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| Africa North |
| Defiant Gaddafi confined to Tripoli |
| 2011-02-28 |
| [Al Jazeera] As more cities fall into the hands of the pro-democracy protesters, Muammar Qadaffy, the Libyan leader, is hanging on to the capital where security forces loyal to him seem to have a firm hold, even amid reports of sporadic gunfire. On Sunday, protesters had taken control of the city of Zawiyah, 50km from Tripoli, further shrinking the control of Qadaffy's government after the opposition took over most of the eastern part of the country. However, The infamous However... tanks were surrounding Zawiyahand locals feared an imminent raid by pro-Qadaffy forces. An AFP news hound arriving in Nalut, 24km west of Tripoli, found that Qadaffy's security forces had entirely disappeared from the streets. "The towns of Rhibat, Kabaw, Jado, Rogban, Zentan, Yefren, Kekla, Gherien and Hawamed have also been free for days. In all these towns, Qadaffy's forces have gone and a revolutionary committee put in place," Shaban Abu Sitta, a lawyer and member of a local committee, said. "We have placed ourselves under the authority of the interim government in Benghazi," he explained, referring to the opposition council formed by former justice minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil in the east of the country. Blaming al-Qaeda In an interview with Serbian television, a defiant Qadaffy repeated his message that he will stay in Libya and blamed foreigners and al-Qaeda for the unrest that is threatening his 41-year rule. The interview with TV Pink in Belgrade was carried out over the phone while Qadaffy was in his office in Tripoli. The Libyan leader also condemned the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society Security Council for imposing sanctions on him and launching a war crimes inquiry. Qadaffy said the UN council could not see that the capital, Tripoli, was secure. Residents said banks were open but bread and petrol remained tightly rationed as the opposition grip on large swathes of the nation disrupted the distribution of basic goods. People gathered at banks trying to register for a handout sum of approximately $400 per family unit, promised by the government on Friday. Earlier, Qadaffy's son denied in a US television interview that turmoil was sweeping the country and said the military did not use force against the people, despite reports to the contrary. "This Week" television programme. "The whole south is calm. The west is calm. The middle is calm. Even part of the east." His assessment came as much of the oil-producing regions, including the second city of Benghazi, was in protesters' hands. Saif Qadaffy also denied allegations that the military was targeting Libyan citizens. "Show me a single attack, show me a single bomb," he said in the interview. "The Libyan air force destroyed just the ammunition sites. That's it." The corpse count from the violent crackdown on protesters is estimated by some diplomats to be about 2,000. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Qaddafy still has potent Military, Police, + Paramilitary-Security forces on his side, + indeed IMO he may obstinately choose to hold on to political power AMAP ALAP even iff the Rebels succeed in dividing Libya into de facto separate sovereign new countries. ALSO, EVEN IFF MUAMMAR CHOSE TO UNILATER RESIGN FROM FORMAL POWER ALA MUBARAK + BEN ALI, IMO HE WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO STAY EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL [Semi-"retired", We-Need-His-Advice-N-Approval-To-Win Elder Statesman] IN POST-JASMINE LIBYAN + REGIONAL POLITICS. I will be very surprised iff Uncle Muammar chooses to resign in quiet/silent pol retirement, as opposed to fighting + being killed in Office. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-28 23:02 |
| #6 US QUANDRY > E.g. ANTI-QADDAFY + OTHER ANTI-DESPOT, PRO-DEMOCRACY "REGIME CHANGE" IN ME = may result in the allegedly "WEAK/DECLINING" USA all but hand the Middle East = Arab-Muslim World to the FUTURE, IRAN-CENTRIC, ANTI-US-WEST, ANTI-DEMOCRAT OWG ISLAMIST NUCLEAR CALIPHATE. By default. Again, iff ME Democracy + Region is usurped or otherwise succumbs to Radical Islam, THE US WILL HAD LOST THE GWOT IRREGARDLESS OF ANY MIL = MILPOL SUCCESS IN AFPAK [or elsewhere]. By extension, the US will had also LOST THE WAR FOR PRO-US + WESTERN DEMOCRATIC CAPITALIST, ETC. OWG-NWO. THE US WON THE COLD WAR BUT LOST THE WORLD, + ITS OWN US, WORLD FREEDOMS + SOVEREIGNTY. ------------- * PR NEWSWIRE > UNSTABLE MOMENTUM IN MIDDLE EAST CRISES CAUSE MORE NEED [not less] FOR US MISSLE DEFENSE. ARTIC NUTSHELL = "OVER THERE" is still much preferred than "OVER HERE". US Navy AEGIS, OTHER US BMD SYS in Bahrain + Qatar, which the US is at real risk of poten losing iff its not careful in how it responds to the on-going "Jasmine" mass protests in + around the Persian Gulf. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-28 22:48 |
| #5 ION FREE INTERNET PRESS >REBELS IN LIBYA'S EAST SAY THEY ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO TAKE TRIPOLI, from Khaddafy as the latter's forces are too strong at present = highly trained + well-trained, etc. for the rebel "LIBYAN PEOPLES ARMY". * PR NEWSWIRE > US TO POSITION AIRCRAFT CARRIER OFF LIBYA AS COUNTER TO GHADDAFY [US MilOptions on the table] * SAME > [UK] PRIME MINSTER:BRITAIN CONSIDERING IMPOSING NO-FLY ZONE, SUPPLYING ARMS TO LIBYAN REBELS. * SAME > HOSNI MUBARAK, FAMILY BARRED FROM LEAVING EGYPT. OTOH AYMAN ZAWAHIRI VIDEO = claimed that EL BARADEI, despite being anti-Mubarak, will likely NOT FREE MUSLIM EGYPT FROM THE GRIP OF THE IMPERIALIST CRUSADER-ZIONIST US + ISRAEL, + that POST-MUBARAK EGYPT will hence remain a Base for the US-Israel-West agz Muslims??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-28 22:26 |
| #4 I guess that was some sort of slip-up. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-02-28 17:34 |
| #3 If it makes you happy... |
| Posted by: Fred 2011-02-28 16:24 |
| #2 meine Freude? |
| Posted by: Pollyandrew 2011-02-28 15:23 |
| #1 "Zu dem Fuhrer Bunker, meine Freude!...Meine Freunde?" |
| Posted by: Pollyandrew 2011-02-28 15:20 |