Allies launch first attacks against Gadhafi forces in Libya

[Playinghardball]

Source: NBC, msnbc.com


BENGHAZI, Libya — French President Nicolas Sarkozy said allied air forces had gone into action on Saturday over Libya and were preventing Moammar Gadhafi's forces from attacking the rebel city of Benghazi.

A French official said a French fighter jet had fired on a Libyan military vehicle, in a first reported strike in the international campaign to enforce a no-fly zone.

French Defense Ministry spokesman Thierry Burkhard said the strike was reported around 1645 GMT Saturday (12:45 pm ET). The target was confirmed as a military vehicle, but it was not clear what kind, Burkhard said. He said no hostile fire on the French jet had been reported.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42164455/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/?gt1=43001

[DURHAM D]

1. They have already reported on my tv that they have taken out -

4 tanks and several armored vehicles.

[rabs]

2. All the endless talk about a "No Fly Zone"

and the first attacks reported are on a "military vehicle" and now four tanks near Benghazi.

G.'s tanks can fly?

[Johnyawl]

3. LOL rabs...

...That was my first thought, those tanks and jeeps were flying? No fly zone, my ass, we're already seeing "mission Creep". Not that I necessarily disapprove, as long as it's the French doing the fighting. We're busy elsewhere.

[SkyDaddy7]

7. It is NOT "Mission Creep"...

The UN Resolution is about protecting civilians...The "No Fly Zone" is simply a part of the entire UN Resolution.

UN Resolution 1973 in full:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10200.doc.htm#Resolution



“Protection of civilians



“4. Authorizes Member States that have notified the Secretary-General, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, and acting in cooperation with the Secretary-General, to take all necessary measures, notwithstanding paragraph 9 of resolution 1970 (2011), to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory, and requests the Member States concerned to inform the Secretary-General immediately of the measures they take pursuant to the authorization conferred by this paragraph which shall be immediately reported to the Security Council;



“5. Recognizes the important role of the League of Arab States in matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security in the region, and bearing in mind Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, requests the Member States of the League of Arab States to cooperate with other Member States in the implementation of paragraph 4;



“No-fly zone



“6. Decides to establish a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians;



“7. Decides further that the ban imposed by paragraph 6 shall not apply to flights whose sole purpose is humanitarian, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, humanitarian workers and related assistance, or evacuating foreign nationals from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, nor shall it apply to flights authorised by paragraphs 4 or 8, nor other flights which are deemed necessary by States acting under the authorization conferred in paragraph 8 to be for the benefit of the Libyan people, and that these flights shall be coordinated with any mechanism established under paragraph 8;



“8. Authorizes Member States that have notified the Secretary-General and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, to take all necessary measures to enforce compliance with the ban on flights imposed by paragraph 6 above, as necessary, and requests the States concerned in cooperation with the League of Arab States to coordinate closely with the Secretary General on the measures they are taking to implement this ban, including by establishing an appropriate mechanism for implementing the provisions of paragraphs 6 and 7 above,



“9. Calls upon all Member States, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, to provide assistance, including any necessary overflight approvals, for the purposes of implementing paragraphs 4, 6, 7 and 8 above;



“10. Requests the Member States concerned to coordinate closely with each other and the Secretary-General on the measures they are taking to implement paragraphs 4, 6, 7 and 8 above, including practical measures for the monitoring and approval of authorised humanitarian or evacuation flights;



“11. Decides that the Member States concerned shall inform the Secretary-General and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States immediately of measures taken in exercise of the authority conferred by paragraph 8 above, including to supply a concept of operations;



“12. Requests the Secretary-General to inform the Council immediately of any actions taken by the Member States concerned in exercise of the authority conferred by paragraph 8 above and to report to the Council within 7 days and every month thereafter on the implementation of this resolution, including information on any violations of the flight ban imposed by paragraph 6 above;

[SkyDaddy7]

4. The UN Resolution is to protect the civilians...

So, it really does not matter what type of military asset it is if it is being used to bomb civilians it is fair game.

[Adsos Letter]

5. yup.

[dipsydoodle]

6. I wonder if we''ll ever know

which tanks and armoured cars were being driven my Gadaffi's forces when they were hit and which ones were being driven by locals who'd nicked them.

All of our news channels are now saying that this morning's shoot down of the rebel's only plane was likely to have been an own goal.

:hi:

[rabs]

8. Right off the starting blocks today it was NOT only a NFZ

It is a case of WAR against G.'s armed forces.

What bugged me was that the shallow-heads on CNN, MSNBC have been droning on and on about a NFZ, without bothering to question why tanks and trucks were the first targets destroyed.

(Disclaimer) I too agree that is long past time (about three weeks) that G. had to go.

OT: Ears still smarting?

[dipsydoodle]

10. If you literally mean

my ear infection its ok now. I anything else I don't recall anyone giving me any ear damage.

What is going to be interesting here is too see what happens when the dust settles and Libya breaks down into a minimum of the 3 states it was before the country Libya was formed by the Italians i.e Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica : Benghazi being in the latter.

Its thought that once tooled up the Benghazi mob will plough over to Tripoli to try to take that aka a civil war. Question is - which side will first be referred to as terrorists ?

[Posteritatis]

9. I hear actually reading the UN resolution helps. (nt)

[14thColony]

11. Read the UN resolution

It authorizes all means necessary to protect civilians from the government's forces. It never says a thing about being limited to a no fly zone. That was the original intention back when it was airstrikes that were killing people, but now with government tanks blasting buildings at point blank range, that's not really the issue anymore and the UN recognized that days ago.