quote:

The deputy director of the hospital in Ajdabiya, near Ras Lanuf, has told AP that although Gaddafi's forces have taken the residential areas of Ras Lanuf, rebels still hold the port and oil facilities.
He also said that four bodies and more than 40 injured people had been brought to his hospital.

Brown Moses posted:

If you think people are bitching about petrol prices at the moment just wait a couple of weeks.

Brown Moses posted:

Hopefully Gaddafi's troops aren't going to bombard the port and oil facilities like they did the residential area.

redscare posted:

Sarko seems like the sort of guy that would send the DeGaulle and a few wings of Rafales unilaterally instead

KurdtLives posted:

I wonder if all of the unease of Libyan reaction to civilian casualties from a NFZ are somewhat overblown. They are going to see the results of CQ's human shield bullshit up close after all, and will possibly inflict far more accidental civilian casualties themselves, especially if the fight drags on to urban areas. Reminds me of the first friendly fire incident incident in Afghanistan: A US airstrike was timed wrong and I forget the number but I think a dozen or so Northern Alliance troops were killed. The Special Forces officer who had to tell their commander was afraid of what the reaction would be, but the Alliance leader basically shrugged and said "These things happen." I think the super angry reactions we think of are more from stuff like that Apache gunship video with killing of random dudes trying to rescue the other random dudes the chopper shot up.
As long as the west doesn't send in thousands of troops or carpet bomb western Libya I don't think the Libyans will lose ownership of the revolution in the eyes of anyone, either. Ideally the Europeans who armed CQ as of late and the neighboring Arab states will provide air interdiction over rebel held territory. I almost think they should do limited air strikes, with super-stringent rule of engagement:

"Hey rebels, is that column of t-72s heading from Tripoli to Sirte in the open desert yours?"
"Definitely not."
"Cool, didn't think so." *erases column from face of Earth*

So basically never near friendlies/civilians, keeping CQ from moving anything east that is obviously military.

quote:

• Gaddafi's forces appear to have forced most of the rebels out of the city of Ras Lanuf
• Air strikes have been launched against the towns of Quaylah and Brega
• Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Benghazi as rebel leaders reiterate their pleas for the creation of a no-fly zone — and ask the international community to use air strikes against Gaddafi's forces
• The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has told the emergency EU summit in Brussels that
"targeted" air strikes could be used against Muammar Gaddafi's regime if his forces resort to the use of chemical weapons or launch airstrikes against civilian protestors
• But the EU foreign policy chief, Baroness Ashton, has warned that a no-fly zone could risk civilian lives in Libya
• In Tripoli, the security services are tightening their grip on a turbulent neighbourhood to prevent protests taking place after Friday prayers
• Elsewhere in the Arab world, there have been protests and demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, Kuwait

Lascivious Sloth posted:

On the other hand.. what the hell are you talking about? The only thing stopping a NFZ is the joke of a UN that has Russia and China, authoritarian states - the complete mirror of what the Libyan government stands for, with veto power over the decision.

quote:

Tensions are escalating in Bahrain, according to AP:

Security forces and pro-government vigilantes carrying clubs and swords faced off against protesters near Bahrain's royal complex today in a showdown that displayed that deepening conflict between Sunni Muslims backing the ruling system and Shias demanding it give up its hold on power.

Hundreds of pro-reform marchers — some wearing white headbands as a symbol of their willingness to die — stood just 500 yards (metres) from the wall of riot police with armoured vehicles and a hundreds-strong Sunni mob armed with street fight-style weapons.

Any incident could further enflame tensions between Bahrain's Sunnis and majority Shiites, who have increasingly called for toppling the Western-allied monarchy.

quote:

Sinister news from AP on the threats facing three prominent human rights activists in Bahrain:

quote:

Rupert Colville of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said messages on Facebook and other social media websites denounce the three men as "traitors" and aim to incite people to kill them.
Colville said the messages provide detailed information about how to track the men, including photos, home and work addresses, telephone numbers, personal identification card numbers, and the year, make, model and registration numbers of their cars.
He said the UN is extremely worried about the threats and is calling on authorities in Bahrain to protect the activists.

Brown Moses posted:

Interestingly the supposedly Gaddafi controlled Zawiyah is reporting more fighting today between rebels and Gaddafi forces.

quote:

Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's second-eldest son, blames the violence on Libyans who had been held as "terrorists" by the US.

quote:

From the very beginning, it is clear there was a military plot. The largest weapons depot [near Benghazi] was attacked by the armed militia. They wished to take possession of the TNT, that's why the explosion happened.

And those who claim to have set up an empire in Derna. I tell you: I, myself, had you released from Guantanamo. I know you by name ... They were handed over to us by the West. the West extradited them to us from Guantanamo, packed in sacks like chickens.

There are cheers in the hal, where he is speaking on Libyan state TV.

quote:

Saif al Gaddafi goes on to accuse armed Gaddafi opponents of further torture. He says there were no demonstrations in Baida, but that armed groups attacked and seized control of arms caches there, then attacked the army.

quote:

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is addressing reporters.

He says the opposition is "no longer using Facebook or social meda, but tanks and missiles".

He says those anti-Gaddafi revels fighting in Misurata were "holding thousands hostage to fear".

He says opposition mobs in Az Zawiyah lynched 30 people, "killed by razors, with their eyes popped out".

Journalists in the hall where he is speaking are shouting at him, but he begs to continue.

Saudi Arabia:
(AP) Hundreds of police were deployed in the Saudi capital today and prevented protests calling for democratic reforms inspired by the wave of unrest sweeping the Arab world.
Police blocked roads and set up random checkpoints in Riyadh, searching residents and vehicles around a central mosque as large numbers of people gathered for Friday prayers.

Witnesses said groups of policemen manned street corners and intersections and a helicopter flew over the city.
By midday, no protesters had showed up in the capital and the police presence significantly decreased.

Libya:
(Reuters) Libyan security forces used tear gas and fired in the air to disperse worshippers near a mosque in the capital before they could protest against Muammar Gaddafi, a Libyan man said, citing two witnesses.

There have been violent clashes after Friday prayers in previous weeks in Tajoura, making it the focus of opposition to Gaddafi's rule in a city which is otherwise tightly controlled by his supporters.
But this time the protest was stamped out before it had even begun, according to a Libyan from Tajoura, now living abroad, who said he had been in telephone contact with two residents.

quote:

Fighting continues along the Libyan coast. An anti-Gaddafi rebel fighter tells Al Jazeera that opposition forces have mounted a counter-attack, and have pushed Gaddafi forces out of Ras Lanuf. The front line is now 20km further west, toward Bin Jawad, he tells us by phone. We'll being you the full phone call very soon.

quote:

Ras Lanuf, Sidra Port and Albargiya remain under rebel control after fierce battles, residents tell Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi forces have pulled out of the residential areas of Ras Lanuf, says Reuters.

Brown Moses posted:

More news from Ras Lanuf:

quote:

17:10 Al Jazeera The 36th battalion (aka. AsSaeeqa, “the Thunderbolt”) which defected and joined the revolutionaries is taking the lead in pushing Gaddafi’s forces back and allowing the revolutionary forces to move foward

quote:

5:24pm
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Benghazi, tells us the military commanders who joined the uprising are now better able to structure their fighters after the initial enthusiasm of the volunteers - which helped to win early battles - led to an ill-disciplined approach to battling a professional army.

Narmi posted:

Probably mostly due to this:



The military that defected has finished regrouping/reorganizing. I heard that they would be leading the assault from now on, with the volunteers supporting them from behind.

quote:

The Arab League is apparently set to back a no-fly zone over Libya, according to Reuters, who quote the Hungarian foreign minister, Janos Martonyi.

quote:

"The most important thing is that the Arab League agrees with [it]," he said.
"The expectation is that they will support [the] no-fly zone under some conditions."

quote:

Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher (@AlanFisher), reporting from the EU summit in Brussels, tweets:

quote:

EU calls for urgent summit on #Libya with African Union and Arab league

quote:

Janos Martonyi, Hungarian foreign minister, tells reporters at the EU summit that he expects the Arab League - due to meet tomorrow - to support a no-fly zone over Libya.

Remember that, yesterday, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted that "regional support" was necessary before any western military intervention could take place. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher said earlier the military alliance - and its 28 member states - wanted political cover for any action, so Gaddafi could not paint it as any imperialist adventure.

Jamsque posted:

Hopefully we'll see a bit less of this once the defected army commanders start to organise the rebel forces:



Dude is firing an RPG at a jet. All that is going to do is blow up a chunk of countryside somewhere, and maybe kill someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Lascivious Sloth posted:

On the other hand.. what the hell are you talking about? The only thing stopping a NFZ is the joke of a UN that has Russia and China, authoritarian states - the complete mirror of what the Libyan government stands for, with veto power over the decision.

ChaosSamusX posted:

What are the odds of even hitting a low-flying jet with an RPG-7?

ChaosSamusX posted:

What are the odds of even hitting a low-flying jet with an RPG-7?

quote:

18:42 Al Jazeera Reporter LIVE from Ras Lanouf gives a comprehensive update on what is happening on the battlefront right now:

• The reality of Ras Lanouf right now is that of bombardment, destruction and black smoke
  
• Gaddafi forces attacking revolutionaries in 3 ways: From the sea, from the air and with rocket launchers
  
• There is a ship that is firing heavily at the rear lines of the revolutionaries and it is at a distance of 1km away from the main road
  
• The revolutionaries have retreated back a little due to the excessive bombardment from Gaddafi forces
  
• Only the defected army forces with heavy artillery are still in the front line
  
• All volunteers carrying light weaponry have moved back
  
• The bombardment is heavy heavy heavy!
  
• There is extreme confusion regarding what Gaddafi’s forces are doing. They are moving forward with the intent of occupying all the key facilities and towns but they are bombing them first. They want to occupy Sidra Port but they have bombarded it and destroyed it. They want to occupy the oil facilitiy in Ras Lanouf but that too has been destroyed
  
• This is the heaviest bombardment that we have experienced since the beginning of the struggle towards the west
  
• Every 10 meters a shell or a rocket hits the ground
  
• The air strikes have not stopped the revolutionaries from pushing forward
  

quote:

# There is extreme confusion regarding what Gaddafi’s forces are doing. They are moving forward with the intent of occupying all the key facilities and towns but they are bombing them first. They want to occupy Sidra Port but they have bombarded it and destroyed it. They want to occupy the oil facilitiy in Ras Lanouf but that too has been destroyed

The Cheshire Cat posted:

About the same as pegging a bird with the ball during a baseball game. RPG-7s are anti-tank weapons that are only really accurate at relatively close range (<300m). They're basically no more likely to shoot down a plane with one as that guy sitting on an office chair with an assault rifle is.

Lascivious Sloth posted:

On the other hand.. what the hell are you talking about? The only thing stopping a NFZ is the joke of a UN that has Russia and China, authoritarian states - the complete mirror of what the Libyan government stands for, with veto power over the decision.

Jamsque posted:

Hopefully we'll see a bit less of this once the defected army commanders start to organise the rebel forces:



Dude is firing an RPG at a jet. All that is going to do is blow up a chunk of countryside somewhere, and maybe kill someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Still, it looks kinda bad-rear end.

Gravel Gravy posted:

I wish this picture was taken spontaneously, but it just screams photo-op to me. Why? Because it just looks too damned awesome to be real.

Edit: Plus I imagine that the best asset that they would have in the desert against aircraft would be concealment, and that flag sticks out like a sore thumb.

Ganon posted:

Xandu posted:

It's not like the US threatened to veto , my understanding is that France/UK (the only other states I could imagine enforcing one) don't want to go forward without the US involved.

Besides, it makes way more sense to do it under a UN mandate than a NATO mandate.

quote:

Within NATO on Thursday, the United States and Germany were the most resistant to a no-flight zone, while France and Britain, which have been a drafting a United Nations resolution calling for one, were strongly in favor. But there was even disagreement among those who agreed.

When France stepped ahead of the rest of the military alliance on Thursday morning to become the first country to recognize the Libyan rebel leadership in the eastern city of Benghazi, Britain took exception. In comments at the European Union in Brussels, Britain’s foreign secretary, William Hague, said that the Libyan rebels were “legitimate people to talk to, of course, but we recognize groups rather than groups within states.”

Germany in the meantime took a strong position against a no-flight zone. “We do not want to get sucked into a war in north Africa,” the German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said Thursday at the European Union.

quote:

Issue 3108 | Friday, March 11, 2011
Health: 774 injured in the process of "Royal" came out of whom 667

SMC - Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health confirmed that it received Friday evening through health centers and SMC following the break up the march headed to the Royal Court, the number of 774 injured people, mostly different sluices of tears, and bruises in different parts of the body. This has been to provide the necessary treatment for all patients who were to receive them, as it came out of them until the time of this writing the number 667 after confirming the stability of their health and to improve, while still 107 injured SMC to receive the necessary treatment.

quote:

@mauritaniedem1
Mauritanie demain
protesters are expected another protest crossing their street where collected by some trade unions. #Mauritania

@mauritaniedem1
Mauritanie demain
Police Attacked the protesters by teargas. #Mauritania

quote:

The war crimes trial of Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president, has ended with judges expected to take months to reach a verdict on whether he can be linked to murders and amputations during Sierra Leone's civil war.

In their final remarks on Friday, prosecutors cautioned the judges against being taken in by Taylor, who portrayed himself during the three-year trial as a statesman and peacemaker rather than a warlord who used a surrogate army to pillage a nation.

Chief prosecutor Brenda Hollis said the defence had 'misstated the evidence to fit their argument. The evidence proves - incredible evidence in this case - proves the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt on all counts of the indictment."

Nicholas Koumjian, another prosecutor, told the court, "Charles Taylor always tried to portray himself as something he wasn't. ... He's an intelligent and charismatic man."

The defence concluded by denying prosecution claims that Taylor was part of a criminal conspiracy with rebel leaders seizing power in neighbouring Sierra Leone, providing them with weapons and support in exchange for diamonds illegally mined by slave labour.

quote:

@NicRobertsonCNN
Nic Robertson
Detaind at gunpt this morn by plainclothes thugs to stop us covering Friday prayrs in #Tripoli nghbrhd where police attackd protstrs last wk

@NicRobertsonCNN
Nic Robertson
Police thugs pushed around shooter Khalil Abdallah & me and kicked producer Tommy Evans, shouting at us & berating us the whole time


@NicRobertsonCNN
Nic Robertson
After aggressive questioning and threats, some higher power instructd them to free & return us to hotel. Same thing happnd to othr journlsts


@NicRobertsonCNN
Nic Robertson
Later today, govt took journalists in convoy to Zawiya --city had its soul ripped out, spirit shatterd, hard to imagine it will ever b same.

@NicRobertsonCNN
Nic Robertson
Govt managd to produce abt 100 supporters to stage demo in Zawiya, surrounded by hastily covered-over destruction --fresh paint, empty pots

quote:

BY AIDA SULTANOVA BY MARC CHAMPION AND ISTANBUL

Baku

Police in the oil rich Caucasus nation Azerbaijan detained more than 40 people on Friday who attempted to repeat Egypt's antigovernment uprising, even as the European Union expressed "concern" over the government's heavy handed tactics.

A call on Facebook to young Azeris to go out into the streets and take part in a "March 11—Great People's Day" protest against country's authoritarian government drew minimal support. Those few who did turn out to protest were quickly rounded up or dispersed.

quote:

Mar 10 2011
by Tahiyya Lulu

<sub>"I've had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can't take more.”

“You mean you can't take less,” said the Hatter, “it's very easy to take more than nothing."</sub>

Recent news reports on the current uprising in Bahrain are all talking about the talk; we hear, or read, that, “Clinton, Saudi minister support Bahrain dialogue,” and that “UAE-Qatar support Dialogue Initiative.” Days later, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey “Feltman praises initiatives by HM King Hamad,” and according to Bahraini authorities, “Bahrain has also received support from the Governments of France, Jordan, Russia and Turkey for the national dialogue.”

So how come the protesters are not at the negotiating table? Clearly, that miserable lot munching on popcorn at the Pearl are just unwilling to talk, defiantly refusing ‘civilized’ methods of reform, right? Well, allow me to suggest that perhaps it is because the table they are being invited to doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

quote:

JKLF protests Kashmir 'killings, arrests', Malik detained

2011-03-11 23:00:00
Srinagar, March 11 (IANS) The pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Friday evening carried out a torchlight procession in the heart of summer capital Srinagar to protest against 'killings and arrests in Kashmir'.

JKLF chairman Yasin Malik led the procession in the Maisuma locality as scores of JKLF activists shouted pro-independence slogans.

Police intervened to stop the procession in the locality and detained Malik along with other activists of the JKLF who were later shifted to the local police station.

Syed Ali Geelani who heads the hard-line group of the Hurriyat Conference has called for a protest shutdown Saturday against 'the arrest of youth in Kashmir'.

quote:

BAHRAINI ACTIVISTS RECEIVE THREATS AFTER ANONYMOUS DEATH CALL


Seven protesters were killed in Bahrain following a Day of Rage last month
© Amnesty International

11 March 2011
Amnesty International has called on the Bahraini authorities to ensure the safety of three human rights activists after text messages were yesterday circulated to many people in Bahrain calling for them to be killed.

The messages contained personal details of the activists and labelled them "advocates of subversion". One of the three then received a series of anonymous threats from callers to his phone.

"The Bahraini authorities must mount an immediate, thorough investigation to identify the source of these threats and bring to justice those responsible for inciting murder and issuing death threats," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"The government must also ensure the safety of the three activists who have been named in these threats and any others who may be targeted in the same way, and afford them all possible protection."

quote:

_{Residents of the Abobo district carry their belongings as they flee the neighborhood which has become a hub for street violence in the nation's ongoing political standoff, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, February 28, 2011}

The United Nations refugee agency reports nearly one-half million people in Ivory Coast have fled their homes because of escalating violence. The UNHCR says little attention is being paid to the tragedy unfolding in this West African country because of the focus on events in North Africa.

The U.N. refugee agency says it is very concerned by the limited response it has had so far to the crisis in Ivory Coast. It says some 370,000 people now are displaced within the country and nearly 80,000 others have fled to neighboring Liberia seeking asylum.

The UNHCR reports it has had an extremely poor response to its latest appeal for $46 million, despite the growing number of homeless people and the growing needs.

Spokeswoman Melissa Fleming says the UNHCR only has received $5 million. She says the agency is considering launching another and bigger appeal. She urges international donors to be more responsive to the humanitarian crisis in Ivory Coast.

quote:

No Money, No Friends, But Lots Of Bullets

March 11, 2011: President Gbagbo is broke, with all the foreign banks closed and no access to cash to pay his followers and troops. The AU (African Union) has ratified the election of Alassane Ouattara, while Gbagbo continues to insist Ouattara lost. The northern rebels (calling themselves the New Forces) have begun advancing (without announcing it).

Gbagbo is in a difficult position. The UN. already has 9,000 personnel in the country, most of them armed. Another 2,000 peacekeepers are on the way (from Liberia.) The UN 10,000 UN and French peacekeepers have orders to fight only if attacked. Thus Gbagbos troops stay away from the peacekeepers. But the peacekeepers are also apparently letting New Forces sneak past checkpoints.

The peacekeeper "truce line" across the country is not absolute. The roads are blocked, so large numbers of troops cannot move north or south, nor can armored vehicles or artillery. But small units of men, armed with rifles, rocket launchers and machine-guns, and move back and forth.

The New Forces are apparently doing this. The troops and gunmen loyal to Gbagbo are poorly armed and not much more numerous than the peacekeeping force. Many of Gbagbos best gunmen are mercenaries, and with the longer the banks are closed, the more of these guys desert. The New Forces are armed and equipped in the same fashion as Gbagbos men, but have better morale, and growing support in the south. Several southern villages and towns have apparently fallen to the New Forces.

Gbagbo is pulling his best fighters back to the capital and large towns. Gbagbo is willing to turn the situation into a nasty civil war, that will mostly devastate the south, where most of his supporters live.

quote:

Navi Pillay Says 'Human Rights Situation in Cote d'Ivoire is Deteriorating'

A top United Nations official warned today that human rights violations, including rapes, abductions and killings, are escalating amid the ongoing post-electoral crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, with at least 27 people killed in just the past week.

According to investigations conducted by UN human rights officers in the country, at least 392 people have been killed in Côte d'Ivoire since mid-December amid the unrest resulting from Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to leave office after his UN-certified defeat by opposition leader Alassane Ouattara in last November's presidential election.

"Overall, the situation appears to be deteriorating alarmingly, with a sharp increase in inter-communal and inter-ethnic confrontations," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

"Human rights abuses, including rapes, abductions and killings, are being committed by people supporting both sides," she added. In addition, families of high-profile individuals known to be politically active have been targeted, media groups seen as pro-Ouattara have been threatened, and the residences of members appointed to the Ouattara Government have been the targets of looting and ransacking.