Ghaddafi posted:

"Actually, you know what?, it's been a good almost-half a century. Two of my sons have been killed, most of my assets have been frozen, my rants show that I am increasingly becoming unhinged, but it's nothing personal .

I think I'll exit stage left to Venezuella. I may look and sound like my own waxwork dummy gone crazy because somebody accidently left the temperature up, but I'm not THAT crazy.

Sorry about the thousands of raped and murdered corpses left in my wake.

Ok, Hilton Caracas room service?, Can I get some Fois Gras sent to room 614 please and two bottles of something from the Hyde Vineyard in the Los Carneros, surprise me with the year and....OH poo poo!....left the phone on!

Phone line: brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

"

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Reuters have tweeted a correction on the information sent out below – "Gaddafi's forces (not rebels) now about 30 km (19 miles) outside Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte."

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Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera’s Sue Turton says that early reports that opposition fighters had taken Sirte may have been down to scouts being able to get into the city without facing armed opposition.

There is currently an engagement about 180km east of Sirte, near the city of Nofilia, where it appears that some pro-Gaddafi troops were hiding out, and are now shelling areas near an opposition group, holding them 30km from Nofilia.

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BBC Rebels in east Libya have seized the town of Nawfaliyah from forces loyal to Col Gaddafi, extending their advance westwards towards Sirte, al-Jazeera reports, according to Reuters.

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Reuters A steady stream of revolutionaries in 4×4 pick-ups mounted with machineguns have been driving in the direction of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte on Monday, seeking to extend their advance west.

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AJE A Reuters correspondent about 15km west of Bin Jawad reports hearing sustained bombardment on the road ahead (which leads to Nawfaliya and onwards to Sirte).

"This is the frontline. The army has stopped over there, we are stopping here," Mohammed al-Turki, a 21-year-old opposition fighter, told Reuters at a checkpoint beyond Bin Jawad.

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Reuters Qatar recognised the rebel Libyan National Council as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people on Monday, the Qatari state news agency reported.

“This recognition comes from a conviction that the council has become, practically, a representative of Libya and its brotherly people,” the agency reported, quoting a Foreign Ministry official.

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BBC BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus considers the uncertainties that still surround the end-game in this crisis: "Continuing air attacks will reach a point where they are no longer ensuring the protection of civilians, but aiding the offensive operations of the rebels. Some might argue that point has already come. Inevitably this will cause strains within Nato."

More from Jonathan Marcus: "No wonder then that diplomatic efforts are beginning to focus on the end-game in this crisis. A major conference involving the coalition countries and the Arab League is to be held in London on Tuesday. The Italians are already talking about an exit route for Col Gaddafi himself. And Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is casting himself in the role of mediator to attempt to bring about a ceasefire."

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AJE Sadoun, a spokesperson for the opposition, tells Al Jazeera that clashes between pro- and anti-government forces in Misurata have been sporadic today, with fighting being more limited than what was seen on Sunday.

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Five people, including the son of a high-ranking Libyan police officer, have been arrested after Iman al-Obeidi claimed she was raped and beaten by men close to Gaddafi's regime, Sky News is reporting.

The news channel reported that Libya's deputy foreign minister Khalid Kaim had said the men were being detained as part of a criminal investigation into the rape allegations.

Iman al-Obeidi was taken away by security guards after going to the Rixos hotel on Saturday, where foreign journalists have been staying at the invitation of the Libyan government in the Libyan capital.

Obeidi said she had been raped by 15 men and held for two days. The Libyan government had previously attempted to discredit her, saying she was a prostitute and had refused a medical examination.

Sky News said:

quote:

In addition to saying arrests had been made, Mr Kaim also suggested the alleged sexual assault took place when Ms al Obeidi went to a pre-arranged meeting with at least one of the men.

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Reuters A steady stream of revolutionaries in 4×4 pick-ups mounted with machineguns have been driving in the direction of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte on Monday, seeking to extend their advance west.

DevilCat posted:

max4me posted:

I dont get it. Is that frodo and what is Gaddagi ridding?

Dusseldorf posted:

Bob Dylan is not Frodo

quote:

Hi everyone, managed to get net again in Benghazi, it is very slow, but i will try to provide some information for you.
Firstly, to the media. I am around in Benghazi and we are making documentaries, we are also now in direct contact with the TNC.
I have seen many reports over celebrations etc in Benghazi. I will try to explain what happened here last night. There was a huge celebration here in Benghazi last night around 3AM as news spread in regards to Sirte, the revolutionaries are at Nawfalia. When the celebrations erupted at 3AM, there was lots of confusion, many people woke up thinking Pro G had come back.

Tried to go westwards toward the front line to make a film for you guys, I was not allowed too far just yet, lots of tanks been hit, the media aren't allowed anywhere near the front line, or even the 2nd line, they are at the back with unorganised teenagers. You will therefore get an impression of chaos and a mess, but it is much more organised then it is made out to be on TV I promise.

I can't tweet everything I know for obvious reasons but stay positive keep working hard, they are so proud of the Libyans outside.

A couple of us entered through the egyptian border and when we got on the libyan side, the youth checked our passports and we told them we came from the UK to report and help our brothers and sisters, we were greeted like heroes in our country. Would also like to thank the egyptians, especially in Matruh, unbelievable help, also housing libyan families for free. We took the desert road from tobrug that was reported to be dangerous. far from it, it is safer then anywhere in Libya at the moment.

The people want you to know, it is not just those at the front line. those in the city are doing an incredible job it is the powerhouse, from the Egyptian border to Ajdabiya is %100 free and the road is beautiful and calm. Beyond that, they are around nawfaliya outside Sirte.

People have shifts, they guard the streets together of their homes 24 hours, created check points all over and very friendly. I took part briefly in guarding a street, the atmosphere is brilliant, everyone is in high spirits, lots of jokes about G.

I was in Tobruk 2 days ago, didn't stay long, just for lunch. Again everyone tuned in to AJA, people smiling joking and high spirits.

The guys have managed to get the Libyana mobile network disconnected from the West of Libya and is operating for free now.

People joke here that the pharaoh will no longer be used as an example of brutal leadership, but now it's Muammar.

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bungdan benghazi locals say they've renamed "Chavez Stadium" near the airport to Sarkozy stadium

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ChangeInLibya Guys, remember, I said scout group. The commandos and revolutionaries knew it was a trap - we have no losses

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SultanAlQassemi: Al Jazeera: A number of Libyan Army officers in Kufra have joined the revolutionaries

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ChangeInLibya Funnily enough, Kufra, one of the least mentioned cities in this revolution, encompasses an area bigger than all of Tunisia

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ChangeInLibya Eman Al Obeidi's mother is asking people in Tripoli to go out and fight against the injustice

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General Hamdi Hassi, an opposition commander in the town of Bin Jawad says that while taking Sirte will "not be easy", NATO airstrikes have evened the scales between the pro- and anti-government forces.

He says that fighting was ongoing in Nawfaliya, about 100km from Sirte, and scouting parties had found the road towards the Gaddafi stronghold to be heavily mined.

He says that the current opposition strategy is to combine military assault with attempts to win over local tribes who are still loyal to Gaddafi.

Speaking to the Associated Press, he said:

quote:

Sirte will not be easy to take. Now because of NATO strikes on [the government's] heavy weapons, we're almost fighting with the same weapons, only we have Grad rockets now and they don't ... There's Gaddafi and then there's circles around him of supporters, each circle is slowly peeling off and disappearing. If they rise up it would make our job easier."

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The story regarding the downed revolutionary jet in Benghazi last week. He went on a bombing mission but he turned and went for another without permission from HQ because he saw so many tanks. He was then hit by his own because nobody knew he was going for a second. He stayed in the jet as long as pos to turn away from homes thus ejected late and died.

bbc posted:

1135: In other developments in the region, Egypt is to hold a legislative election in September, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has said, as reported by Reuters. But a date for a presidential election has yet to be set, Mamdouh Shaheen, a member of the military council, says at a news conference.

1154: More on those newly announced Egyptian elections (1135 entry): Egypt will lift its emergency laws before the polls in September, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces says. Egypt's emergency laws have been in place since 1981.

1320: Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his family are not allowed to leave the country, the ruling military council has said, Reuters reports. The military denied reports Mr Mubarak had left to Saudi Arabia, adding: "He and his family are subject to forced residency in Egypt".

BBC posted:

1208: wissamtarif in Syria tweets: "Military troops deployed in #Latakia #Syria Check points in different parts of the city#March15 #Daraa."

1239: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will announce important decisions that will "please the Syrian people" in the next two days, Vice-President Farouq al-Shara has told Lebanese Hezbollah's al-Manar television, Reuters reports. The station did not give further details.

1255: Syrian security forces have opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators chanting against emergency laws in the southern city of Deraa, a witness is quoted as saying by Reuters. The demonstrators had converged on a main square in the city, chanting: "We want dignity and freedom" and "No to emergency laws", the witness said.

BBC posted:

1342: Meanwhile in Yemen, officials say 78 people were killed by an explosion at an explosives factory in southern Abyan province after it was briefly taken over by Islamist militants and then looted by locals, according to the Associated Press. Another 27 people were critically injured.

DevilCat posted:

Zero grinder posted:

What the gently caress?
Who made this?

PenguinBob posted:

the Faithmouse guy.

Zero grinder posted:

What the gently caress?
Who made this?

quote:

Globe_info tweets: “Urgent: Rebels seize Hadhramy camp in Msallata and chase the pro-Gueddafi battalion out of the town.” They report that Msellata is now free.

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Virtualactivism tweets: “Breaking: Libyan revolutionaries now contol Harawa, 70km east of Sirte. #libya”

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The parents of a Libyan woman who claimed she was detained by Muammar Gaddafi's troops and later gang-raped have said their daughter is being held hostage at the Libyan leader's compound in Tripoli.

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Iman al-Obeidi made headlines when she rushed distraught into a Tripoli hotel on Saturday, seeking to speak to foreign reporters. She was tackled by waitresses and government minders and dragged away.

In interviews broadcast on Monday on al-Jazeera television, al-Obeidi's parents countered government claims that their daughter had been freed after the hotel incident and was now with a sister in the Libyan capital. They also countered allegations of a government spokesman who said she was a prostitute.

The parents said al-Obeidi is a lawyer and that she is being held at Gaddafi's compound in Bab Al-Aziziya in the capital. It is unclear where the parents spoke from and al-Jazeera did not provide their names.

"I don't feel ashamed, instead my head is up high," the mother told Al-Jazeera, saying her daughter "broke the barrier that no other man could break" by coming forward to allege rape.

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Libya's foreign ministry has announced a ceasefire in the rebel-held western city of Misrata, state media say. "Anti-terrorism units have stopped firing at the armed terrorist groups that have been terrorising," the Jana agency quoted the ministry as saying. "The city of Misrata now enjoys security and tranquillity and public services have started to recover their ability to provide customary services to all citizens. The Foreign Ministry thus emphasises Libya's commitment to the ceasefire: it stands."

Brown Moses posted:

Sounds like Gaddafi's forces have secured part of Misarata, and are driving journalists there now to give the usual tour*. Hopefully the coalition will start bombing just before they arrive.

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Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim has meanwhile told the AFP news agency that several soldiers have "lodged a complaint accusing Iman al-Obaidi of defamation. "The girl has been freed but the prosecution is still questioning her to determine the circumstances [of her allegations]. It is a criminal affair, not political," he said. Four men, including the son of a high-ranking police officer, have been questioned.

Brown Moses posted:

This story gets more and more sickening:

Do they just wake up every morning and think "what can I do next to make the regime look more cartoonishly evil?".

Cartouche posted:

*"Tour"= Using clueless journalists to become human shields. Really, as much as I crave information, I really will not shed a tear if these folks end up as colateral. I REALLY hope the coalition doesn't need to check the scheduled itinerary of journalists before planning assaults.

The Reaganomicon posted:

Dan Lacey, painter of pancakes.

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SultanAlQassemi: AP: Qatari Air Force chief: "Certain countries like #Saudi Arabia & #Egypt haven't taken leadership for the last three years" #Touché

farraday posted:

Qatar with the burn.


A hit, a most palpable hit.

DevNull posted:

To be fair, Egypt has had a very oppressive government for the past 30 years. I don't really expect them to take much of a leadership role now. They have their own issues to deal with. I can see them taking a leadership role in a few years from now though. It will be interesting to see how these different countries in the Middle East work with each other after things settle down.

Brown Moses, I just want to say thanks for all the information that you keep up to date in this thread. I follow some reporters on twitter, but you have done a really good job of posting the important stuff here.

quote:

Cameron is now responding to questions by the Labour leader Ed Milliband and other MPs. Cameron says he "would not be at all surprised" if Gaddafi were to announce an "all-encompassing ceasefire" ahead of tomorrow's conference in London. My colleague Andrew Sparrow is continuing to cover the question and answer session his live blog here.

farraday posted:

A repressive government has not stopped Egypt as a country from taking action. I think the Qatari officer has a valid point about the lack of attempted leadership in the Arab world. The current crisis definitely shows the weakness of the various autocratic forms of government, but it can just as well be argued that it is a response to a lack of leadership that would reduce the underlying problems of autocracy.

Brown Moses posted:

Interesting bit from the Guardian:


That's a pretty odd statement to make considering Gaddafi's previous behaviour, unless Cameron knows more then he's letting on. Maybe Gaddafi's regime has been making some deals behind the scenes to escape from Libya and let the international conference create a road map to democracy.

Not sure the rebels are going to stop even if he does declare a ceasefire, he's not exactly stuck to them in the past.

farraday posted:

Qaddafi has announced at least three ceasefires. I wouldn't be surprised if he announced a cease fire ahead of the meeting either. Announcing is not the important part.

Mad Doctor Cthulhu posted:

At this point he's announcing that he's going to attack again. He shouldn't have bothered.

quote:

1652: Bahrain's leading Shia opposition group, al-Wifaq, has said 250 people have been detained and 44 others have gone missing since a security crackdown earlier this month crushed weeks of protests. The figures have more than doubled since last week. "Just today and yesterday [Monday and Sunday], we got calls from 35 families saying they lost contact with their relatives when they passed through a checkpoint," Wifaq spokesman Ibrahim Mattar told Reuters. "We don't know what's happened to them, authorities won't say. In these conditions, we actually have to hope they were arrested."

farraday posted:

Doesn't everyone announce their attack? Have I been playing too many JRPGS?

Speaking of androgynous protagonists.


No, you're right, that actually had nothing to do with androgynous protagonists.

DevNull posted:

Fair enough. I guess my point was that things appear to be changing for the better. Not so much in Saudi Arabia, but in Egypt. I know Egypt just kind of sat by as Gaza went to hell, and Jordan only cared about the West Bank because they wanted the land as their own. Hopefully these revolutions are a sign of a new social awareness that will allow leaders to step up and deal with many of the issues in the region. Even the countries that are not having outright revolution seem to be making changes in response to the people.

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DIRECT from Misratah: A short while ago, the revolutionaries were able to successfully defeat Gaddafi’s forces positioned at the eastern entrance to the city. They managed to kill the leader of the tank regiment which had previously been sent to Az Zawiya. They also managed to destroy one tank and have killed a number of soldiers.

quote:

Was outside the courthouse moments ago, latest is that the revolutionaries are at wadi Hamrah

Namarrgon posted:

It is interesting how they quite clearly don't understand what they did wrong. In the mind of whoever is the spin-boss at the moment "she dressed provocatively" is probably a valid excuse. It is an otherwise impossible tiny insight in the mind of someone else.

Jut posted:

In all fairness, the 'she was asking for it' excuse DOES fly over there.

quote:

Qatar has recognised Libya's rebel council as the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people, a day after the group announced an oil contract with the Gulf state.