Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Aracely Arámbula aka Regina Montes de Oca in "Corazon salvaje" aka Perla in "Las vías del amor" aka Maria Del Carmen in "Abrázame Muy Fuerte" aka Mayté Monteverde in "Rencor apasionado" (age 36)
[Tolo News] At least 5 Orcs and similar vermin were killed on Friday in a Coalition forces Arclight airstrike in eastern Kunar province, ... which is right down the road from Binny's house in Chitral... local official said.
The incident happened in Daangam district of the province when beturbanned goons attacked on a convoy of Coalition and Afghan National Army forces, an Afghan police official told TOLOnews.
Five Orcs and similar vermin were killed and two others were maimed in the incident, he added.
Danglam is an insecure district in the province and previously Afghan and foreign forces have launched military operations there to clear it of bad boys.
Taliban have not yet commented.
Insecurity has worried people in Kunar province where Orcs and similar vermin are active in most villages.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] At least 50 African Union (AU) peacekeepers have died in fighting in Somalia in a major offensive against al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... fighters, officials have told news agencies.
The fighting started two weeks ago in the Horn of African nation which has had no central government for two decades and is struggling to rein in the group, the former military wing of the deposed Islamic Court Union.
Two Nairobi-based diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , said at least 43 Burundian and 10 Ugandan troops have been killed since February 18, citing information from people involved in the operation.
The AU force, known as AMISOM, has publicly confirmed only a handful of deaths since the fighting broke out.
The News Agency that Dare Not be Named news agency said on Saturday that the AU appeared to be trying to conceal losses due to political considerations in Burundi, one of two nations providing the bulk of the forces that are fighting alongside Somali troops.
An AU front man in neighbouring Kenya's capital, Nairobi, did not answer calls on Friday and Burundi's government front man was unavailable for comment.
Military officers in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, confirmed the death of the 43 Burundi soldiers, adding that 110 others were maimed.
"In reality, 43 soldiers of the Burundi contingent ... have been killed, another four are missing and 110 were maimed during the last joint offensive ... in Mogadishu," a senior officer who declined to be named due to the sensivity of the issue said.
"The majority of these soldiers were killed on the first day of the offensive. They came upon many forces of Evil at a major target located near the former defence ministry which we conquered."
The officer added: "The troops' morale is good despite these losses which are the worst since we have been deployed in Somalia, because we achieved our goals."
Base captured Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... an AU commander said on Saturday that his forces had captured a key position from al-Shabaab in the capital Mogadishu.
Major-General Nathan Mugisha said the soldiers had captured the former ministry of defence building in the north of the city, gaining control of a major al-Shabaab base.
"By taking these positions we have effectively reduced their freedom of manoeuvre in that sector," Mugisha told a news conference in Nairobi.
"This peace in Mogadishu comes at a price, and this burden has fallen heavily on AMISOM and government forces."
Earlier, al-Shaboobs were forced to abandon their positions in Belet Hawo, a town which borders Kenya, said Sharif Abdiwahid Sharif Aden, a front man for pro-government armed forces.
The latest offensive aims to break al-Shabaab's hold on large swathes of the country's south and central regions.
The group - which has instituted a Taliban-style system of rule, with strict edicts enforced by its own courts and public executions - has boxed in the government to just a few city blocks of Mogadishu.
The transitional government has been promising a full-scale war against al-Shabaab for years, but co-ordination among its poorly trained, seldom-paid government forces has delayed that push.
A report last month by the think-tank International Crisis Group described the government as being on "life support".
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/06/2011 14:40 ||
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#1
My advice to rebels with guns would be to use cover and concealment, stay calm, take good aim, conserve ammunition, make every shot count. They should try to avoid the "death blossom" of everyone firing fully automatic in all directions. Yes, the adrenaline will be pumping, but stay calm, stay focused, one shot, one kill.
A group of 10 men staying cool and making their shots count can be more effective than 1000 men firing at random.
Up to eight soldiers were captured as they escorted a junior British diplomat through rebel-held territory in the east of the country, the Sunday Times said. Spokesmen for both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office would neither confirm nor deny the report.
According to the newspaper, the SAS soldiers were taken by rebels to Benghazi, the largest city held by the opposition, where they were detained. It is said the diplomat had intended to contact Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's opponents ahead of a visit by a senior colleague to establish diplomatic relations with the rebels.
But the SAS intervention is thought to have angered Libyan opposition figures.
Bad move, boys, the Brits would like to help you. And jugging SAS men is just asking for trouble.
Update by tw at 15:03 ET: Sky News says they've been released and are on a ship heading home.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/06/2011 13:11 ||
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#1
NOT a good move at all.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2011 13:55 Comments ||
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Sounds to me like there are multiple factions in the rebels and one either doesn't want the Brits talking to the other, or they panicked.
However, hostage taking has been rewarded by the West in recent years, and Gaddafi already nabbed Dutch marines.
Maybe they don't want to be in a worse bargaining position than the other side, and maybe they're aware of how friendly the British political class has been with Gaddafi, notwithstanding Lockerbie.
#6
They need all the help they can get and know it , its bound to be a tad tetchy on the ground . They (rebels) havent even got their groups organised yet , one hand doesnt know what the other is doing , and the situation on the ground looks pretty fluid whilst folks/groups jockey for position . Easier to get nabbed and taken direct to 'leadership' than to piss around going from one group to another , all with different minor demands and concerns . Just my opinion
Posted by: Oscar ||
03/06/2011 15:55 Comments ||
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#7
Maybe not SAS at all, might be private individuals who like guns and money and sunshine who answered an ad on the Inter-tuben.
Besides taking SAS personnel hostage is like trying to have a pet rattlesnake. They bite and they bite hard and often fatally. If these are really SAS hardboys, well the Libyans are to be pitied for their stupidity, may they rest in peace.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/06/2011 23:38 Comments ||
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#9
CRAP, the dreaded multiple post thingee.
How'd I do that and how do I fix it?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/06/2011 23:40 Comments ||
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President Barack Obama Saturday, March 5, asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to set out for Cairo without delay on an emergency mission as the unrest in Egypt veered out of control, debkafile's exclusive sources report from Washington. Friday night, thousands of protesters seized control of the headquarters Egyptian security police (Mahabis Namn El Dawla) in Alexandria, Cairo and the nearby 6 of October town, shutting down its operations across the country.
The capture of the three Mahabis centers opened to disaffected elements the secret files on every political and military leader in the country
In the last hours, information reaching Washington indicated that control was slipping out of the hands of the Egyptian military junta ruling the country since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow; anti-American elements energized by Iran appeared to have strengthened their hold on the protest movement, causing deep concern in the White House.
The capture of the three Mahabis centers opened to disaffected elements the secret files on every political and military leader in the country, confidential information once accessible only to ex-intelligence minister Gen. Omar Suleiman before the uprising.
While the Obama administration has a better inside picture of Egypt's opposition groups than it has about Libya, intelligence is still inadequate about the shape of the local leadership of those groups and to whom they defer.
Last Wednesday, March 2, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Iran of stirring the pot when she addressed the House Appropriations Committee: "They (the Iranians) are using Hizballah... to communicate with counterparts... in (the Palestinian movement) Hamas who then in turn communicate with counterparts in Egypt," she said.
debkafile's sources report that large sums of Iranian petrodollars have reached the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and radicalized its message to the Egyptian people. Military young leaders are believed to have executed a coup and displaced the veterans. The Palestinian Hamas has turned its well-oiled smuggling machine into a channel for transmitting Iranian cash to keep Egyptian Islamic extremists on the march.
#2
..well-oiled smuggling machine into a channel for transmitting Iranian cash to keep Egyptian Islamic extremists on the march.
Our 21st Century equivalent of the 20th Century act of putting Lenin on the train in Zurich to ship to Russia to move the revolution along. Sure to have very very bad consequences down line for everyone [except those who end up in power]. Not that anyone could foresee this. No, no. State is always in the very best of hands.
#9
This is DEBKA, which means it is 99.99999% likely the story is false. So far I see no indication that Gates is anywhere near Cairo or has any plans of going there.
If it is a DEBKA "exclusive", then it is false ... as it made up ... as in "not true".
[Maghrebia] Mauritanian security forces are hunting al-Qaeda gunnies in the eastern regions of Grogol and Guidimakha, Journal Tahalil reported on Thursday (March 3rd). A suspicious vehicle approached military barracks in Bassiknou on Wednesday but disappeared after troops opened fire, ANI reported. In early February, a Republican Guard (BASEP) patrol foiled a Nouakchott attack by killing three AQIM gunnies before their car booms could reach their targets.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[The Nation (Nairobi)] Libyan police fired tear gas at protestors demonstrating against Muammar Qadaffy's regime in Tripoli today as rebel fighters in eastern Libya tried to push the front line nearer to the capital.
Elsewhere the UN refugee agency voiced concern for those fleeing the violence and international measures against Qadaffy bore fruit with the seizure by Britain of a ship carrying a large quantity of Libyan currency.
Some 100 anti-Qadaffy demonstrators clashed with police in the Tajoura neighbourhood in eastern Tripoli after Friday prayers, a witness said, while another said opponents and supporters of the regime traded blows near the capital's Green Square.
Police fired in the air and sealed off the area but did not intervene otherwise, the second witness said.
In the rebel-held east of the country renegade fighters were moving westward in haphazard armed convoys out of Uqayla, a desert hamlet about 280 kilometres from the main rebel headquarters in Benghazi, Libya's second city.
Entrenched on high ground
An AFP news hound saw 60-70 well-armed rebels shouting that they were going to Raslanuf, where pro-Qadaffy forces are entrenched on high ground.
Later the sound of heavy shelling and machine-gun fire could be heard near Raslanuf, with rebels reporting that at least four were killed near an oil compound.
"The plan is to edge slowly, slowly towards them to pressure them to back off. We don't want to fight, we want to pressure them psychologically," Colonel Bashir Abdulkadir told AFP.
"But if we have to kill them to win this battle, we will," he said. "We are a popular revolt," the rebel commander said. "God will give us victory".
Captain Shoaib al-Akaki, another defector from the military, said, "We're trying to minimise losses on both sides."
"We all have relatives in Sirte," he said, referring to the coastal city between Benghazi and Tripoli where Qadaffy was born.
A patchwork coalition of rebels controls eastern Libya and some towns in the west following a revolt that started on February 15, but Qadaffy retains his grip on the capital.
In Misrata, a rebel-held pocket closer to Tripoli, one person was killed late Thursday amid heavy firing by pro-Qadaffy forces in a bid to recapture the town, a witness said.
Heavily armed pro-regime forces were also manning the Libyan side of the border with Tunisia, and fewer than 2,000 people crossed the frontier on Thursday, compared with between 10,000 and 15,000 on previous days, the UN refugee agency said Friday.
"UNHCR is very concerned that the security situation in Libya may be preventing people crossing the border," spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said in Geneva.
Those who did manage to cross told the UNHCR that "their mobile phones had been confiscated en route, along with cameras," she said, adding, "Many of those who have crossed the border appear to be frightened and are unwilling to speak."
"We're hearing reports... that the entire road was full of Qadaffy-supported military, that there were checkpoints all along the way," she said.
Four refugees who had just crossed the border Friday told AFP however that they had not witnessed any military presence and there were only police.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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We are a popular revolt, the rebel commander said. God will give us victory.
Ok, let me this straight. After the Friday prayers in Tripoli the crowds boiled into the streets and rioted. Now these folks are reffered to as "opponents", "demonstrators", and "protestors". However, less then 300 kilometres away there's another group also calling for the same revolution, and also, in Allah's name. But these guys openly carry weaponry so their called "rebels" and "renegade fighters". So why is it I'm not really seeing a big distinction between an opponent and a rebel.
#3
So why is it I'm not really seeing a big distinction between an opponent and a rebel.
"The self-declared national council established by Libyan[s] fighting to overthrow ruler Moammar Qadaffy on Saturday declared itself the sole representative of the country."
[Ma'an] Moammar Qadaffy's regime on Friday demanded that the UN Security Council suspend sanctions taken against the Libyan leader over his crackdown on opposition protesters.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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or what? you're not in any position too be making demands
Posted by: chris ||
03/06/2011 15:53 Comments ||
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[Ma'an] The self-declared national council established by Libyan rebels fighting to overthrow ruler Moammar Qadaffy on Saturday declared itself the sole representative of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"DEEPER SHADE OF SOLE" [Soul]
versus
* WAFF > BENGHAZI EXPLOSION - TACTICAL NUCLEAR USE [TNW = tacnucweaps?] BY GADDAFI SUSPECTED.
Mysterious explosion at Rajima milbase.
ARTIC > BOB NICHOLS = claimed that SMALL NUCLEAR BOMS = TNWS were covertly used in IRAQ + AFGHANISTAN.
and
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > [Experts]NO QUIET OR QUICK EXIT FOR GADHAFI. Any demise or end to Uncle Muammar may prove to be a bloody affair.
ARTIC > LONDON SCHOOL OF ECON PERT FAWAZ GERGES = argued that that there a REAL DANGER of Libya sliding towards LONG + PROTRACTED CIVIL WAR.
OTHER PERT(S) POINTS:
> In Libyuh, Muammar is the absolute sole decison-maker whom does not delegate any authority to anyone, not even his own Sons.
> Gaddafi's persona + beliefs is such that he wold rather bring Libya down unto strife + SOMALIA-LIKE RUIN THAN SURRRENDER = GIVE UP POWER.
> As per LIBYA = SOMALIA, Gaddafi would ultimately prefers that there be NO CENTRAL POWER = GOVT, BUT LIBYA BECOME A DIVIDED COUNTRY WHERE HE WILL REMAIN A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
> GADDAFI IS PREPPING FOR A LONG FIGHT/STRUGGLE TO STAY IN POWER, + HAS THE ECON ASSETS, FAMILY + MILITARY + OTHER, TO DO IT.
To sum up what I'd described or inferred before -Y-U-U-U-P.
QUIET FLORIDA RETIREMENT + JELLO + SENIOR SHUFFLEBOARD, etc. is just not his style.
* SAME > MUAMMAR GADDAFI SAYS [Himself = Libyuh] IS FIGHTING TERRORISM, RAPS LACK OF [US-West = International] HELP.
IOW, Muammar is trying hard NOT to say that he does not want his fellow Muslims as per Radic Islam to push = regress modern Libya "back to the future" of the backwardness of the early 20th Century iff not earlier.
[Maghrebia] Libyan state television aired footage of three Dutch marines captured last Sunday in Sirte while attempting to evacuate Europeans, BBC reported on Friday (March 4th). The video shows two men and one woman with their faces obscured, as well as a Lynx helicopter and the marines' weapons. Dutch authorities are reportedly negotiating the hostages' release.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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LONDON - Britain said on Saturday it was hoping to send a diplomatic taskforce to Libya soon to make contact with opposition leaders and had readied a battalion of troops to aid humanitarian and evacuation efforts if needed.
Government sources told Reuters a team of experts including foreign office officials would travel to Benghazi in the east of the country in due course to see what anti-Gaddafi forces required. The taskforce is being sent on a fact-finding mission and to see how Britain could help in a logistical way, the sources said. It is understood the rebels will not be given arms as there is an international arms embargo in place.
They can take the guns from Qadaffy loyalists.
Asked when the team would go a source said: we are not discussing any timings. The Foreign Office declined official comment.
The Ministry of Defence said The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, is on stand-by to go to Libya and has been ready to deploy rapidly at 24 hours notice for the past 10 days.
A spokeswoman said the 200-odd troops would only provide humanitarian assistance and would not engage in combat or intervene militarily in any way.
There is no suggestion they would be involved in any combat mission or ground offensive, she said. This has got nothing to do with a perceived deterioration of things on the ground in Libya, or any escalation of the crisis on our part.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Libyan government forces launched a second attack on the western town of Zawiyah on Saturday after rebels drove them out in a morning of fierce fighting, while in the east, opponents of Muammar Qadaffy pushed towards his home town.
"The fighting has intensified and the tanks are shelling everything on their way. They have shelled houses. Now they are shelling a mosque where hundreds of people are hiding, Abu Akeel, a Zawiyah resident, told Rooters. "We can't rescue anyone because the shelling is so heavy," he said.
Another resident in the main square told Rooters by telephone: "The attack has started. I see more than 20 tanks." Gunfire could be heard in the background.
It was the second attempt by Qadaffy's forces to win control over the town in a matter of hours. Rebels pushed back an early morning attack in which residents said the government forces had fired high explosive rounds at civilians and dragged people from their homes.
"We captured 3 APCs, two tanks and one pick-up after an hour and a half of fighting," Youssef Shagan, the rebel force front man in the town, 50 km (30 miles) west of the capital, told Rooters after the first battle.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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Uh, uh, OUT IN THE WEST LIBYUHN TOWN OF AL-PASO HE FELL IN LOVE WID A UKRAINIAN GIRL???
[al-Jazeera] Pro- and anti-Qadaffy tribes have clashed in Qadaffy's hometown of Sirte - formerly reported as a stronghold of the de facto Libyan leader. More details to follow.
The inter-tribal fighting in Sirte was sparked by one tribe refusing to support Qadaffy's fighters in Ras Lanuf yesterday, Al Jizz Arabic reports. This has reportedly opened a political divide overnight in the city, which is home to 135,000 people - and which houses several government ministries.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
This is his support "rathole" city. Funds, thugs, and bugs com from within. It is a supply route between Benghazi and Tripoli. Kind of an important battle per sae.This is the one to watch.
Splits the country into 2.
#2
I've recently done some checking around Sirte/Surt, to see what's there. There's a HUGE airfield, protected by at least four SA-2 sites, one or more SA-3 sites, and at least one SA-4 site. There's a large ammo dump to the south of the city, plus two HUGE tents in a fenced compound. In fact, there are more than 40,000 acres of fenced compounds around and to the south of the city. If the rebels can take the area, they'll probably have enough ammo for the next 300 years - IF any of it works. There also appears to be an SA-5 site, but the equipment I can see doesn't appear to match the site. I also found what could POSSIBLY be one chemical-warfare weapons storage site, but it's quite different than any I've seen before.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/06/2011 16:13 Comments ||
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#3
Its a good call to tie down Daffys hometown. Definitely upping the ante and creating awareness amongst Daffy thugs and supporters that their regime is tettering
Posted by: Oscar ||
03/06/2011 16:35 Comments ||
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[Ennahar] The fighting appeared to confirm the division of the vast desert oil-producing state between a western area round the capital Tripoli held by forces loyal to Qadaffy and an eastern region held by those rebelling against his four-decade rule.
In Zawiyah, a town 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli whose control by the rebels had embarrassed the government, "dozens were killed and more were maimed," by pro-Qadaffy forces, said Mohamed, a resident. "We have counted 30 dead civilians."
The loyalist forces used grenade-launchers, heavy machineguns and snipers on the roof of a new hotel to fire at protesters when they marched after Friday prayers to demand the fall of the regime, Mohamed said.
An improvised rebel force had withdrawn to the central Martyrs Square, and government troops were 4-5 kilometers away, a rebel front man said.
A Libyan government official said of the town: "It's been liberated, maybe there are still some pockets (under rebel control) but otherwise it's been liberated."
In the east, rebels said their forces had taken the oil town of Ras Lanuf, which lies on a strategic coastal road, hours after saying they had captured the town's airport.
"We have taken Ras Lanuf 100 percent, Qadaffy's forces have all left," rebel soldier Hafez Ibrahim said from the town. He did not say who controlled the nearby military base and oil terminal.
A deputy foreign minister in Tripoli, however, told news hounds that government forces still held the town.
Rebels have already seized control of much of the rest of eastern Libya, the main oil-producing part of the country, in a popular uprising centered on Benghazi, Libya's second city.
A rebel front man said pro-Qadaffy forces bombed an arms depot -- one of the biggest weapons depots in the region -- on the outskirts of Benghazi on Friday.
"A lot of people have been killed. There are many people in the hospital. No one can approach, it's still very dangerous," said a resident who would only identify himself as Saleh.
Security forces had cordoned off the area, and a Rooters witness said at least eight ambulances were seen ferrying casualties from the scene. Windows were shattered in suburbs several kilometers from the scene, residents said.
The uprising against Qadaffy is the bloodiest yet against a long-serving ruler in the Arab world, and follows the ousting in the past weeks of the long-time presidents of both Tunisia and Egypt -- Libya's western and eastern neighbors.
The cut in Libya's 1.6 million barrel per day oil output -- caused partly by the flight of thousands of key foreign oil workers -- is a major blow to its economy.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Libyan forces loyal to leader Muammar Qadaffy ... an Arab institution for 42 years ... fought their way into a town near the capital that has for days defied his rule, killing a rebel commander and pinning fighters into pockets of resistance.
At least 30 non-combatants were killed in the festivities, residents said by telephone.
An improvised force of rebels had been pushed back to the central Martyrs Square in Zawiyah, about 50 km (30 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, a rebel front man said.
"Many people were killed in Harsha, which is now occupied by them," rebel front man Youssef Shagan told Rooters by phone, referring to a small town outside Zawiyah.
"They shot at civilians. We still control (Zawiyah's) central square. They are four to five kilometres away. Our army commander Hussein Darbuk has been killed in Harsha. We have appointed a new one."
A Libyan government official said: "It's been liberated, maybe there are still some pockets (under rebel control) but otherwise it's been liberated."
Earlier Libyan government front man Mussa Ibrahim said forces hoped to regain control of Zawiyah "possibly tonight."
"They (rebels) have attacked the oil refinery. Government forces pushed them back and gained back some weapons," he said adding negotiations were underway with Zawiyah rebel commanders to lay down their weapons and surrender.
Shagan said government troops had surrounded the city and offered negotiations.
"We will not talk to them, they have blood on their hands."
DOZENS KILLED
Residents said dozens of people were killed in the fighting.
"Dozens were killed and more were maimed. We have counted 30 dead civilians. The hospital was full. They could not find space for the casualties," resident Mohamed said.
"We receive updates from the hospital and they say the number of casualties is rising," he added. Resident Ibrahim said between 40 and 50 people were killed after the festivities.
Mohamed said the pro-Qadaffy forces used grenade-launchers, heavy machine guns and snipers on the rooftop of a new hotel in the town to fire at protesters while they marched after Friday prayers to demand the fall of the regime.
"People used swords and hunting rifles to defend Martyrs Square. Even mothers used those weapons," he added.
Ibrahim said: "People want martyrdom. There were children out protesting."
Their accounts could not be independently verified.
The rebellion in Zawiyah -- the closest rebel-held territory to the capital and also the site of an oil refinery -- has been an embarrassment to the Libyan authorities who are trying to show they control at least the west of the country.
Eastern regions of the country, around the city of Benghazi, have already spun out of Qadaffy's control after a popular revolt against his four decades of rule.
Earlier this week people threw stones at posters of Qadaffy in the square -- which rebels re-named Martyr's Square in honor of those killed in the fighting that expelled government forces.
They showed off a captured armory of tanks, armored personnel carriers and anti-aircraft guns mounted on pick-up trucks. But the town was still encircled by large numbers of government troops and the rebels had been preparing for a major counter-attack.
"It's incredible. We can't let Qadaffy continue massacring his own people," Ibrahim said. "We have no choice but to continue our fight against this dictator.
This article starring:
leader Muammar Qadaffy
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] According to Ennahar special sources, the provisional results of the air raid by the Libyan army in the night from Friday to Saturday, in Ras Naloufi, 700 km east of Tripoli, have reached 20 dead and dozens injured.
Our sources add that the military region of Tella, located 30 km east of Benghazi, was the theatre of this attack too. A team of civil protection elements that was inside to evacuate the maimed and victims of the raid were killed and 23 elements were charred.
The Libyan army also raided a medical caravan composed of 6 members with equipment and medical equipment sent by the Egyptian doctors' union in solidarity with the Libyan people.
Several regions of Libya are experiencing an upsurge of violence since Friday morning. Clashes between military units and cut-throats occurred in Ajdabya, Brega east and Ras Lanuf (center) and Zawiyah near the capital Tripoli.
In addition, in several cities protesters demonstrate, like in Tripoli, and this after Friday prayers, calling tyrant Moammar Qadaffy of departure.
According to Ennahar sources, dozens of pro Qadaffy army soldiers would have rebelled yesterday evening following the carnage of Tripoli and Sirte and are currently en route to the eastern cities to join the Death Eaters.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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(AINA) -- A mob of nearly four thousand Muslims has attacked Coptic homes this evening in the village of Soul, Atfif in Helwan Governorate, 30 kilometers from Cairo, and torched the Church of St. Mina and St. George. There are conflicting reports about the whereabouts of the Church pastor Father Yosha and three deacons who were at church; some say they died in the fire and some say they are being held captive by the Muslims inside the church.
Witnesses report the mob prevented the fire brigade from entering the village. The army, which has been stationed for the last two days in the village of Bromil, 7 kilometers from Soul, initially refused to go into Soul, according to the officer in charge. When the army finally sent three tanks to the village, Muslim elders sent them away, saying that everything was "in order now."
A curfew has been imposed on the 12,000 Christians in the village.
But not on the Muslim residents, naturally.
This incident was triggered by a relationship between 40-year-old Copt Ashraf Iskander and a Muslim woman. Yesterday a "reconciliation" meeting was arranged between the relevant Coptic and Muslim families and together with the Muslim elders it was decided that Ashraf Iskander would have to leave the village because Muslims torched his house.
The father of the Muslim woman was killed by his cousin because he did not kill his daughter to preserve the family's honor, which led the woman's brother to avenge the death of his father by killing the cousin. The village Muslims blamed the Christians.
Had Christians not existed, there would have been no reason for the father and the cousin to be killed. Naturally.
The Muslim mob attacked the church, exploding 5-6 gas cylinders inside the church, pulled down the cross and the domes and burnt everything inside. Activist Ramy Kamel of Katibatibia Coptic advocacy called US-based Coptic Hope Sat TV and sent an SOS on behalf of the Copts in Soul village, as they are presently being attacked by the mob. He also said that no one is able to contact the priest and the deacons inside the burning church and there is no answer from their mobile phones.
Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub reported the mob has broken into Coptic homes and has called on Copts to leave the village. "Terrorized Copts have fled and some hid in homes of Muslim neighbors," he added.
There are Muslims who are good people, despite the mob.
Witnesses said the mob chanted "Allahu Akbar" and vowed to conduct their morning prayers on the church plot after razing it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Hey, it's a bad 50% that gives the rest of them a bad reputation. Compounded by the fact that almost all of them seem to tacitly approve of what's going on.
Much of Libya's rebellion is being fought by a dishevelled army of shopkeepers and waiters, welders and engineers, writes Adrian Blomfield among the insurgents in Brega
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Much of Libya's rebellion is being fought by a dishevelled army of shopkeepers and waiters, welders and engineers,
#2
Thankfully, Gaddafi's regime never produced a credible military. His years of neglect of his military have clearly resulted in its having poor training, equipment, leadership and logistics.
#4
...and how is that different from any other Arab army?
The Egyptian army has modern American equipment, and some of its mid-level and upper level officers have undergone some training with Americans. On the other hand, the enlisted men are draftees, which I suspect impacts effectiveness considerably. The volunteer Iraqi army has new equipment, and both officers and enlisted troops have been trained by and with Americans.
#5
I guess I wasn't specific, in that non-Arab Muslim armies vs ethnic Arab armies. Of which the Jordanians would probably qualify, but have had success only against the Paleos in Black September. The Iraqis have been left with a model which all the others, again with the probable exception of the Jordanians who were originally organized and trained by the Brits, lack - a working NCO corps.
#6
Remember, Chad defeated Libya in the Toyota War of 1987. Motivated soldiers on Toyota Land Cruisers with anti-tank missiles can defeat unmotivated conscripts, even with tanks..
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
03/06/2011 11:26 Comments ||
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#7
I did wonder, Procopius2k, because you actually know what you're talking about, whereas what I know I've picked up from comments you and others have made here at Rantburg. ;-) None of them seem to actually win wars with external enemies, though, nor Iran or Pakistan either. I'm not sure about Turkey.
#9
Charlie Sheen's words are only relevant pre-1990. MMMMhahahahahahahahaha
But "Wolverines", very relevant. Maybe he should make a webcast to send to the Libyans.
#10
Yeah, most 3rd world nation's military are little more than paid thugs with tanks. There are the exceptions, but that is generally true. Libya's was the worst of the worst so they really had to work on sucking so bad, which is admirable I guess... in a retarded sort of way.
[Yemen Post] The Primary Specialized Court which handles terrorist cases in Sana'a sentenced on Saturday three Al-Qaeda members including an Iraqi and a German to up to 2-15 years in jail.
The three, aged between 16-23 years, were convicted of forming an gang to commit criminal and terrorist attacks against tourists, foreign missions and domestic security facilities in Marib province during 2008-2010.
A fourth suspect, Badr Al-Husseini, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Saddam Hussein Al-Raimi, a Yemeni, was given a three-year term and Hans Harmel, a German-Yemeni person, got a two-year sentence and the court ruled the two sentences include the period the convicts have served in jail since their arrest.
The court ordered the police should keep the two under surveillance after their release and prevent them from travel inside the country.
Also, Abdullah Musaed Al-Rawi, an Iraqi, was sentenced to the period he has already served, but the court ruled to deport him.
Al-Raimi and Hans will appeal against the verdict. The group was nabbed in July 2010 in Marib.
In another case, the court handed down a 15-year sentence to Ammar Ubad Saeed Al-Waely, a Marib-based Al-Qaeda affiliate, ruling the term includes the period he has already served since he was nabbed.
Al-Waeli was convicted for his part in an armed gang which committed terrorist attacks against tourists including the one killing Spaniards in July 2007.
At the hearing, the court said Al-Waeli rammed a boom-mobile to a tourist convoy escorted by a police car while leaving the Sun Temple in Marib killing Spanish visitors and two Yemeni drivers and injuring others.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Tens of thousands are continuing with protests in several key cities across Yemen, pressing on with demands that the country's president step down.
The government has suspended classes at the universities in the capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, which have been the focal points for daily demonstrations -- inspired by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia -- against President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh. ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ...
The protesters are rallying on the main squares of Sanaa, Aden, and the cities of Taiz and Hadramawt. They are also demanding an investigation into the killing of four people during Friday's protest in the northern town of Harf Sofyan.
Several members of Saleh's ruling Congress Party resigned on Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Millions of people erupted into the streets in Yemeni cities on Friday to pray and demonstrate full support to the hundreds of thousands who have been conducting sit-ins for weeks, mainly in the capital Sana'a, the business capital Aden and Taiz, demanding the ouster of the regime.
In Sana'a and Taiz, more than 2.5 million people prayed in the square of change at Sana'a University and the square of freedom in Oseifra district, Taiz.
The preachers who delivered Friday's sermons saluted the youths and people demanding the departure of President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... , saying the time has come for change in Yemen.
"Seeking change has united the Yemeni people across their country in Sana'a, Aden, Taiz, Baidha'a, Saada, Ibb, Hodeida, Hadramout and others, and their determination will inevitably succeed ousting the corrupt and oppressive regime," the preacher at Sana'a University said.
Before the sermons, the people were chanting: 'the people want to oust the regime', and ' out out Ali', the slogans chanted during the protests and sit-ins inspired by the revolts that removed the Tunisian and Egyptian regimes in January and February this year.
Hundreds of thousands also gathered in other cities, praying in the streets and chanting: the people want to oust the regime.
In the meantime, the movements responsible for organizing and supervising the protests and later the sit-ins confusing President Saleh, who has been making concessions, are now seeking a united leadership and rearranging to make their effort a success.
Ahmed Saif Hashid, a former MP and an activist, said today during a meeting with some youths participating in the Sana'a sit-in that spontaneous revolutions can be thwarted and their organizers harassed. "We should rearrange our effort and seek a good management for the revolution to harvest freedom and other political, economic and social rights," he addressed the attendants.
Yesterday representatives from the several movements organizing met and decided to pick one of every movement to be within the leadership as the situation here indicates President Saleh is to stand down, added Hashid, a reference for the protesters.
"We are now contacting the organizers of the protests in other cities to rearrange our effort to make it a success," he said, as he added that they have identified two goals for the Yemenis' revolution: to oust the regime and to create a civil state.
Saleh has recently made concessions, which he said were only for the sake of the country, including he will not run again for president and will not bring his son, Ahmed, to power when his term expires in 2013. He also called for resuming dialogue with the opposition that initially accepted the call, but later rejected all efforts by Saleh, saying the president is just wasting time for his ambitions.
More recently, Saleh met with Yemeni holy mans and told them to convey a new initiative for the Joint Meeting Parties, the opposition coalition, whose terms included a call for resuming dialogue and proposed reforms.
But the initiative was rejected by the opposition, which said what Saleh has been doing is not going to work because the people are now seeking his departure whatever he offers.
As the protests started to escalate, external pressure has started to mount on the regime, with countries such as the U.S. urging Saleh to step down and seek a quick orderly transition of power.
On the other hand, the General People's Congress, the ruling party, is competing with the anti-government demos and sit-ins in the Yemeni cities, mobilizing its fans to chant for Saleh.
In Sana'a and Taiz, the people can't reach Tahrir Squares because the pro-government sit-inners have been occupying them since the downfall of the Egyptian regime.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said has replaced two ministers, after protests erupted demanding reforms and an end to corruption in the Gulf state, state media has reported.
Demonstrators have urged the sultan to dismiss all government ministers and have them investigated for any illegal activities.
The sultan appointed Khaled bin Hilal bin Saud al-Busaidi as a minister of the royal court, replacing Sayed Ali bin Hmud al-Busaidi, the state ONA news agency said on Saturday.
He also appointed Sultan bin Mohammed al-Numani as minister in the sultan's office, replacing General Ali bin Majid al-Maamari, it added.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... protests in the country have spread to a key oil region, Haima, with oil workers staging a sit-in in the area about 500km southwest of the capital Muscat.
The oil workers are calling for more government investment in the area, a government official told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
Demonstrations flared last week, with protesters seeking jobs and a greater political voice. One demonstrator was killed.
Sultan Qaboos has since ordered 50,000 new civil service jobs. But the measure failed to halt sit-ins in Muscat and the northern industrial city of Sohar, where the unrest began.
Rival demonstrations
Anti-government protesters continued to rally in Oman on Friday, while rival demonstrations were also held in support of Sultan Qaboos.
Oman is the latest country to be hit by the wave of popular protests that has rattled several Arab states and swept from power the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.
But the anti-government sentiment in Oman differs from the rest of the region's turmoil , as there has been much less violence and more support for the country's leader.
"We are making this to support the sultan, not to face against the sultan. We are just facing the corruption here," Yousef al-Zadjali, a protest front man in the city of Sohar told Al Jizz.
Sultan Qaboos brought peace to Oman soon after taking power in a palace coup 41 years ago.
He also delivered a public health system, improved infrastructure and granted more rights for women than many other Gulf countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] Government officials say protests demanding economic reforms by Oman's ruler have reached a key oil region in this Arabian Peninsula country.
The officials say workers staged a sit-in Saturday at a main oil field in Haima, about 300 miles (500 kilometers) southwest of the capital Muscat, demanding more state investments in the area.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Demonstrations flared last week in tightly ruled Oman by protesters seeking jobs and a greater political voice. One demonstrator was killed.
Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, ordered 50,000 new civil service jobs.
But the measure failed to halt sit-ins in Muscat and the northern industrial city of Sohar, where the unrest began.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Soddy Arabia has banned all protests and marches following recent anti-government protests in the kingdom's east, reports say.
State television on Saturday quoted the interior ministry as saying that security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order.
The ban on public demonstrations comes amid media reports of a huge mobilisation of Saudi troops in Shia-dominated provinces in order to quell any possible uprising.
According to The Independent, a British newspaper, 10,000 security personnel are being sent to the region by road, clogging highways into Dammam and other cities.
Shia protests
A restive Shia population has staged a series of protests in the kingdom's east in the past weeks. Their grievances range from lack of equal economic and employment opportunities to detentions without trial.
On Saturday, small protests were held in the cities of Hofuf and Qatif.
The government of Soddy Arabia, an absolute monarchy without an elected parliament that usually does not tolerate public dissent, denies any discrimination against the Shia community.
The authorities, however, are increasingly on edge following the anti-governmnent protests sweeping across the Arab world.
Last week, King Abdullah returned to Riyadh after a three-month medical absence and unveiled $37bn in benefits for citizens in an apparent bid to insulate the kingdom from protests.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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SEOUL, March 5 -- A feud between the two Koreas, already locked in sharp military tensions, over the repatriation of a group of North Koreans whose boat drifted into the South intensified Saturday, as Pyongyang openly threatened to use "every possible means" to resolve the issue.
South Korea maintained its position to handle the matter by international law and on a humanitarian basis.
The boat carrying 31 North Koreans -- 11 men and 20 women -- strayed across the Yellow Sea border into South Korean waters a month ago. Of them, 27 expressed their wish to return home while the remaining four asked for defection, authorities said after weeks of questioning.
Seoul tried to repatriate the 27 North Koreans via the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom on Friday but the North refused to receive them, demanding the return of the others as well.
Pyongyang's officials news agency KCNA reported Saturday that the North sent a verbal notice to the South demanding an "unconditional and prompt repatriation of all of its 31 detained inhabitants and their ship through the waters to which they had drifted."
The KCNA quoted the notice, which it said was delivered on Friday, as adding that, "The DPRK side will not remain a passive onlooker to this case but will use every possible means to solve it." The DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"If the South Korean authorities do not comply with the DPRK's just demand, it will seriously affect the North-South relations and the south side will be held wholly accountable for it," the notice said, according to the KCNA.
South Korean officials did not budge. They said they will contact North Korea early next week and urge it to cooperate in repatriating the 27 people who wish to return to the North. South Korea said it will respect a decision by each North Korean citizen who strayed into its territory as to whether to stay here or return to the North in accordance with international law and humanitarianism.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Shoot a few videos of the 31 "fishermen" enjoying the good life. Air them thoroughly on the news outlets. Then ask them if they want to be repatriated now that Kimmie knows they have seen the truth.
#2
Given the DPRK's econ problems, Kimmie + Regime can't keep up such "bluster" forever - IMO he needs massive or mega international aid [read, US-Allies] on a GUARANTEED annual, perpetual? basis to help preserve dynastic power + espec to deter forced or natural LT Chin takeover of the North.
KIMMIE = DPRK NEEDS NUKES, + IFF SOUTH KOREA WANTS TO KEEP CHIN + PLA OUT OF KOREAN = NORTH KOREAN TERRITORY SEOUL, ETC. WILL WANT THE NORTH TO HAVE NUKES.
ITALY'S BERLUSCONI once described or labeled LIBYA'S MUAMMAR QADDAFI as "CRAZY/MANIC" ENOUGH TO FIRE SCUDS = LRBMS AT ITALY + EUROPE.
KIMMIE = MUAMMAR = IRAN'S RADICAL MULLAHS = like their BRINKMANSHIP + MUTUAL DESTRUCTION OPTIONS??
[Pak Daily Times] Security forces on Saturday targeted terrorists' position near Afghan border in Kurram Agency, home of an intricately interconnected web of poverty, ignorance, and religious fanaticism killing six terrorists, officials said. According to details, the forces pounded terrorists' hideouts with artillery in central Kurram. Resultantly, six Orcs and similar vermin were killed and their two hideouts were destroyed in the shelling. In a separate incident, Orcs and similar vermin on Saturday attacked a police checkpost with hand grenades injuring one policeman in an area on the border between Beautiful Downtown Peshawar and Khyber Agency, police said. The policeman was injured as the Orcs and similar vermin lobbed hand grenades at the checkpost at Bara Sheikhan in the outskirts of Peshawar. The security forces rushed to the site after the attack and cordoned off the entire area. A combing operation had been started to apprehend the culprits involved in the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Unknown gunnies on cycle of violences rubbed out Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Madni, administrator of Madresah Talim Al-Koran here in New Bloody Karachi area Saturday night, Geo News reported. Mualana Muhammad Ahmed Madni was step brother of late Maulana Azam Tariq, leader of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Five police personnel have been killed while two others injured when some unidentified gunnies open fire at Saeedabad cop shoppe in Baldia town area of the metropolis, Geo News reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq: Two civilians were killed and three others wounded in an armed attack by gunmen north of Baaquba city on Saturday, a local security source in Diala said.
Unidentified gunmen opened a volley of fire from their Kalashnikov assault rifles on a gathering of civilians at a café in the area of Umm al-Nakhl, al-Khalis district, (15 km) north of Baaquba, leaving two people killed and three others injured, the source told of Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Baaquba, the capital city of the troubled province of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: An Iraqi army force shot dead a man inside his house in Ninewa before he was out for a suicide operation, a military source said on Saturday.
An Iraqi army force from the 2nd Division stationed in Mosul killed a man who was planning a suicide attack in the area of al-Arbajiya today (March 5), the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
The Division received intelligence tip-offs that led an army force to the house of a bomber. He tried to escape after the forces fire wounded him. He later blew himself up and died instantly, he added.
There was no casualties reported amongst the raiding military force, the source added.
Excellent job all around!
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/06/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
AND Mrs. Splodydope has a huge mess in the living room to clean up.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/06/2011 23:41 Comments ||
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[Straits Times] TWO bus drivers were burnt to death early on Saturday in the Philippines when armed communist guerrillas set fire to their vehicles, police said.
A small group of gunnies broke into a bus depot on the remote central island of Biliran before dawn and poured petrol over the parked vehicles, said Senior Superintendent Alfredo Sabornido, the provincial police chief.
'The owner woke up and seeing his buses on fire tried to rescue his drivers, who were sleeping inside the vehicles,' Mr Sabornido told news hounds by telephone.
'However both were burnt to death.' It was unclear if the intruders knew people were asleep inside the vehicles during the arson attack.
Police later nabbed two suspects at a checkpoint, said national police front man Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
al-Shabaab
Pro- and anti-Qadaffy tribes have clashed in Qadaffy's hometown of Sirte - formerly reported as a stronghold of the de facto Libyan leader. More details to follow.
leader Muammar Qadaffy
[Ennahar] According to Ennahar special sources, the provisional results of the air raid by the Libyan army in the night from Friday to Saturday, in Ras Naloufi, 700 km east of Tripoli, have reached 20 dead and dozens injured.
President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh.
NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: An Iraqi army force shot dead a man inside his house in Ninewa before he was out for a suicide operation, a military source said on Saturday.
