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Africa North
Libyan opposition has less than 1,000 fighters
2011-04-01
Video at link. It's CNN so it may be the usual fog of war reporting without a clue.
During "In the Arena," Jon Lee Anderson, staff writer for The New Yorker reporting from Benghazi, Libya, tells Eliot Spitzer that the number of opposition fighters on the front lines are fewer than anyone would think and that they are poorly armed and badly trained.

Anderson says, "Effective number of fighting men, well under 1,000. Actual soldiers, who are now in the fight, possibly in the very low hundreds on the opposition side."
Posted by:Steve White

#5  Fewer than

not

less than
Posted by: lord garth   2011-04-01 15:49  

#4  The opposition fighters are a ragtag bunch that seem to lack much direction, knowledge, training, fire discipline, or tactics. A lot of training and equipment would be required to get them shaped into a capable fighting force. They also seem to lack leadership.
Posted by: JohnQC   2011-04-01 13:18  

#3  Actual soldiers, who are now in the fight, possibly in the very low hundreds on the opposition side."

......but well placed and continuing to clandestinely report on rebel dispositions and locations.
Posted by: Besoeker   2011-04-01 01:28  

#2  TOPIX > NO-FLY COALITION RUNNING OUT OF [non-Military] OPTIONS AGZ GADDAFI.

and

* SAME/BHARAT RAKSHAK > SIRTE WAS THE DECISIVE BATTLE OF THE LIBYA CRISIS, AND GADDAFI WON!

As per above Artics, Uncle Muammar still holds more than enough local mil advantages to defeat the Libyan Rebels despite their early successes, + despite the imposition of the UN NFZ + continuing NATO-led Airstrikes agz him.

IOW, GADDAFI IS WINNING - HE'S NOT LEAVING POWER OR LIBYUH UNLESS HE WANTS TO, + THE REBELS ARE ON THE VERGE OF DEFEAT UNLESS THE US-NATO DE FACTO INVADE, OCCUPY LIBYUH [ala Saddam = 2003] OR GADDAFI SUFFERS A MASSIVE CORONARY DURING HOT SEX? WATCHING SOCCER?
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-04-01 01:26  

#1  It's CNN so it may be the usual fog of war reporting without a clue.

I suspect the regular army units who defected to the rebels are staying back, not willing to get killed because of the amateurs. And funny - no mention of how many jihadists are there.
Posted by: Pappy   2011-04-01 00:34  

00:00