to engage the enemy except if they go on the offensive," he said.

Ali Errishi, Gaddafi's former immigration minister who joined the revolt, voiced growing frustration at a lack of international assistance for the ill-equipped force.

He told CNN the United States had missed an opportunity to oust the Libyan strongman by "dragging their feet" over aiding the protesters in the early days of the uprising, now approaching its fourth week.

"We asked, we don't want a no-fly zone actually, we just want air cover," Errishi said.

A former U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, said it was time to "covertly arm the rebels" and enforce a no-fly zone over the north African country, to prevent Gaddafi using his air power against his own people.

British team sent home

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Protesters celebrate near an unexploded bomb that was dropped minutes before by a jet in Ras Lanuf

Britain was forced to admit its own, secret, attempt to begin negotiations with the rebels had ended ignominiously after opposition forces arrested a diplomat and a protection squad inserted clandestinely by helicopter.

"The team went to Libya to initiate contacts with the opposition. They experienced difficulties, which have now been satisfactorily resolved," said Foreign Secretary William Hague after the men were sent home by opposition leaders.

Britain's Sunday Times said the eight-man group comprised a diplomat and SAS (Special Air Service) soldiers, who the BBC said were dressed in black.

"We do not know the nature of their mission. We refused to discuss anything with them due to the way they entered the country," said spokesman Abdul Hafiz Ghoqa.

U.S. talk of a no-fly zone cooled last week after a top commander said air strikes would first have to take out ground defenses, but President Barack Obama said all options remain on the table.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe reiterated the prevailing European and U.S. view that military intervention in Libya would have "absolutely negative" effects.

But he said a no-fly zone would be a possibility should the fighting "become bloodier."

Wounded people streaming back from Bin Jawad to Ras Lanuf said Gaddafi loyalists lured them into a trap, hiding in homes, mingling with civilians and hunkering down on rooftops before opening fire on convoys of volunteers.

In an apparent counter-claim, state television later cited the military as saying the rebels were holding "human shields" in residential sectors of some cities.

Two attacks by lone warplanes targeted a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Ras Lanuf and a rebel camp in a former military barracks in the center Sunday.

^Stupid question, but doesn't that bomb look like it hit the ground backwards?

Jadallah Azous Al-Talhi, a Libyan prime minister in the 1980s who is originally from eastern Libya, appeared on state television reading an address to elders in Benghazi, the main base of the anti-Gaddafi rebels.

He asked them to "give a chance to national dialogue to resolve this crisis, to help stop the bloodshed, and not give a chance to foreigners to come and capture our country again."

The appeal did not detail any concessions that Gaddafi's administration would be prepared to make. The rebels have said they will settle for nothing less than an end to Gaddafi's four decades in power.

The fact that Al-Talhi's appeal was broadcast on tightly-controlled state television indicated that it was officially endorsed.

Libyan authorities offer olive branch to rebels

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mid

He asked them to "give a chance to national dialogue to resolve this crisis, to help stop the bloodshed, and not give a chance to foreigners to come and capture our country again."

---

America's secret plan to arm Libya's rebels - Middle East, World - The Independent

"Desperate to avoid US military involvement in Libya in the event of a prolonged struggle between the Gaddafi regime and its opponents, the Americans have asked Saudi Arabia if it can supply weapons to the rebels in Benghazi. The Saudi Kingdom, already facing a "day of rage" from its 10 per cent Shia Muslim community on Friday, with a ban on all demonstrations, has so far failed to respond"

Looks like the Gaddafi regime wants to talk; whereas the US wants war.

Unarmed civilians.

"Anti-Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi rebels, fire multiple launcher rockets during a fighting against pro-Gaddafi fighters near the town of Bin-Jawad, eastern Libya (Picture: AP)"

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

"A Libyan rebel wears ammunition around his head in Bin Jawwad. (Picture: SIPA PRESS/ REX FEATURES)."

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

Anti-government forces video attack.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/vide...in-jawad-video

sadly, the west and US interest would be to keep khaddafi

Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs

"The great 2011 Arab revolt, the cry for democracy in Northern Africa, the mostly Shi'ite revolt in the Persian Gulf, the Western despair over the price of oil, and the new United States Middle East doctrine of "regime alteration" - not to mention the Pentagon's full-spectrum dominance doctrine - have been convoluted into the ultimate political storm in MENA (Middle East/Northern Africa). The storm deploys devastating gusts of hypocritical winds.

For starters, the enlightened, democratic West has decided Muammar Gaddafi has to be taken down - or out."

Regime Change is the objective, but what will replace the old?

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/a...847222111.html

Rebels set demands for Gaddafi exit

Head of Libyan opposition says Gaddafi 'will not be pursued' if he quits within 72 hours and stops bombing countrymen.

Last Modified: 08 Mar 2011 14:36 GMT

Rebels will not pursue Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over crimes they say he has committed if he steps down from his post in the next 72 hours, the head of the rebel National Libyan Council has told Al Jazeera.

"If he leaves Libya immediately, during 72 hours, and stops the bombardment, we as Libyans will step back from pursuing him for crimes," Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the opposition National Council, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

He said the deadline would not be extended beyond 72 hours.

"Based on our love for our country we have proposed to the [Gaddafi's] indirect negotiators that a solution can be reached," Mustafa told Al Jazeera.

"Conditions are that firstly he stops all combat in the fields, secondly that his departure is within 72 hours; thirdly we may waive our right of domestic prosecution ... for the crimes of oppression, persecution, starvation and massacres.

"We will have to wait and see what the regime's response is."

Libyan state television on Tuesday denied reports that the Libyan leader tried to strike a deal with opposition forces seeking his removal. An official from the Libyan foreign ministry described the reports as "absolute nonsense".

However, a spokesman for the opposition National Council in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi confirmed that a representative had sought to negotiate Gaddafi's exit.

Gaddafi was reported to have sent a representative to Benghazi on Sunday night to discuss a conditional plan to step down, Al Jazeera learned. The offer was provided on the condition that Gaddafi would be able to keep his assets and avoid prosecution.

The Libyan leader is said to be willing to step down in return for dropping war crimes charges against him and guaranteeing a safe exit for him and his family. He also reportedly wants guarantees from the UN that he will be allowed to keep his money.

Appeal for dialogue

On Monday evening, a leading member of the government appealed to rebel leaders for dialogue, another sign that Gaddafi may be ready to compromise with opponents challenging his rule.

Jadallah Azous Al-Talhi, a Libyan prime minister in the 1980s, appeared on state television on Monday reading an address to elders in Benghazi, asking them to "give a chance to national dialogue to resolve this crisis, to help stop the bloodshed, and not give a chance to foreigners to come and capture our country again".

The appeal did not detail any concessions that Gaddafi's administration would be prepared to make. The rebels said they will settle for nothing less than an end to Gaddafi's four decades in power.

The fact that Al-Talhi's appeal was broadcast on tightly-controlled state television indicated that it was officially endorsed.

Until now Gaddafi and his entourage have shown little public appetite for dialogue, describing the rebels as armed youths under the influence of drugs who have been manipulated by al-Qaeda and foreign powers.

Tripoli last week appointed an envoy to take humanitarian aid to Benghazi but it was not clear if the envoy had a mandate to negotiate with the rebels.

Strengthening military positions

Security forces loyal to Gaddafi have strengthened their military position in the last few days, squeezing rebel-held towns in the west and checking the advance of rebel militias westwards towards the capital, Tripoli.

There has also been fierce fighting in the eastern city of Misurata, located between Tripoli and Gaddafi's hometown Sirte, with reports of at least 18 people killed.

Families residing in Ras Lanuf began heading eastward in an apparent attempt to flee the fighting in that strategic port town, our correspondent there said. Several people were reported to have been killed in battles a day earlier, including a family trying to flee the fighting.

Gaddafi supporters moved eastward on Tuesday in an effort to push the rebels back and recapture fallen towns, with reports emerging that they have taken the central Libyan town of Bin Jawad.

Valerie Amos, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator, said in a statement that the Benghazi Red Crescent reported that Misurata was also under attack by government forces again.

"Humanitarian organisations need urgent access now,'' she said. "People are injured and dying and need help immediately."

Witnesses also told Al Jazeera that Az-Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, was under heavy attack by government forces.

For now, the Gaddafi government has managed to halt the rebel advance that began last week when fighters ventured beyond the opposition-controlled eastern half of the country.

Rebels plead for help

The rebel forces say they will be outgunned if the government continues to unleash its air attacks on them and are pleading for the international community to impose a no-fly zone to prevent this.

"We don't want a foreign military intervention, but we do want a no-fly zone," rebel fighter Ali Suleiman told AP.

"We are all waiting for one,'' he said. The rebels can take on "the rockets and the tanks, but not Gaddafi's air force''.

The US president said on Monday that the US and its NATO allies were still considering a military response to the violence even as Britain and France were drafting a UN resolution that would establish a no-fly zone.

Barack Obama said the US will stand with the Libyan people as they face "unacceptable'' violence. He also sent a strong message to Gaddafi, saying he and his supporters will be held responsible for the violence there.

William Hague, the UK foreign minister, said Britain is "working closely with partners on a contingency basis on elements of a resolution on a no-fly zone".

However, a British diplomat at the UN clarified that the draft resolution is being prepared in case it is needed but no decision has been made to introduce it at the Security Council.

The six US-allied Gulf Arab nations on Monday said they back a UN-enforced no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians. The Gulf states also condemned the killings by pro-government forces in Libya as "massacres".
Arab foreign ministers are to hold crisis talks on Friday to discuss imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, Arab League officials said.

Hundreds if not thousands of people have died since Libya's uprising began on February 14 in an effort to end Gaddafi's more than 41-year rule, although tight restrictions on media make it near impossible to get an accurate number.

The number of people who have fled the violence in Libya since last month has passed 215,000 according to the International Organisation for Migration, most of them foreign workers. The exodus is creating a humanitarian crisis across the border with Tunisia.

The UN refugee agency warned on Tuesday that there was a critical shortage of long haul flights to evacuate foreign migrants who have fled Libya to their home countries in Asia and Africa.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

we as Libyans will step back from pursuing him for crimes," Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the opposition National Council, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

thirdly we may waive our right of domestic prosecution

---

So the rebels will not press "domestic"charges

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

The appeal did not detail any concessions that Gaddafi's administration would be prepared to make. The rebels said they will settle for nothing less than an end to Gaddafi's four decades in power.

---

The rebels want Gaddafi to "step down"

[QUOTE="StrontiumDog"]Barack Obama said the US will stand with the Libyan people as they face "unacceptable'' violence. He also sent a strong message to Gaddafi, saying he and his supporters will be held responsible for the violence there.[/QUOTE]

The US and their lackeys however will not settle until regime change is obtained.

The Libyans are negotiating, the western powers are stirring.

Who will be the lucky one to take dear Muammar in?

looks like the rebels are about to be giving up,

not a good sign, will send a nice signal to the other dictators though

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - A Greek official says a private Libyan jet has crossed through Greek-monitored airspace heading from Libya to Egypt.
The official says the small civilian aircraft flew through the airspace monitored by Greek air-traffic controllers for about 15 minutes on Wednesday. The official isn't saying who was on the plane. Greek state TV says the plane belongs to the Libyan government but cites no source for its information.
The Greek official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give details of the flight.
There have been no public contacts between the Libyan regime and Egypt's ruling generals since the Libyan uprising broke out on Feb. 15.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...e-oil-fighting

Libya: BBC team beaten as fighting intensifies

Libyan army and secret police captured, detained and beat a BBC team while they were trying to reach Zawiya.

News DeskMarch 9, 2011 11:33
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Libyan rebel fighters launch a rocket towards a position held by forces loyal to Gaddafi during clashes outside the town of Ras Lanuf on March 9, 2011. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)

Libyan forces captured, detained and brutally beat a BBC news team while they were trying to reach the western city of Zawiya, the BBC states.

The three-member team say Libya's army and secret police beat them with fists, knees and rifles and then performed mock executions.

"We were lined up against the wall. I was the last in line - facing the wall," Chris Cobb-Smith told the BBC. "I looked and I saw a plain-clothes guy with a small sub-machine gun. He put it to everyone's neck. I saw him and he screamed at me. Then he walked up to me, put the gun to my neck and pulled the trigger twice. The bullets whisked past my ear. The soldiers just laughed."

The news team said they witnessed other detainees who were hooded, handcuffed and often screaming in agony.

The team, which was detained Monday and then held for 21 hours, has since flown out of the country.

The attack on the journalists, which included being held in a cage while others were beaten around them, represents the most serious case yet involving the targeting of international media, the Guardian reports.

Meanwhile, forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and opposition forces engaged in some of the fiercest fighting yet on Wednesday, as both sides battle for control of the north African nation.

Gaddafi forces attacked rebels at the strategic oil town of Ras Lanuf, ending their attempts to advance further west.

An Al Jazeera correspondent said Gaddafi's airforce targeted junctions at the entrance to the town and attacked an oil facility there in three places.

"There are huge plumes of smoke leaping into the air. We can see mortar fire from Gaddafi troops and the rebels are firing rockets towards the west," according to Al Jazeera.

Other reports state that the heart of the oil refinery was not attacked directly.

Gaddafi's forces on Wednesday continued a sustained assault on Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, surrounding it with tanks and targeting the main square with snipers, Reuters reported.

It quoted a rebel fighter named Ibrahim saying Gaddafi's forces were in control of the main road and suburbs, while rebels held on to the central square.

"There are many dead people and they can't even bury them," he said. "Zawiya is deserted. There's nobody on the streets. No animals, not even birds in the sky," he said.

The government and rebels both claimed to be in control of Zawiya on Wednesday, the New York Times reports.

"Across the country from each other, in fights of vastly different complexions, Ras Lanuf and Zawiya have become proving grounds in Libya’s emerging civil war. In the east, on a battlefield of desert, dunes and scrub, the rebel force has matured and, improbably, retained control of the town for more than week. But under steady bombardment by government jets and kept at bay by superior artillery, the rebels have not been able to advance toward Tripoli," it states.

"In Zawiya, the rebels have held out against a withering assault by Colonel Gaddafi's forces, including snipers and tanks in close-quarters urban combat. As scores of civilians have been killed, the government has responded with more attacks and apparent falsehoods about its progress and the conduct of its troops."

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has warned any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over his country will be met with armed resistance and be taken as proof that Western powers are trying to steal Libya's oil.

His defiant remarks in a Turkish television interview and a speech broadcast by Libyan state television came as NATO countries weighed the possibility of imposing the measure to halt air strikes on anti-government rebels.

“If they take such a decision [to impose a no-fly zone], it will be useful for Libya, because the Libyan people will see the truth, that what they want is to take control of Libya and to steal their oil,” Gaddafi said in the Turkish TV interview reported by the BBC.

"They want to take your petrol," he said. "This is what America, this what the French, those colonialists, want." He added: "The Libyan people will take up arms against them."

Libya appears to have sent envoys to meet and negotiate with western governments who have called for sanctions and actions against the regime, Reuters reports.

"Libyan government emissaries appeared to have flown to Brussels to talk to European Union and NATO officials meeting on Thursday and Friday, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said, suggesting the situation was very fluid," it states. "Portugal said a Gaddafi envoy met its foreign minister on Wednesday to explain Tripoli's view of the conflict and Greece said another will meet Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Dollis, in Cairo on Thursday morning. There were no details of the kind of message the emissaries were bringing."

Britain and France have urged Washington to back their calls to shut down airspace over Libya in response to Gaddafi's use of force against civilians. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said any decision should be made by the United Nations and not led by the United States.

The attacks on Ras Lanuf come amid increasing deadlock between the rebels and Gaddafi's men as the country's four-week-old uprising develops into what some are now calling an all-out civil war.

According to GlobalPost correspondent Nichole Sobecki, reporting from near the frontline, enthusiasm among the rebels is waning as their earlier triumphs are eclipsed by fierce attacks from government troops backed by warplanes

Great set of photos from Al Jazeera's reporter Eben Hill, currently in Libya.

Follow him on Twitter.. Twitter

The road to Sirte - a set on Flickr

Around 300 kilometres of coastal highway lies between Sirte, the well-defended hometown of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and Brega, the last relatively safe rebel-held town in the east.

In between is Ras Lanuf, Libya's largest oil refinery, and Sidra, an oil-exporting port. Gaddafi's jets have struck Ras Lanuf, Sidra and Brega in recent days, and the highway to Sirte remains a shifting battleground between the Libyan regime's troops and mostly untrained rebels armed with confiscated heavy weapons.

All photos by Al Jazeera English online producer Evan Hill.

LIBYA: Government forces preparing for full-scale attack on rebels; West should butt out or face defeat, Kadafi's son says

March 10, 2011 | 10:26 am

Seif Islam Kadafi, son of Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi , said Thursday that forces loyal to the government were preparing for a full-scale attack on anti-government forces and that Western countries would face defeat if they chose to support the uprising, according to a report from Bloomberg News.

In a news conference in Tripoli broadcast on the British television network Sky News, the younger Kadafi said the troops were ready to die to defend the country and that the offensive was getting underway, the Bloomberg report said.

Seif Kadafi also said that two Dutch soldiers who had been captured would be released and warned to stay away, Bloomberg reported.

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...427537949.html

Rebel push stalls outside Ras Lanuf

Hundreds of miles from Gaddafi's home town of Sirte, opposition forces are being pushed back by mortar and air strikes.

Evan Hill Last Modified: 10 Mar 2011 14:11 GMT

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2011/03/1972.jpg
The rebels' lack of training might prove more fatal than their limited armory [Evan Hill]

Three weeks after the outbreak of violence in Libya, an impressive rebel advance that liberated most of country's east with lightning speed has stalled outside the key oil refinery of Ras Lanuf.

Until now, armed but untrained fighters had managed to easily overthrow military garrisons in town after town: first Ajdabiya, then Brega, and finally Ras Lanuf, which no one expected would fall easily.

For weeks, rumours were thicker than Gaddafi's troops on the road west. The feared Khamis Brigade, a special-forces unit named after one of Gaddafi's sons, was nowhere to be seen. Lone air force fighters made half-hearted sorties against rebel positions; purposefully or by accident, they never hit their target.

But now, the rebel wave seems to have broken, at least momentarily. Gaddafi troops have halted the opposition's advance at Bin Jawad, a small town between Ras Lanuf and Sirte, Gaddafi's reputedly heavily fortified home town.

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif Exactly how the loyalist troops have countered the rebel advance remains somewhat of a mystery, since journalists rarely witness head-to-head fighting.

On Wednesday, rebels armed with AK-47 assault rifles, truck-mounted machine guns, anti-aircraft batteries and even what appeared to be mobile Grad rocket launchers advanced west of Ras Lanuf but were pushed back in the face of Gaddafi mortar fire.

An Al Jazeera team on the front lines saw only one army mortar team operating in the area, but there were probably more, since a steady rain of shells fell forced rebels to flee back down the road. Still, the regime forces deployed so far along Gaddafi’s eastern front are surprisingly light: There are no tanks, no rockets, no heavily armed battalions of soldiers advancing under heavy machine gun fire.

Meanwhile, the skill of Gaddafi's air force has seemed to be on the rise. After several days of air strikes near rebel convoys and ammunition depots that yielded only craters in the desert sand, jets on Tuesday and Wednesday hit oil-company residences at Ras Lanuf – they have been mostly abandoned – and storage terminals at Sidra, a nearby port. The latter bombing ignited huge blasts of oil and sent powerful streams of thick, black smoke into the sky.

Untrained rebels

Rebels are armed with large-calibre anti-aircraft weapons, which they fire in the air with gleeful abandon when any journalist approaches to observe, but they aren't trained in their use and do not seem able to track Gaddafi’s jets fast enough to hit them. Rebels said they brought down a Libyan jet on Monday, but no news organisation could independently verify the claim.

Then there are the surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Though rebels have been photographed firing SAMs, which are likely Russian-made, the weapons don't seem to be in wide or effective use. New York Times writer CJ Chivers has written that experts believe many of the SAMs are old and broken-down. The rebels also keep many of their weapons exposed to the sand and sun, which probably doesn't help their condition.

“We have enough men, and brave men, but the problem is the weapons. Gaddafi has all the modern weapons, the heavy weapons,” said Salah Younis, a 45-year-old Arabic teacher who was watching convoys of fighters pass through a checkpoint at Ajdabiya toward the front lines recently.
But the rebels' lack of training might prove more fatal than their limited armory. Frontline fighters have displayed notable bravery and have organised fairly effective supply lines for weapons, food and fuel, but they often flee when presented with serious resistance and seem to have no organised hierarchy, raising the possibility that the recent series of rebel victories was the result more of strategic withdrawals by Gaddafi troops rather than their full-scale rout.

When rebels briefly took Bin Jawad earlier this week, witnesses said they began celebrating prematurely in the town centre and were ambushed by Gaddafi loyalists who had hidden themselves inside houses in the town. Opposition supporters alleged that enemy troops used residents as human shields, but that claim could not be verified. What was clear was that the rebels fled Bin Jawad and have yet to fight their way back.

Balance of power

One man waiting to refill at a petrol station on the east-west road said that "brave" men had come to the front from major eastern cities such as Benghazi and al-Baida but that the fighting had stalled. He worked at the Ras Lanuf refinery, and his family had already fled far away. He declined to give his name, expressing concern that he still didn’t know which way the "balance of power" would tip.

Another man, Salah Abdelgader, sat outside the Ras Lanuf oil company residences – a spot where rebels have arranged a staging area and checkpoint – and smoked a cigarette as he watched fighters fire their anti-aircraft guns for show. He bemoaned their lack of leadership. If defected army generals did not come to lead them, they were finished, he said.

The outcome may ultimately depend on whether NATO or the Arab League decide to intercede on the rebels' behalf. The Libyan national opposition council has already called for a no-fly zone, but the United States and most European powers have said they don't want to establish one without the United Nations' imprimatur.

Many rebels want foreign powers to go further than that. Several have told Al Jazeera in impromptu roadside interviews that they would be happy if foreign jets conducted limited air strikes in the country, perhaps targeting Gaddafi's personal residence and command centre in Tripoli, the Bab Aziziya. They say they'd even welcome such attacks by the United States, which bombed Libya 25 years ago.

"Oh, that would be great!" Younis said with a smile.

Many draw a distinction between air strikes and boots on the ground. Nobody wants to see a foreign army, especially US troops, come into Libya; residents raise the spectre of Iraq, saying once the Americans come, they don't go.

Gaddafi superiority

Air strikes, however, might be a necessity. Gaddafi has total superiority in the skies above Ras Lanuf. The well-aimed bombing run that ignited the oil terminals at Sidra on Wednesday was an obvious sign that he can strike when and where he wants. His troops also have had three weeks to prepare their defense of Sirte, and locals' estimates put the longtime leader's strength there at around 4,000 men.

There are rumours that pro-Gaddafi troops have been mining the area around Sirte, and the rebels face the likely prospect of again moving forward without much help from their defected army allies.

"The army have some people here to help out, organise, but I don’t think they’re fully participating in this thing," said Emad Abdulhamied, a 28-year-old economist who was standing near the front lines on Monday.

Abdulhamied earned his master's degree in finance from Glasgow University in Scotland in 2009. He was on leave from his job in the banking sector – he asked that we not name his employer – when the revolution broke out. Since then, he has tried to help as best as he can, though he has no experience with weapons.

In an attempt to convince Libyans not to aid the uprising, Gaddafi has said that foreign powers want to "colonise" their country, Abdulhamied said. But he still looked favorably on the possibility of US air strikes on the Bab Aziziya.

"That wouldn’t be a terrible idea," he said.

Around 98 per cent of the population in the east sides with the rebellion, Abdulhamied estimated, and around 80 or 85 per cent in the west. Those that don't he said, are people who have personally benefitted from Gaddafi's reign.

"They are willing to fight for the privileges they have," he said.

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif
Rebel fighters move toward the front lines outside Ras Lanuf [GALLO/GETTY]