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[PistolGrip]

They sure love to waste ammo.

these guys are lovable idiots.. lol hope everything goes well in the coming days with the major support

 

[RustyNails]

Lol, well I guess it's good you aren't aware of all the other people being killed right this moment.

I'm sorry but if you wish to derail this thread any further please stop right now. I certainly do not welcome your sarcasm either.

 

[j_k_redtail]

I'd bet that the Gadaffi forces are preparing for a showdown in Sirte.

If Sirte falls, I'm not sure there's anything preventing them from reaching Misrata, which could desperately use some help.

IIRC, Sirte is Daffy's hometown, and a loyalist stronghold.

 

[Ihya]

Sirte is the make or break for Gaddafi. They will fight to the death for him as they are his tribe, and owe everything to him. They know if he falls they will fall also.

Sirte falls, the rebels link up with Misrata, then march on Tripoli. Sirte will be Gaddafi's Stalingrad, the beginning of the end.

 

[makingmusic476]

The reports make it sound like the rebels just move to each town and chill on the outskirts while ducking artillery fire until the coalition bombs Gaddafi's forces to bits.

I mean look at their equipment.

http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/imagecache/318/480/mritems/Images/2011/3/26/201132614352411738_20.jpg[IMG]

Fortunately if the bombardment continues they won't have to do more.[/QUOTE]
If it works...

 

[Rad Agast]

Yep. Pretty happy about this. Sirte will be a very tough one though.

And BTW, why do I get the feeling most of the people in this thread are just waiting for the opportunity to jump on and criticise everything? I mean, the "We should help Syria and Yemen and Bahrain too!" scapegoat gets tiring when it has been mentioned and disproved for the 100th time.

Meh, just ignore it? The U.S./NATO can't interfere openly in Syria (well, they can but it has the potential of ending up as political disaster). Bahrain and Yemen are kind of similar in that their respective governments are allies of the U.S.A. and both can have a strong ripple effect on Saudi Arabia (and other countries in the region).

I'm glad to hear the Libyan rebels are making good progress. I just hope they keep religion out of it when the dust settles and they start forming a new government.

 

[lo escondido]

They sure love to waste ammo.

LOL @2:43

 

[Lonely1]

 

[Veidt]

best thing to come out of this ordeal yet. haha

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

He's not wearing epic sunglasses though.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

That looks more like Gordon Brown than David Cameron.

 

[Psychotext]

That looks more like Gordon Brown than David Cameron.

I think it is... lol. Someone's politics are a little out of date.

 

[Lonely1]

I think it is... lol. Someone's politics are a little out of date.

Wait, Isn't Tony Blair still in charge?

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

That looks more like Gordon Brown than David Cameron.

Could be William Hague with a toupée.

 

[Roude Leiw]

who is that UN guy and the woman supposed to be?

 

[Ether_Snake]

Obama looks like Mubarak.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Wait, Isn't Tony Blair still in charge?

The heir to Blair...

 

[besada]

who is that UN guy and the woman supposed to be?

The U.N. guy looks like it's Mohammed ElBaradei, although you'd think it should be Ban Ki-Moon.

 

[nubbe]

That don't make much sense since EU got almost all of the oil for cheap moneys.

 

[Psychotext]

Is that Rupert Murdoch on the right?

 

[RustyNails]

The U.N. guy looks like it's Mohammed ElBaradei, although you'd think it should be Ban Ki-Moon.

Actually, that looks like Ibrahim Dabashi, the Libyan UN Deputy Envoy who defected and was instrumental in building a case for a UN No Fly Zone.

 

[Psychotext]

My god... he's clearly being mind controlled. It's a stealthy bit of kit but if you look carefully you can see the implant on the left side of his head!

 

[besada]

Actually, that looks like Ibrahim Dabashi, the Libyan UN Deputy Envoy who defected and was instrumental in building a case for a UN No Fly Zone.

That's probably a better guess, and makes a lot more sense. But ElBaradei certainly fits the look.

 

[RustyNails]

That's probably a better guess, and makes a lot more sense. But ElBaradei certainly fits the look.
http://i.imgur.com/coNnG.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]
Yep, I wouldn't be surprised if it is El-Baradei. The point is clear though, UN wants Libya's oil! But no one has asked yet...is this a picture made for lulz by people on interwebs or is this genuine propaganda material from Libya?

 

[RustyNails]

A female managed to sneak into the Tripoli hotel where the foreign journalist are located, to tell the story of her torture by Gaddafi forces there.

Reuters Source

Here is another link with a Video of the women, I can't even imagen what they will do to her now

Video of the women

I feel this story got drowned in other stories and deserves a re-post. Its a very important story and is on the frontpage of every major news outlet. Basically, a woman came screaming into the journalists' Hotel in Tripoli, where the journalists are guided by Govt agencies. She accused Gaddafi's forces of gang raping her, defecating on her and urinating on her.

She said she had been raped by 15 men. “I was tied up, and they defecated and urinated on me,” she said. “They violated my honor.”

She pleaded for friends she said were still in custody. “They are still there, they are still there,” she said. “As soon as I leave here, they are going to take me to jail.”

Immediately Gaddafi's staff from the hotel tried to grab her and whisk her away, but not before some journalists got in the way and demanded to know what's happening. This resulted in a brawling between Gaddafi staff and some Journalists. What's even more troubling is the fact that the hotel staff immediately started beating and punching the screaming lady, calling her "traitor". It was surprising to the journalists to find out everyone in the hotel, including the staff, are insane Gaddafi loyalists. Gaddafi's staff tried to shoo away the journalists and also broke CNN crew's camera. The lady was soon dragged away from the hotel by the Gaddafi agents and sped away in a govt vehicle. The foreign minister quickly showed up and said the screaming lady was alcoholic and mentally unstable, in face of questions asking her whereabouts. He only said "she's being taken care of". Nic Robertson's twitter account of the drama is here:

Woman came into restaurant of journalists' hotel today claiming she’d been detained at govt chkpt, held 2 days, tied up, beaten and raped.

Within mins of beginning to tell her story, govt officls and hotel staff moved in to shut her up.

CNN cameraman on scene said she showed journalsts bruises, scratches on thighs, bruised face, rope burns on wrists & ankles

Waitress threatnd her w/knife, calling her "traitor." Govt offcls began beating journlsts trying to interview her.

CNN camera violently snatchd, systemtclly smashd to pieces & video footage stolen. Some journlsts beaten in blatant disply of regime thuggry

Govt offcls threw bag/cloth over woman's head, bundled her, kicking & screaming, out of hotel and into van.

Govt officls claimd she was "mentally ill" & being taken to "a hospital." She managed to shout out they were taking her to jail.

Clarify'g earlier tweet: bag/cloth thrown over her head, they took her into back garden, then bundled out hotel front door w/out bag/cloth

Sm journalists tried to protect her, challenging officials about where they taking her but they drove off with her in white car.

CNN camerman was there but camera smashed & footage taken so no pictures of our own. Here's link to some pool footage http://tiny.cc/u38ii

Here's NYT's footage of the incident
Here's another media's clearer footage.
Watch this: Al Jazeera's report on the incident

 

[lo escondido]

I feel this story got drowned in other stories and deserves a re-post. Its a very important story and is on the frontpage of every major news outlet. Basically, a woman came screaming into the journalists' Hotel in Tripoli, where the journalists are guided by Govt agencies. She accused Gaddafi's forces of gang raping her, defecating on her and urinating on her.



Immediately Gaddafi's staff from the hotel tried to grab her and whisk her away, but not before some journalists got in the way and demanded to know what's happening. This resulted in a brawling between Gaddafi staff and some Journalists. What's even more troubling is the fact that the hotel staff immediately started beating and punching the screaming lady, calling her "traitor". It was surprising to the journalists to find out everyone in the hotel, including the staff, are insane Gaddafi loyalists. Gaddafi's staff tried to shoo away the journalists and also broke CNN crew's camera. The lady was soon dragged away from the hotel by the Gaddafi agents and sped away in a govt vehicle. The foreign minister quickly showed up and said the screaming lady was alcoholic and mentally unstable, in face of questions asking her whereabouts. He only said "she's being taken care of". Nic Robertson's twitter account of the drama is here:



Here's NYT's footage of the incident
Here's another media's clearer footage.

So disturbing. I really feel so lucky to live in a western nation that respects human rights.

 

[Psychotext]

Fucking animals.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Eastern Lybia has always been more Islamic extremist than the rest of the country, but we knew that going in.

I've been saying this for fucking WEEKS. Majority of the Al Qaeda middlemen in Pakistan/Afghanistan are Libyans, and 18% of the foreign fighters operating under AQ in Iraq came from East Libya.

I told my professor, who is Jordanian, that arming the rebels is a precarious situation, and he's always like "Everyone thinks arming these rebels would be a bad idea, blah, blah, blah", but I just shake my head.

 

[Doc Evils]

I feel this story got drowned in other stories and deserves a re-post. Its a very important story and is on the frontpage of every major news outlet. Basically, a woman came screaming into the journalists' Hotel in Tripoli, where the journalists are guided by Govt agencies. She accused Gaddafi's forces of gang raping her, defecating on her and urinating on her.



Immediately Gaddafi's staff from the hotel tried to grab her and whisk her away, but not before some journalists got in the way and demanded to know what's happening. This resulted in a brawling between Gaddafi staff and some Journalists. What's even more troubling is the fact that the hotel staff immediately started beating and punching the screaming lady, calling her "traitor". It was surprising to the journalists to find out everyone in the hotel, including the staff, are insane Gaddafi loyalists. Gaddafi's staff tried to shoo away the journalists and also broke CNN crew's camera. The lady was soon dragged away from the hotel by the Gaddafi agents and sped away in a govt vehicle. The foreign minister quickly showed up and said the screaming lady was alcoholic and mentally unstable, in face of questions asking her whereabouts. He only said "she's being taken care of". Nic Robertson's twitter account of the drama is here:



Here's NYT's footage of the incident
Here's another media's clearer footage.
Watch this: Al Jazeera's report on the incident

Reading stuff liek this makes you think they should be dropping Nukes on Gaddafi's piece of shit head!

 

[Dominican Power]

Disgusting

 

[Mgoblue201]

I've been saying this for fucking WEEKS. Majority of the Al Qaeda middlemen in Pakistan/Afghanistan are Libyans, and 18% of the foreign fighters operating under AQ in Iraq came from East Libya.

I told my professor, who is Jordanian, that arming the rebels is a precarious situation, and he's always like "Everyone thinks arming these rebels would be a bad idea, blah, blah, blah", but I just shake my head.

That is certainly true, but are they representative of the Libyan people in general? Much of the rebel force appears to be composed of inexperienced fighters; that is born out by the multiple strategic mistakes that have already been made. In order for the Islamists to have an effect, there would have to be a strong countervailing force to any peaceful government possibly conceived post-Gaddafi. I suppose that some of those tendencies could be unleashed, but I would need to be convinced of it.

With that said, I can't even imagine that it would be a good idea right now to arm the rebels.

 

[theignoramus]

this image says it all.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

The rebels are continuing their westward push. Having taken Ajdabiya and Brega yesterday, they are now on the verge of reaching Ras Lanuf, which is a major oil town.

The fall of Ras Lanuf would be especially significant because in any scenario where the country gets split, the rebels would then be in control of most of the country's key oil infrastructure.

Really, I expect to see a showdown in Sirte within a few days at this rate. That battle would essentially decide the outcome of the whole conflict.

Also, a really interesting documentary called Gaddafi and Me about a Libyan who has been living in exile in Britain for 35 years for criticizing the regime and his return to his hometown of Benghazi. It has the clearest and most personal documentary footage of the uprising that I've seen so far.

Gaddafi and Me Part 1
Gaddafi and Me Part 2

 

[Clevinger]

The rebels are continuing their westward push. Having taken Ajdabiya and Brega yesterday, they are now on the verge of reaching Ras Lanuf, which is a major oil town.


The fall of Ras Lanuf would be especially significant because in any scenario where the country gets split, the rebels would then be in control of most of the country's key oil infrastructure.

Really, I expect to see a showdown in Sirte within a few days at this rate. That battle would essentially decide the outcome of the whole conflict.

It sounds like they took Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad without any (or much, anyway) combat. And it seems like what you said; Gaddafi's men are retreating to Sirte and there's going to be a huge conflict there. It's not going to be pretty.

 

[Roude Leiw]

i am wondering how many tanks and armored vehicles the allies already destroyed.
it seems to me that the gaddafi forces cant move their armor anymore at all or theyll be destroyed. the rebels just seem to walk into the city and get rid of the infantry left behind.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

It sounds like they took Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad without any (or much, anyway) combat. And it seems like what you said; Gaddafi's men are retreating to Sirte and there's going to be a huge conflict there. It's not going to be pretty.

Really I don't think Sirte should be all that important. If the rebels just go around it, there is nothing Gaddafi forces could do. The coalition airstrikes would stop them from leaving the town. Thus leaving the rebels to march on Tripoli with much f Gaddafi's forces left behind.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Really I don't think Sirte should be all that important. If the rebels just go around it, there is nothing Gaddafi forces could do. The coalition airstrikes would stop them from leaving the town. Thus leaving the rebels to march on Tripoli with much f Gaddafi's forces left behind.

The highway runs right through it. You need to go through Sirte to reach Misrata. However, capturing Bin Jawad means that the rebels have regained all of the territory they lost since the Gaddafi counteroffensive. They are now only 60 miles away from Sirte so we could see the first clashes tomorrow. The allies are going to have to bring some serious rain to deliver that town to the rebels.

Meanwhile in eastern Libya, rebels have seized control of Bin Jawad - the furthest westwards they have advanced since the uprising began in mid-February. The AFP news agency reports that about 100 fighters danced and fired into the air in celebration in the town centre, singing: "Muammar, you're a dog - we marched straight into Bin Jawad." The rebels said they had also taken the next town along the coast, Nufilia, only 100km (60 miles) from Sirte, Col Gaddafi's stronghold.

The rebels told AFP that they would halt their advance overnight at Nufilia because they had heard Col Gaddafi's troops were deployed about 50km (30 miles) down the road towards Sirte. They would wait for coalition air strikes to destroy any heavy weapons, they added.

 

[RustyNails]

"Muammar, you're a dog - we marched straight into Bin Jawad."

Am I the only one who loled at that quote? "Muammar you dog, we marched straight into Bin Jawad!"

Didn't rebels at one point seized Zawahiya?

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Reuters reports this:

A convoy of 20 military vehicles including truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns was seen leaving Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold of Sirte on Sunday and moving westwards towards Tripoli, a Reuters reporter said.

Dozens of civilian cars carrying families and loaded with people’s belongings were also seen driving westwards along the coastal road from the city of Sirte towards the Libyan capital.

Could it be that Gaddafi is abandoning even Sirte and choosing to fortify Tripoli instead? If so he must be abandoning any hope of splitting the country.

Oh, and now that Ras Lanuf is in rebel hands, spice oil must flow...

Libyan rebels have said they plan to start exporting oil from fields in their territory "in less than a week", and said the Gulf nation of Qatar will market the crude.

A rebel representative, Ali Tarhoni, said he signed a contract with Qatar recently and the deal will ensure "access to liquidity in terms of foreign denominated currency".

"We are producing about 100,000 to 130,000 barrels a day, we can easily up that to about 300,000 a day.

We contacted the oil company of Qatar and they agreed to take all the oil we export and market that oil for us. We have an escrow account ... and the money will be deposited in this account, and this way there is no middle man and we know where the money is going."

 

[Ether_Snake]

Can't they just blockade a city like Tripoli? Just surround it and wait.

 

[Purkake4]

Can't they just blockade a city like Tripoli? Just surround it and wait.

What about the people inside?

 

[Ether_Snake]

What about the people inside?

What about the people inside if the rebels advance and both sides fight each other? I doubt Gaddafi's forces are going to manage to keep everyone in the city. People will get out, his forces will stay, and eventually quit. Heck a lot will want to mingle with the people escaping, leaving their weapons behind.

 

[ViralMarketingDrone]

Has this been posted already?


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-admits-his-fighters-have-al-Qaeda-links.html

 

[Ether_Snake]

Yes, and it is has been relatively debunked as being sensationalist. The guy is not the leader of the rebels at all.

 

[WedgeX]

The rebels are continuing their westward push. Having taken Ajdabiya and Brega yesterday, they are now on the verge of reaching Ras Lanuf, which is a major oil town.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/middle_east/libya_city_v5/img/ras_lanuf/ras_lanuf_select.jpg

The fall of Ras Lanuf would be especially significant because in any scenario where the country gets split, the rebels would then be in control of most of the country's key oil infrastructure.

Really, I expect to see a showdown in Sirte within a few days at this rate. That battle would essentially decide the outcome of the whole conflict.

Also, a really interesting documentary called Gaddafi and Me about a Libyan who has been living in exile in Britain for 35 years for criticizing the regime and his return to his hometown of Benghazi. It has the clearest and most personal documentary footage of the uprising that I've seen so far.

Gaddafi and Me Part 1
Gaddafi and Me Part 2

I love maps.

NY Times has a decent set of maps that follow the rebellion day by day.

And a recap of whats gone on:

The rebellion before Qaddafi's forces began their major push.

The day before the UN approved military action.

The initial airstrikes.

Midday on the 26th.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

That last image appears to be out of date. It doesn't mark any of the gains made yesterday. Rebels now control Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad.

 

[WedgeX]

That last image appears to be out of date. It doesn't mark any of the gains made yesterday. Rebels now control Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad.

You're right, its from midday yesterday. Editing time...

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

It begins. Air strikes have hit Sirte.

Witnesses in Sirte, hometown of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and in the capital Tripoli said they had heard at least 10 explosions on Sunday night.

A Reuters reporter in Sirte, midway between rebel-held Benghazi and Tripoli, said it was not clear if the four explosions there had been in the town or on its outskirts.

The reporter, part of a group of Western media taken to Sirte by the government, had earlier said a convoy of 20 military vehicles including truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns had been seen leaving Sirte and moving westwards towards Tripoli.

Libyan rebels, emboldened by the capture of Ajdabiyah to the east of Sirte, were pushing west on Sunday to retake more territory from Gaddafi's forces, which were pulling back under pressure from Western air strikes.

Sirte is strategically important because the civilian airport to the south of the town is also home to what appears to be a large military air base.

Satellite images show that there are about 50 reinforced concrete hangars, of the kind usually used to house fighter jets, arranged in clusters around either end of the runway.

The fight over Sirte is likely to be tough because the town is psychologically important: it is not only where Gaddafi was born, and home to many members of his Gaddadfa tribe, but also a place that he has fashioned into a second capital, designed in his own extravagant image. (Reporting by Michael Georgy and Maria Golovnina, writing by Diana Abdallah; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Sirte is Gaddafi's second strongest power base after Tripoli and the only thing standing between the rebels and Misrata. If he cannot defend this city then he is finished.

 

[LQX]

Seems as if this as gone from creating a no fly zone to war. I hope all involved are ready for the consequences.

 

[raphier]

Seems as if this as gone from creating a no fly zone to war. I hope all involved are ready for the consequences.

Er...It's been like this since the beginning, dude...The only change now is that rebels fight back.