Libyan Revolution Day 32 (RIP Mo, Libya Hurra!)

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-21">AJE Live Blog March 21 (today) http://blogs.aljazeera.net/twitter-dashboard">AJE Twitter Dashboard http://feb17.info/">feb17.info http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks">Libya Alhurra (live video webcast from Benghazi) http://www.libyafeb17.com/">libyafeb17.com

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

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

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x696597#696620">Day 31 part 2 here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/20/air-strikes-clear-skies">Air strikes clear the skies but leave endgame uncertain
Each of the 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles missiles fired by coalition forces against Libyan targets was equipped with a tiny video camera that beamed back images of where the missile was going, and what it hit.

This footage was being pored over by analysts in the hours after the first wave of attacks , and the evidence will inform the coalition commander, Admiral Samuel Locklear of the US navy, and the British and French team that answers to him, about how successful they have been – and where to strike next.

British officials were coy about this, saying that it would take time to sift through the evidence – which will be corroborated, where possible, by witness accounts from special forces soldiers on the ground and photographs taken by satellites and surveillance planes.

The US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, was a little more forthcoming, saying the operations, which included bombings around Tripoli by RAF Tornado ground attack jets, had destroyed Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's air defence systems and batteries of surface-to-air missiles.

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

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

Canada:

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

Norway:

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

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

Belgium:

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

Qatar and the UAE:

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

Denmark:

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

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

France:

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

Italy:

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

United Kingdom:

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

United States:

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

Jordan:

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

Spain:

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

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

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

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

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

Military Installations



Oil Map



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

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

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

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

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

Mo leaves behind a wife who is with child.

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

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

[pinboy3niner]

1. K&R

[joshcryer]

3. Get some rest pinboy3niner, I'll update for a couple of more hours.

It gets quiet in the early mornings anyway. :hi:

[pinboy3niner]

4. Okay, Josh

Thanks. :hi:

[joshcryer]

18. CLARIFICATION: Mo = Mohammed Nabbous

[joshcryer]

2. Current time in Libya, 12:21am, Monday, March 21

[joshcryer]

5. The Guardian's Chris McGreal has filed an eye-witness account of what he found after airstrikes

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/20/libya-air-strikes-live-updates#block-43">10.02pm: The Guardian's Chris McGreal has filed an eye-witness account of what he found after catching up with the remains of pro-Gaddafi forces targeted by air strikes yesterday:

The dozen or so men clustered behind the last smouldering tank looked as if they had died while they slept.

Their blankets bore no burn marks so perhaps it was the force of blasts – powerful enough to rip the turrets off the Russian-made tanks and toss them 20 metres or more across the open field near Benghazi – that killed Muammar Gaddafi's soldiers.

The air attack came at 4am , after the tanks pulled back from a day-long assault on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. The crews chose to rest in a field about 10 miles from the de facto capital of the anti-Gaddafi revolutionaries.

[gateley]

6. "I'm not afraid to die, I'm afraid to lose the battle"

:cry:

I hope his compatriots are able to achieve what he so wanted.

That pic on top of the thread - Mr. Smiley! His joy reminds me of the people in Egypt - I wish them as much success! :grouphug:

[joshcryer]

7. What is Obama's endgame in Libya?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/03/20/gergen.washington.libya/index.html?hpt=T1#">What is Obama's endgame in Libya?
Cambridge, Massachusetts (CNN) -- After conversations with top players in Washington last week, mostly as I accompanied a group of Zuckerman Fellows from Harvard on a field trip, here are some brief reflections on the mood there toward events in the Middle East:

• The head-snapping change in policy toward Libya has everyone guessing where the Mideast is heading, whether the U.S. has a good handle, and most of all, what President Obama is trying to achieve.

• One irony, as a female friend put it, is that for years many of us believed that if only more women could gain power, the world would surely become more peaceful. Yet, we now see that the three people who talked Obama into using force against Libya's Moammar Gadhafi were all women -- Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice and Samantha Power. Leading male advisers were opposed. Perhaps we should be less surprised than we are. Remember Margaret Thatcher? And Golda Meir? And remember, too, that both were seen as successful leaders for most of their time in office.

• There are divisions in Washington about the president's actions, but most -- including me -- believe Hillary & Co. had the better argument. If anything, the U.S. delayed too long, allowing Gadhafi to gain the upper hand on the ground.

[joshcryer]

8. (VIDEO): Fury Turns To Fear Inside Gaddafi's Compound

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Video-Libya-Lisa-Holland-Reports-From-Inside-Gaddafis-Compound-On-The-Night-The-Bombing-Started/Article/201103315956388?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_1">Fury Turns To Fear Inside Gaddafi's Compound
Taken to the sprawling Azizia Palace, we were led to believe the man his supporters call 'The Leader' would be making an historic address.

Outside there were hundreds of Gaddafi supporters. We were told they had gathered to send a message to the West: 'Don't bomb here or you will be responsible for mass slaughter.'

Cynics might accuse Gaddafi of encouraging their presence for use as 'human shields'.

Fierce crowds jeered and shouted at us as our coach made its way through the streets, targeting us as symbols of the Western governments who would within hours attack their city.

[joshcryer]

9. I will not be posting Iyad El-Baghdadi's "information" tweets anymore.

He's very inaccurate, the "Gaddafi went to Algeria" rumor is the last straw with him and others in the community.

[silver10]

10. Kinda reminds me of when they toppled the statue of Saddam over

Everyone was so happy in 2003. Until they realized that the leader was hiding and not to be found, and all the Iraqi soldiers loyal to Saddam were hiding among the civilians, to wreak havoc against the "liberators" for years. Same shit, different day. Mo has promised a long and protracted fight.

Propaganda can be a useful tool.

[joshcryer]

11. Do you have a cite for Mo "promising a long and protracted fight"?

[silver10]

13. Of course...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/af_libya

[joshcryer]

16. Apologies, I thought you were referring to Mohammed Nabbous, as his nickname is "Mo."

I have no nickname of affection for Gaddafi the tyrant.

[silver10]

22. wait the hell a minute - Mo is what we called him in the 80's - there is no affection there

No need to apologize for the misunderstanding - but I would appreciate one for insinuating that I have an affectionate nickname for an evil dictator.

Just because I don't support a war like you doesn't mean I have any affection for this creep. I don't need any right-wing digs from you for not supporting the bombing of another nation.

[joshcryer]

23. Huh? I in no way insinuated that.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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

[silver10]

25. thank you for understanding.

[joshcryer]

26. I did not say that he called Gaddafi "Mo" affectionately.

I was making it clear that the term "Mo" to me is an affectionate term and that I would never used it to reference Gaddafi. I was completely unaware that Gaddafi was ever called "Mo."

What's clear to me is that people haven't been following the Libyan threads or it would've been very clear what I meant by "Mo." I evern apologized for the posters own ignorance of the term in the context that I used it.

[sabrina 1]

27. I would appreciate an apology from you for

stating falsely that I called the revolutionaries 'terrorists'.

We all know who Mo is as we watched his videos, thanks to Catherina's excellent threads, when they first appeared online. Some of us also knew that Qadaffi was referred to as Mo and definitely not in an affectionate way.

[joshcryer]

29. Did I say that?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=695493&mesg_id=695655

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=695493&mesg_id=696148

It'd seem justifiable I think. I said that in general, there were a lot of people saying that.

[sabrina 1]

36. Both those comments acknowledge that there is an Al Queda

presence in Eastern Libya. After researching the claims, it turned out to be a fact. Neither of those comments stated that the revolutionairies were terrorists. They addedd a fact that was not known to many people before. You falsely twisted those comments to mean something they do not say.

[joshcryer]

37. You do not consider Al Queda terrorist?

I never said anyone said that all of the revolutionaries were terrorists.

[sabrina 1]

43. What does an Al Queda presence in the region

have to do with the revolutionaries? Does anyone know? I have searched but have found nothing connecting them to the revolutionaries.

Many people, including me, were unaware of their presence in Eastern Libya. Stating the fact that the claim turned out to be true, is not the same as saying the revolutionaries were Al Queda. How do you get that? It was and is an additional piece of information that we were not aware of before.

[joshcryer]

44. Gaddafi stated that Al Queda was the reason for the uprising. You said he was truthful.

I assume you were aware that he was mentioning Al Queda only to blame them for the uprising. It is amazing you were not aware of this, as he said it very early on, and he has repeated it over and over again. You can find pictures in Catherina's old threads about how ridiculous the claim is. But now it's being embraced and Gaddafi is being truthful on this subject?

[sabrina 1]

48. And you continue to do it.

Twist words. Qadaffi stated that Al Queda were the trouble-makers in Eastern Libya. Most of us, ignorant of their presence there, ignored his claims.

When evidence of their presence there was presented, I asked an obvious question 'was Qadaffi right then'? It appears he was, there IS an Al Queda presence in Eastern Libya.

Just where do you get that confirming the presence of Al Queda in Eastern Libya, as claimed by Qadaffi, in any way agrees with him that the revolutionaries ARE Al Queda?

You know, I'm beginning to think you either do have a real problem with comprehension, which is fine, many people do, or you deliberately try to twist other people's words because you have an agenda. It is one or the other.

I am going to be kind and go with the first theory.

Meantime I will continue to find facts and to post them when I have them, even if I do not like them, or you do not like them.

Let me ask you this. Should we have hidden the information about Al Queda's presence in Eastern Libya?

[joshcryer]

51. LIFGs presence was well known! It was not hidden! It was mentioned as early as Feb 23.

It was not relevant because everyone, including Catherina, did not take it seriously. It's only now that the revolutionaries have had a protracted battle and got assistance that their motives and underlying system is being "questioned." Yes, even by you.

You say that you don't call the revolutionaries terrorists (or Al Qaeda), but Gaddafi did, and you said he was being truthful and then you put a lot of "doubt" out there about it.

In any event, we've exhausted 16 posts in this thread discussing a subject that is not even the topic of this thread (indeed, I was basically ambushed), I'd appreciate it if we can move it to the other thread if you must continue to insist that I have "comprehension problems" when the intent of your wording was very clear for anyone to see if they simply click on the links I provided.

[sabrina 1]

54. I'm not interested in any further discussions with you

The facts are there for everyone to see, and I have no fear that your feeble attempts to smear anyone who disagrees with you will have the slightest affect on me. I have a long online history of providing factual information and a pretty much unassailable reputation on that score. I was curious to see how far you would go to try to smear someone who dares to disagree with you. Your focus on 'winning' has left you uninformed about many issues and as I said, not a very reliable source of information.

I'm done here.

[joshcryer]

55. Good, thanks.

[joshcryer]

57. For those wondering about this dialog, read what I wrote on March 8:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=581985&mesg_id=583779

I saw this crap coming a mile away. And I was 100% on target.

[hardcover]

15. I remember when we saw that coming. In a TV interview,

a woman here was on the news telling the reporter that she had just phoned her sister in Iraq and her sister said the Iraqi soldiers were being placed in all the private homes. I was shocked that we did not change our strategy once this was revealed. Even a non military type like me knew that meant surjprise hand to hand urban combat once we were in. Holy crap!!!

[joshcryer]

12. US commander warns of Libya stalemate

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/03/201132015244765379.html">US commander warns of Libya stalemate
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, has said the military operation in Libya called for by the UN Security Council is not aimed at regime change - adding that a "stalemate" could well exist, leaving Muammar Gaddafi in power.

The 64-year-old admiral also said that no-fly zone had "effectively been established", as Gaddafi's planes had not taken to the skies following Saturday's overnight shelling of dozens of targets in northern Libya.

Anti-aircraft fire was also heard in the Libyan capital on Sunday night, indicating a second wave of incoming jets. Tracer rounds and machine-gun fire was also heard, though there has been no confirmation yet of further attacks.

"In the first 24 hours, operations have established the no-fly zone. French air planes are over Benghazi as we speak and will do that on a 24/7 basis. The operations have taken out some ground forces near Benghazi, taken out air defences, some of his control nodes, some of his airfields, I don’t have all damage assessments, but so far very very effective," he said.

[tabatha]

14. Turkey

9:52pm

Turkey is the latest state to say it will "contribute to international action" in Libya. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped military operations would be over "as quickly as possible". The country's foreign ministry said:

Turkey will make the national contribution it deems necessary and appropriate to the applications of UN resolutions 1970 and 1973, taking into account the security of the Libyan people.

To this end, preparations and works are under way in cooperation with our civilian and military structures.


http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-20-0

[joshcryer]

17. I would have added Turkey but it seems a bit premature yet.

They were ardently anti-humanitarian.

[tabatha]

19. OK. Did not know that.

Looks as though an errant missile has not messed up the whole op.

[joshcryer]

20. Nic Robertson reporting what appears to be heavy damage to Gadhafi compound in #Tripoli.

http://twitter.com/#!/natlsecuritycnn/status/49608251028930561">@natlsecuritycnn
CNN Natl Security
Nic Robertson reporting what appears to be heavy damage to Gadhafi compound in #Tripoli.
20 minutes ago

[joshcryer]

21. Nic Robertson reporting the four-story building has two circular holes, possibly indicating a strike

http://twitter.com/#!/natlsecuritycnn/status/49609469239369728">@natlsecuritycnn
CNN Natl Security
Nic Robertson reporting the four-story building has two circular holes, possibly indicating a strike by cruise missiles. #Libya
16 minutes ago

[joshcryer]

28. NATO's top decision-making body has approved plan for arms embargo, but failed on a plan for NFZ

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/20/libya-air-strikes-live-updates#block-48">11.06pm: NATO's top decision-making body has approved plan to implement the UN arms embargo on Libya, but failed to agree on a plan for the alliance to enforce the no-fly zone, according to a report from the Associated Press news agency:

Diplomats said Turkey's opposition to any NATO intervention in Libya stalled the approval of plans to launch aerial patrols over Libya to prevent the government air force from attacking civilian targets, which were drawn up by NATO's military staff.

Both actions will require a separate "execute directive" by the North Atlantic Council, which requires the consensus of all 28 alliance members. Diplomats said this could be issued on Tuesday at the earliest.

NATO members France, Britain and the United States have been carrying out strikes on Libyan targets since Saturday. But they have acted as individual nations rather than members of the alliance.

[Iterate]

39. Turkey has been very helpful as I recall, but it's also complex

and not necessarily consistent. I followed it for a while early on and thought it illustrative of some wider issues. I'm done in for tonight though, so I'll look into it in the morning.

[joshcryer]

41. Take care Iterate.

[meow mix]

30. K&R

[joshcryer]

31. A former Ministry of Defence person says that there there appears to be no plan for mil. ops.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/20/libya-air-strikes-live-updates#block-49">11.28pm: A former Director-General in the Ministry of Defence says that there there appears to be no cohesive plan for the military operations which began yesterday.

Rear-Admiral Chris Parry writes in an analysis for The Times (paywall) that the intervention has been initiated without an identifiable end-state or joined-up strategy for delivery having been agreed upon.

Perhaps even more strikingly, he also warns that any strategy needs to recognise that some form of intervention on the ground could be required if major loss of life is be avoided.

Citing his experience from Bosnia and Iraq, he says that no-fly zones can only achieve limited objectives within a broader campaign, adding that dictators can still "kill with impunity" even if a "perfectly good" no-fly zone is enforced.

[joshcryer]

32. Foreign journalists in Tripoli have been escorted to a cliff-top cemetery

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/20/libya-air-strikes-live-updates#block-50">11.51pm: Foreign journalists in Tripoli have been escorted to a cliff-top cemetery overlooking the Mediterranean where they were told that the dead from air-strikes were being buried. Reuters reports however:

The mourners themselves spoke in quieter tones and the conflicting accounts they gave for the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones made it difficult to assess the veracity of the official version.

As a cleric fired up people who said they were mourners at the cemetery and plain clothes security men defiantly fired assault rifles into the air, the uncle of a three-month-old girl stood over her freshly dug grave, covered with a few roses.

The uncle, Muhammad Salim, who seemed calm, said the airstrike that hit the girl's house also wounded her mother. Her father offered a different account, saying no one was injured.

[joshcryer]

33. The media isn't buying Gaddafi's bullshit claims about dead bodies. It's way too fishy.

Morgues emptied days before.

[Lars77]

34. Norway sends six F-16s monday

Norwegian media reports six F-16s with ground support crew will join the coalition force tomorrow. They will either be based in Sicily or Crete.

The aircraft are from the 331 Squadron based in Bodø, near the arctic circle (The airport that refulled Gary Powers U2 that was shot down on May 1st 1960). Their history dates back to the 331 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, which was a Norwegian squadron flying Spitfires in World War Two.

[joshcryer]

35. A Libyan government health official has said 64 people were killed overnight.

2353: A Libyan government health official has said 64 people were killed overnight. However, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, has said he has seen no reports of civilian casualties from the Western strikes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[tabatha]

38. This is going to enrage Gaddafi

02:13 Almanara Media is confirming from trusted sources that Khamis Al Gaddafi has passed away due to severe burn injuries he sustained a few days ago. The burns were caused when a fighter jet pilot performed a martyr mission and crashed his fighter jet into Gaddafi’s compound Baab Al Aziziyah. IMPORTANT: We are only citing Almanara Media for this news. We have not confirmed it via any other source.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/

[joshcryer]

40. If true they will never admit it. I never got a confirm for the fighter jet action. :/

[joshcryer]

42. Libya: Shifting sands

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/editorial-libya-un-arab-league">Libya: Shifting sands
Air Vice-Marshal Osborn said yesterday his commanders were "entirely comfortable" with the missile strikes on Libya. Amr Moussa, the outgoing secretary general of the Arab League, for one, was not. Calling an emergency meeting one day after attending the first gathering of the coalition in Paris, Mr Moussa said that he agreed to the protection of civilians, not the bombardment of more civilians. The support of the Arab League is central to the claim by David Cameron, Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama that the operation has regional support. This supposedly makes it different from Iraq in 2003. Dr Liam Fox, the defence secretary, went further. He said active Arab participation in the no-fly zone made it clear to the Arab street that the attack on Libya was an attack on a tyrant, not the Arab world. Mr Moussa's statement throws that ambition into doubt. A strong Arab League statement pushed the UN security council to act with speed, so the criticism could be levelled: what did it expect?

Not a full-scale assault on Gaddafi's army, which is what it got. Mr Moussa's reaction is a reminder of the political limits of a resolution designed to save civilian lives. This is an inherently defensive concept. The tension between the responsibility to protect civilians and helping rebels to oust a tyrant will only grow in the coming days. The first blows in the campaign were a purely western affair. French Mirage jets shot up an armoured column south of Benghazi and the assault on the city was routed. Cruise missiles fired from US and British ships, submarines and aircraft destroyed radar, communications and air defence sites. Weeks of bloody urban fighting in Benghazi may have been prevented by the French action, although it could equally be argued that a speedy UN resolution may have precipitated a push into built-up areas, which provided Gaddafi's columns cover from the air.

Two paragraphs, they're big. Good article.

[tabatha]

45. Why Libya 2011 is not Iraq 2003

By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst

There are, of course, some real similarities between Hussein and Gadhafi -- both ruthless and erratic dictators of oil-rich regimes who fought bloody wars with their neighbors, brutalized their own populations, sought weapons of mass destruction, and sired some equally unattractive sons and heirs.

The déjà vu quality of the Libyan situation may help account for recent polls taken before the intervention which found that while Americans were either split or slightly in favor of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, most were opposed to stronger U.S. military action.
The military intervention that President Obama authorized against Libya on Saturday...is a quite different operation than the 2003 invasion of Iraq.


But the military intervention that President Obama authorized against Libya on Saturday -- eight years to the day after President George W. Bush announced the commencement of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" -- is a quite different operation than the 2003 invasion of Iraq.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/03/20/bergen.libya.us/index.html

[tabatha]

46. Mo tribute on CNN

http://tinyurl.com/5rusuaa

[joshcryer]

47. Did you see that posted in the Libya Alhurra chat? Fixed link:

Just wondering because I was about to post it.

Fixed link: http://bit.ly/f4OCAG

[tabatha]

49. I saw it on a tweet. Sorry, did not know you were

updating. I was looking for more information on the Gaddafi son's death.

[joshcryer]

52. Nah you're fine, thanks for helping. :)

[bengalherder]

50. K and R! n/t

[tabatha]

53. Coalition attacks wreak havoc on ground troops

Deghali said that the revolutionary leadership is counting on the air assault to destroy Gaddafi's army, either by killing its soldiers or encouraging them to desert. She said that when the threat of violent repression is removed, the council plans to call on Libyans to rise up in cities across the country.

"When Gaddafi's forces are destroyed, he will have no power. It will be easy to press forward," she said.

Essam Gheriani, a spokesman for the national council, said that with the air strikes destabilising Gaddafi, the revolutionaries would organise fresh popular uprisings in cities still under the Libyan leader's control, in the belief that it will be difficult for him to find the forces to put them down.

However, beyond the broad plans to blend popular uprisings with armed resistance, the revolutionary council does not appear as yet to have decided how to take advantage of the shift in the military situation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/20/libya-air-strikes-rain-down

[Maru Kitteh]

56. That young man's face is pure joy.

[joshcryer]

58. A NATO plan to take over responsibility for the no-fly zone over Libya was blocked by Turkey

0119: Senior Nato officials have agreed a military plan to enforce a UN arms embargo on Libya. NATO's governing council agreed the move at a meeting in Brussels. However, a plan to take over responsibility for enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya was blocked by Turkey, which has opposed Nato intervention in that country. All 28 Nato member countries must agree to such a move by the organisation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[tabatha]

59. Gaddafi's Next Move: Misurata Massacre in the Making

After UN security forces entered Libya, Gaddafi forces set on gaining control of Western Libya. Preparations for mass-scale massacre in the city of Misurata

The Western Libyan city of Misurata is a strategic point for the Gaddafi forces. With UN military intervention currently taking place in Libya, Gaddafi forces are reportedly attempting to regain control of Western Libya.

Over the past days, the city of Misurata has been a scene of heavy battling. As previously reported, the announced by the Libyan government ceasefire did not actually take place as violence in the city continued. Misurata rebels commander told Al Jazeera on 18 March he considered the ceasefire announcement a bluff.

A local source in Misurata who wishes to remain unnamed informed media on 20 March that over 80 people in Misuarata were killed by snipers on 19 March. The source who spoke on the phone with blogger Rabie Yustir said that Gaddafi forces were preparing a mass-scale massacre, which is reportedly going to take place on 21 March.


http://www.suite101.com/content/gaddafis-next-move-misurata-massacre-in-the-making-a360563

[joshcryer]

60. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has now the right to use military and civilian aviation in self-defence

0147: The Libyan parliament, the General People's Committee, has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the air strikes on Libya. "With this French/British/US air and naval aggression with missiles - which targeted many civilian areas in the west of the country and caused civilian victims and damage to civilian installations, including roads, hospitals and airports - resolution 1973 on the imposition of a no-fly zone is no longer in effect and the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has now the right to use military and civilian aviation in self-defence after France made the no-fly zone invalid," a statement said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

[joshcryer]

61. Day 32 part 2 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x703444