Libyan Revolution Week 35 part 2

[joshcryer]

[joshcryer]

1. Libyan Revolution Day 243 updates below, current time in Libya, 4:55am Tuesday, October 18

Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters sing along during a lull in fighting against pro-Moamer Kadhafi gunmen (unseen) in central Sirte on October 15, 2011

Photo: Getty Images

Magic!! Landscape picture of last night's lightning in Nalut, Libya.

Photo: http://twitter.com/#!/FreeBenghazi/status/125725679571570689/photo/1/large">Issa Abu Halsa

[tabatha]

2. The guitar player was wounded.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/16/8353865-rebel-guitarist-injured-during-fighting-in-libya#.TpykFaxda7I.twitter

[tabatha]

3. No civilian deaths in the battle for baniwalid

No civilian deaths in the battle for baniwalid

freelibyanyouthShabab Libya
#baniwalid council: "no civilian deaths in the battle for baniwalid due to successful evacuation of the residents of the town" 1/2freelibyanyouthShabab Libya#baniwalid council: "this was due to the cooperation between the ntc, local council & residents." 2/2

[tabatha]

4. FF comander refuses to arrest Gaddafi's cousin Ishkal, and tells him that he's free to go.

http://youtu.be/hFhRqK0fBWs

[tabatha]

5. Libya's future

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aimen-Ashur-Photography/269331506430625

[tabatha]

6. Communities band together to reopen schools damaged in the Libyan conflict

JDABIYA, Libya, 17 October 2011 – Burnt out tanks, armoured cars and spent ammunition shells line the road between Benghazi and Ajdabiya, an apocalyptic landscape left by the vicious battles that took place here only weeks ago. After residents of Ajdabiya fled the conflict, the military occupied the town’s abandoned schools, which in turn, made them prime targets for attack.

Nouran Mohammed, 14, carefully picks her way through the ruins of her classroom, one of many destroyed in the fighting. “When the war started here, one of the missiles hit here and came through the wall,” she said.

In an endeavour to return children - safely - to the classroom, teachers, students and community members in Ajdabiya banded together to clear out the debris, and by the end of September, classes had resumed.

“People are so keen to have the children going back to school that, in some areas, the community around schools took care of cleaning out schools,” said Ms. Wafa Bugaighis of the Education Council in Benghazi.

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/laj_60117.html

Includes video.

[ellisonz]

7. Libya struggles with transition amid protracted battle for Sirte, Bani Walid

Libya struggles with transition amid protracted battle for Sirte, Bani Walid

Libya's transitional forces say they have entered Bani Walid and contained pro-Qaddafi fighters in Sirte. Meanwhile, concerns are emerging about a possible insurgency fueled by Qaddafi loyalists.

By Ariel Zirulnick, Staff writer / October 17, 2011

While the battle for Muammar Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte continues, Libya's transitional forces claim to have entered Bani Walid, the only other significant town in the country still openly loyal to Mr. Qaddafi.

The fight for both cities has been protracted, preventing the National Transitional Council (NTC) from declaring total control of the country and from beginning the transition process in earnest.

It's unclear how far into Bani Walid the rebel fighters have reached. The commander of the NTC forces, Jamal Salem, told the BBC that they entered the town limits amid fierce resistance from town residents. There were unverified reports that they had reached the town center. NTC fighters told Al Jazeera that they hold 60 percent of the town. Previous attempts at advancing on the city were thwarted by heavy fire from within the city.

In Sirte, the rebel forces have managed to contain the Qaddafi loyalists still fighting in about one square mile of the city, which they are bombarding from other points in the town, Reuters reports. NTC fighters indicate they are are eager to advance on the pocket of resistance, but told Reuters they have not yet received orders.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2011/1017/Libya-struggles-with-transition-amid-protracted-battle-for-Sirte-Bani-Walid

[ellisonz]

8. Newsweek: My Walk Through the Valley of Death

My Walk Through the Valley of Death
Oct 17, 2011 1:00 AM EDT
When Janine di Giovanni arrived in Libya, she hoped to find a triumphant nation basking in newfound freedom. Instead she was confronted with a land haunted by the ghosts of Gaddafi's reign of terror.

When I first arrive in Tripoli, long past midnight on a hot September night, driving in from the Tunisian border, the smell of burning rubber permeates everything. Near Fashloom, the first neighborhood to rise up against Gaddafi, there are a row of littered, desecrated shops and a scarecrow of the dictator hanging from the electricity wires.
Advertisement

There is also the flag of the new Libya—modeled after the one from the days of King Idris—flying. The restaurants and shops are not yet open, but there are tea sellers with vast silver pots working street corners. Even at midnight, there is heavy traffic, mainly soldiers sitting in the back of trucks, and everyone seems to have a gun. The sound of AK-47s firing in the air—in celebration, not war—is unnerving. And it is constant.

And people are tentatively coming back. The borders are packed with some of the million expatriates now returning after nearly four decades in exile. They gape at their old neighborhoods. Some are here to find out their own secret histories, some to open up old wounds, some to discover exactly what happened to people they loved who died under Gaddafi’s rule.

In one southern Tripoli neighborhood, Yarmuk, the stench of death lingers after 45 people were summarily executed.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/16/libya-gaddafi-s-reign-of-terror.html

[pinboy3niner]

9. Hillary Clinton arrives in Malta (enroute to Tripoli)

Source: Malta Star

18 October 2011 06:55


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Malta early Tuesday morning on her way to Tripoli, Libya for talks with the National Transitional Council on Tuesday.

During her short visit she will meet Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and discuss the role of Malta and the US in the Libyan situation.Malta is still without a US ambassador after Douglas Kmiec resigned last April after being accused in a Department of State report that he devoted too much time to inter-faith activities.

A priority for Mrs Clinton in Libya will be how to stop terrorist groups who want to lay their hands on some of the thousands of shoulder-launched missiles that have gone missing in Libya.

...


http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=17038

[inna]

10. you guys are amazing; never seen anything like it

unrec, needless to mention

[tabatha]

12. We don't think about ourselves. We think about the Libyans.

Day in and day out, virtually walking with them every step of the way.

Because, it is the Libyans who are amazing. We can only watch and applaud in admiration.

Throwing off the shackles of a ruthless dictator.

And it is a very teeny tiny mind that has a problem with that.

Some of the bloggers on AJE who have supported the Libyans with several threads with over 30,000+ comments each, have moved to the Syrian blog, to support those people in their quest for human rights.

Here, try it - it may be an amazing experience to have empathy for people who are being murdered in cold blood so that they can enjoy the freedoms that you enjoy.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

Maybe you can become amazing, too.

[inna]

13. oy. must be a reason we're supposed to ignore each other, i suppose.

[joshcryer]

20. You could try a bit of honesty and put me on ignore like you claim you did.

But that'd be a bit much.

[court jester]

15. You "think about the Libyans" that are on "your side" but the rest are "collateral damage"

"And it is a very teeny tiny mind that has a problem with that."

And THAT shows a lot. I've seen insult after insult piled upon those that simply disagree with the "accepted wisdom (...)" that the best way to help people is to bomb, kill and shoot other people.

If some here simply don't agree with your point of view, and some anonymous tweets, and propaganda from the mainstream media, they have "teeny tiny minds". I was under the impression that that kind of speech was prohibited here, but obviously, it's not.

History will be the final judge, and only the first chapter (in this "theater of war") has been written...But others are so very quick to declare "mission accomplished" even without the benefit of a flight suit (or the reflection of history).



**Note to inna: Thanks for trying. It's like walking into the Coliseum wearing a friggin cross sometimes. You stand with people like Jesus Christ, Buddha, Ghandi and all the others that understand that violence begets violence and an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind (and broke).

Others will learn, or not, from the past. Apparently few supporters of this bloodshed understand that their government lies to them on a daily basis, and has for decades. Live and learn.

But maybe we have "tiny minds"

[ellisonz]

16. Muammar Gaddafi and Idi Amin, Gulu, 1973.

[joshcryer]

19. Huh?

You don't see anything insulting by regular drive-bys insulting tens of thousands of posts that have followed the Libyan Revolution to every excruciating detail? Would you prefer every news post about Libya be posted in LBN and Editorials? I am sure that most people would get tired of that quite quickly (the mods would probably intervene because it would take a good chunk out of both of those subforums), so these threads are a nice bastion for this information.

Those of us who support the Libyan Revolution and the Libyan people admittedly took a gamble, it could've went south real quick, the uprising may not have been representative of the Libyan population as a whole. But we're seeing that it's clearly not the case, at all. The bloodshed has been comparatively minimal (less so than Castro's attempts in Angola and far less than Castro's effects on Ethiopia, which led to millions dead thanks to the Soviet-era forced imperialist alignment; oh, yes, Cuba's "wars of national liberation" were disguised as "anti-imperialist"), "internationalist" even, but they were decidedly imperialist, much like many Marxist attempts). Tripoli, a city of 2 million fell to the hands of 2000 rabble rousing combatants. Repeat that, a city of two million fell to the hands of 2000 combatants. That is on par with the Cuban Revolution. Only instead of Cuba's 6 year militancy, it was over in less than a year.

The poster in question has not shown any coherence with regards to their "criticisms" by any means, failing to understand basic concepts like what minders are and repeatedly siding with either authoritarian neo-Trotskyites, or to go so far as to side with people who post right wing information on a regular basis. Meanwhile these threads hardly ever make the greatest page, and is a low point for progressive thought as a whole. Progressives should support the Libyan people, people like Sean Penn and Angelina Jolie, for instance.

Those of us who post these threads are not searching for government propaganda, indeed, we scoff at such propaganda, instead we search for personal stories to tell us what is really happening in Libya. In that vein we never were taking a gamble, because as we sought to learn more about the Libyan people in the initial uprising, we saw through the veiled smears about them as a people, as a whole. A moderate Muslim country, constantly slandered as "islamist." A high literacy rate, intelligent peoples "coopted by CIA." A peoples who continually denied the use of occupying forces even as Mirata was under siege for 4 months (a far cry from the month that Sirte has been under siege), and calls were made to bring in the troops (that event, btw, by one council member of Misrata was championed here as "proof" in the inadequacy of the revolution; it never fucking happened and the people championing it have no shame and would never post an apology for the misinformation displayed).

The Libyan people control their destiny, and anyone who praises Occupy Wall Street, a decidedly self-determined movement, must also praise the self-determination of the Libyan people, otherwise you reveal a vile inconsistency, in that only certain peoples are "allowed" self-determination. It never ceases to amaze me, to be frank, how when Muslim-Arabs rise up against a tyrant it is considered everything under the book but their own self-realization, by supposed progressives who continually beat the drums of misinformation trying to smear them (see Chavez' latest smears against Syrian protesters). For Libya, all because NATO got involved.

I repeat it fairly often, but I would not have done these threads if it were not for the Libyan people being rejected by the overwhelming majority of supposed "progressives" simply because they asked for help and got it. I saw it a mile away, because progressive criticism starts with US imperialism, and it ends there. There's simply no room for shades of gray. I highly doubt that if the AU wasn't eminently corrupt and if the Arab League wasn't afraid of internal rebellion, and they both decided to act on UN resolution 1973 instead of NATO, the progressives out there probably wouldn't have cared that the Libyan people got outside help.

If you think that inna or anyone else who didn't "support intervention" has been unfairly slandered, you simply have not been on the other side of the slanders, that are regular, that are constant, that are overwhelming, to the point of eating at ones soul. Go back, read the postings. I've been called everything from a pro-imperialist to a CIA agent. I prefer not to get into these pointless debates, particularly when it's clear that those on the other side of the debate, where it concerns morality and decency, have no leg to stand on. It's not worth my time to debate people who are morally and ethically corrupt, and who have repeatedly shown that corruption time and time again. Period.

[ellisonz]

24. Thank you, Josh.

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html
http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/index.shtml

For those that care about international law...

[tabatha]

29. Actually, it is others who have come here to imply

that we are wrong and how could anyone possibly support the Libyans. How could we possibly have the opinions that we have. They are not allowed.

If you don't like the fact that there are people who do not share your opinion, do not come here. Create your own threads, where you can rail against the Libyans as much as you want. And I can guarantee, I would not go to your threads and make nasty remarks. You are entitled to your opinion just as we are to ours.

But instead of providing some substance as to why supporting the Libyans is evil, there are just nasty comments that have little substance and much ad hominem.

It is very authoritarian in nature. Everything to do with the Libyan conflict is vile, and anyone who does anything to support them is vile.

Sorry, people were about to be slaughtered by the thousands, and if you do not believe that action should have been taken, then you are welcome to your point of view, but I for one would have agonized if we had not taken action.

And please do not conflate these actions with what Bush did, and I do not believe that Obama is a liar. History will show that the action in Libya was on the side of the millions of Libyans who after 42 years wanted the same rights that you and I have. Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, believes that action was necessary.To me, he has more credibility than all of the naysayers on this thread put together.

“The scenes of brutality being meted out with sophisticated weaponry by Libyan security forces against their own civilian population make God weep. With every blow they strike, each human rights abuse they perpetrate, they bring shame on Africa,” Archbishop Tutu said.

“As South Africans, we are acutely conscious of the value of human rights and democracy. We prosecuted a noble struggle against a morally corrupt and brutal apartheid regime, emerging as an example to the world in the fields of peaceful settlement, peacekeeping and reconciliation.

“The South African government took the moral position last week of supporting United Nations Resolution 1973 on Libya. Now, it should go a step further and urgently and unequivocally condemn the violence being perpetrated against Libyans.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201103210790.html

Funny how Tutu and I, who experienced the brutality in South Africa first hand, are both against the brutality of Gaddafi.

[ellisonz]

42. ...

:applause: :yourock:

[joshcryer]

59. It was entirely predictable.

That the "left" would suddenly support the Libyan Revolution was not a foregone conclusion, in fact, all evidence was to the contrary. The same people posting dishonest posts by the WSWS never showed any moral compassion for the Libyan people who Gaddafi was targeting, not once, ever. It's always been one sided.

I will disagree about what history will show, however. History is written by the winners, yes, and Libyan history will be different. But it'll be mostly written in Arabic, in local newspapers and media (which were illegal before Gaddafi was ousted).

The "left" will, however, write their own "history" about the Libyan conflict. Revisionism at its finest. And the internet, in a way, will help them with that. Because every vile propaganda piece reflected and repeatedly posted over and over again about the conflict has saturated the google search results for Libya. To this day you cannot find a good post about "cluster munitions," for example, because the vile dishonest slanders written by HRI still are floating out there, in the top search results. It's disgusting, but hopefully the wisdom of the crowd will at least contribute balance to the situation.

Meanwhile it remains highly amusing how WSWS is supporting Sirte, a Gaddafi bastion that got all the perks from Gaddafi's "revolution." Talk about a confused concept of class warfare. I feel for Sirte, but I cannot help but think back to the Russian revolution, and that ultimately what is happening there was entirely predictable from a class perspective. Sirte should have given up and sacrificed their leaders, the masses aren't going to take it anymore.

[pinboy3niner]

11. Hungary Seeks Seat Among UN Powerful for Unsung Role in Libya

Source: Bloomberg

By Flavia Krause-Jackson - Oct 17, 2011 9:01 PM PT


In Libya, as a revolt against Muammar Qaddafi’s four-decade regime turned dangerous, Hungarian diplomats did what most others didn’t do: They stuck around.

...


Long after the U.S., U.K. and France shut down their embassies, evacuated their staffs and rushed to get their citizens out of Libya, Hungary kept a presence in the capital Tripoli. It became the diplomat of last resort for some 50 absent governments throughout the seven-month conflict.

Among its successes was securing the release of four foreign journalists: two Americans, one Spanish and one British. In August, the Hungarian embassy even managed to get Talitha van Zon, a former Dutch model and one-time girlfriend of Qaddafi’s son Mutassim, out of the country after she jumped from the balcony of a Tripoli hotel trying to escape.

Humgary’s reward for such steadfastness could be a seat on the 15-member Security Council, the UN’s most powerful body. UN members are scheduled to vote Oct. 21 for five new council members, who will serve two-year terms beginning Jan. 1.

...


Their actions have already met with some recognition on the ground. The road next to the Hungarian embassy was renamed by locals Hungarian Street.


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-18/hungary-seeks-seat-among-un-powerful-for-unsung-role-in-libya.html

[Tx4obama]

14. K&R n/t

[pinboy3niner]

17. Libyans push into Gadhafi's hometown from east

Oct 18, 5:13 AM EDT


SIRTE, Libya (AP) -- About 1,000 Libyan revolutionary troops have launched a major assault on Moammar Gadhafi's hometown, surging from the east to try to capture the last area under loyalist control.

Tuesday's push to rout the remaining resistance from Sirte came a day after commanders announced they had captured most of a second stronghold, Bani Walid.

Libyan fighters have squeezed the die-hard Gadhafi supporters into an area comprising just a few blocks in Sirte but have been unable to gain full control of the city.

It has been more than two months since the former rebels gained control of the capital and much of the rest of the oil-rich North African nation. Persistent fighting has prevented Libya's new leaders from declaring final victory and setting a timeline for elections.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.


http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=NDBIS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-18-05-13-47

[pinboy3niner]

18. Fierce battle in Sirte leaves at least 23 NTC fighters wounded in first 15 minutes

From AJE Live Blog:

Fierce street fighting has erupted between Libyan fighters and Muammar Gaddafi's remaining loyalists in Sirte, the deposed Libyan leader's last bastion, an AFP correspondent said.

The National Transitional Council fighters suffered at least 23 injuries within 15 minutes of the battle exploding mid-morning, with the streets reverberating with the sound of heavy gunfire, rockets and mortars.

The Mediterranean city of Sirte is the last stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists after the desert town of Bani Walid was overrun by NTC fighters on Monday.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-oct-18-2011-1202

[pinboy3niner]

21. Front-line stories from the Arab Spring

Source: editorsweblog

Posted by Katherine Travers on October 18, 2011 at 11:22 AM


"You really will remember this session," promises organiser Alison Meston as she introduces Shahira Amin, former deputy head of Nile TV International, and Hoda Abdel-Hamid, a roving correspondent for Al Jazeera English, Qatar.

Both women, former frontline correspondents who informed the world about the recent political upheavals in the Arab world, recount their experiences to a gathering of World Editors Forum guests Saturday morning.

...


Once on the ground, Amin could clearly see that the uprisings were part of an "all-inclusive people's movement." That was not the way Nile TV described the situation. The station called the protestors "foreign agents, criminals and hired thugs." Amin was told by her superiors not to cover Tahir, but she was expected to continue reading the news. She was asked to go on air just after she saw the horse-mounted police attack protesters, which she described as "like a scene from medieval times." Nile TV forbade her to refer to the event: "We had clear instructions not to mention it."

...


Once the mobile phone network had been restored, Amin's legs led her towards Tahir Square. She sent a message to her boss that read: "Forgive me, I am never coming back - I'm with the people." She waited to read the delivery notice. The relief was palpable. Finally, she was free to stay at Tahir and join the Egyptian people in protesting.

...


http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2011/10/front-line_stories_from_the_arab_spring.php

[pinboy3niner]

22. Clinton in Libya to offer new aid package

By MATTHEW LEE - Associated Press | AP – 15 mins ago


TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — The Obama administration on Tuesday increased U.S. support for Libya's new leaders as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made an unannounced visit to Tripoli and pledged millions of dollars in new aid, including medical care for wounded fighters and additional assistance to secure weaponry that many fear could fall into the hands of terrorists.

U.S. officials said the fresh aid Clinton is bringing totals about $11 million and will boost Washington's contribution to Libya since the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi began in February to roughly $135 million. The officials told reporters traveling with Clinton that it is evidence of the administration's commitment to working with the National Transitional Council as it consolidates control over the entire country and moves to hold free and fair elections.

As part of the new aid package, the U.S. will re-launch several educational programs, including Fulbright scholarships and English language training, and help fund an archeological project that will survey eastern Libya, the officials said. In addition, they said Clinton will be stressing the importance of good governance, inclusion, democratization and diversifying Libya's economy so it no longer is almost entirely dependent on oil revenue.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-libya-offer-aid-package-103032274.html

[pinboy3niner]

23. NATO airstrikes conducted Monday, October 17 (Bani Walid, 1; Sirte, none)

Key Hits 17 OCTOBER:


1 Command and Control Node comprising 9 military vehicles near to Bani Walid.


...


International Humanitarian Assistance Movements as recorded by NATO


Total of Humanitarian Movements**: 2043 (air, maritime)


Ships delivering Humanitarian Assistance 17 OCTOBER: 0


Aircraft delivering Humanitarian Assistance 17 OCTOBER: 44


**Some humanitarian movements cover several days.


http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_10/20111018_111018-oup-update.pdf

[pinboy3niner]

25. Clinton in Tripoli; Gaddafi forces counter-attack

Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:54am GMT

• Clinton most senior U.S. official to visit

• Secretary of state to emphasise democratic transition

• Government fighters in Sirte retreat under heavy fire

• Sirte only centre of resistance after fall of Bani Walid


By Andrew Quinn and Tim Gaynor


TRIPOLI/SIRTE, Libya, Oct 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Libya on Tuesday to meet the new leaders Washington helped into power, but die-hard forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi launched a surprise counter-attack in his hometown of Sirte.

...


Gaddafi loyalists who had been cornered in a an area of Sirte of about two square kilometres (a square mile) appeared to have broken out of their encirclement, Reuters reporters in the city said. A group of NTC fighters was forced to pull back about 2 km after they came under heavy fire.

The force was trying to regroup near the Ouagadougou conference centre -- the complex where Gaddafi used to host foreign heads of state -- but were pinned down.

A volley of 22 mm rounds from Gaddafi loyalists thudded into the group, hitting four vehicles and seriously wounding one NTC fighter. He was loaded into an ambulance and driven away.

On the southern outskirts of the city, in an area that in previous days had been safe from gunfire, mortars were landing and air-burst rounds were exploding overhead.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7LH3Y420111018?sp=true

[ellisonz]

26. I think they can safely change the blue dots on the OP map to red now. n/t

[ellisonz]

27. Clinton, in Libya on unannounced trip, offers new US aid to former rebels

Clinton, in Libya on unannounced trip, offers new US aid to former rebels

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, October 18, 5:13 AM

TRIPOLI, Libya — The Obama administration on Tuesday increased U.S. support for Libya’s new leaders as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made an unannounced visit to Tripoli and pledged millions of dollars in new aid, including medical care for wounded fighters and additional assistance to secure weaponry that many fear could fall into the hands of terrorists.

U.S. officials said the fresh aid Clinton is bringing totals about $11 million and will boost Washington’s contribution to Libya since the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi began in February to roughly $135 million. The officials told reporters traveling with Clinton that it is evidence of the administration’s commitment to working with the National Transitional Council as it consolidates control over the entire country and moves to hold free and fair elections.

Clinton met Tuesday with Mahmoud Jibril, who has taken over as Libya’s prime minister, and interim leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.

As part of the new aid package, the U.S. will re-launch several educational programs, including Fulbright scholarships and English language training, and help fund an archeological project that will survey eastern Libya, the officials said. In addition, they said Clinton will be stressing the importance of good governance, inclusion, democratization and diversifying Libya’s economy so it no longer is almost entirely dependent on oil revenue.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/clinton-in-libya-on-unannounced-trip-offers-new-us-aid-to-former-rebels/2011/10/18/gIQAL9SqtL_story.html?wprss=rss_middle-east

[pinboy3niner]

28. Libya's growth industry – Gaddafi memorabilia

They've overthrown the hated dictator, but it seems Libyans can't quite rid themselves of Gaddafi, as his image pops up in endless caricatures and other memorabilia


Ian Black
guardian.co.uk, Monday 17 October 2011 15.30 EDT



Gaddafi's image is mercilessly pillioried in a huge range of memorabilia in Libya.


Muammar Gaddafi may still be roaming around freely in the depths of the Sahara desert trying to evade capture by the rebels who deposed him in August, but the people he ruled for nearly 42 years are celebrating his departure – big time.

In the space of just a few weeks, Libyans have swapped a culture of officially inspired adulation for bawdy irreverence towards the man they now delight in dissing as "Abu Shafshoufa" – "frizzyhead".

Gaddafi is the subject of endless caricatures and photomontages, the mainstay of a cottage industry of revolutionary memorabilia driven by the sheer exuberance of release from decades of oppression. Stalls in Tripoli's newly renamed Martyrs' Square are doing a roaring trade in pictures of him with former presidents Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia – the three veteran autocrats and victims of this year's Arab uprisings.

...


It is a diversion from the struggle to reform a country with few institutions and which has not held elections in more than half a century. But the weight of Gaddafi's presence is astonishing. "It is true that Libyans are erasing Gaddafi's official image but, ironically, they are putting it back everywhere with all these caricatures," says Hoda Abuzeid, whose dissident father was murdered by Gaddafi agents in London and who now works with the rebel government. "In a way, he is even more present than before even though they are mocking him. The real insight is that people can't help drawing him because they are so used to him."

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/17/gaddafi-memorabilia-libyas-growth-industry

[Swede]

30. Good work,all of you.

K&R

[tabatha]

31. Democracy Now report on Libya

The New Libya: Exclusive Video on Challenges Facing a Nation Emerging From Gaddafi’s 42-Year Rule

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/10/18/the_new_libya_exclusive_video_on#.Tp2Rib90nmA.twitter

Very good, balanced report. This is the kind of reporting that is so valuable - it looks at the situation from all sides, listens to Libyans, and reports good and bad. Just like these threads.

No petty dismissal of people who do not share your opinion.

[al bupp]

35. One might suppose that if anyone could cause leftists to reconsider...

their reflexive anti-NATO stance and look at the nuances of the situation in Libya, that it might be Amy Goodman to do so. Her reporting on Libya has been balanced since the uprising started. Her peace and justice credentials are as good as anyone's in my opinion. Here's hoping maybe a few have had their eyes opened on this topic by her.

[joshcryer]

61. Don't worry, she and Juan Cole have already been thrown under the bus.

It's doubtful that the "left" who doesn't support the Libyan Revolution will ever change their mind about their corrupt view.

[al bupp]

98. Sadly, sir, you are probably right

However, by dispensing w/ Ms. Goodman, that leaves the hard-core "leftists" (I think Stalinist might be a better term) with little more then Mathaba and David Icke as their standard bearers.

[tabatha]

32. In Libyan Rebel Capital, Shouts of Thanks to America and the West

In Libyan Rebel Capital, Shouts of Thanks to America and the West
October 18, 2011

BENGHAZI, Libya — Frustrated by the gridlocked traffic, the young man in fatigues was leaning on the horn of his old Chevrolet Impala, the one with the front and rear windshields shot out. The shrillness of the pointless noise made a foreigner in the car next to him wince.

Then came one of those Free Libyamoments.

“Sorry, sorry,” the horn-blower called apologetically, in English. The young man riding shotgun, also in fatigues and carrying a Kalashnikov, grinned sheepishly and apologized as well. Then he saluted, bringing his wounded right hand into view, a giant mitten of a bandage on it, blood soaking through in places.

“Thank you, thank you,” he said. “America No. 1.”

Americans and, for that matter, all Westerners are treated hereabouts with a warmth and gratitude rarely seen in any Muslim country — even those with 100,000 American troops — in probably half a century or more. People smile and go out of their way to say hello to them, and are almost shockingly courteous. It is that oddest of oddities, an Arab war zone where foreign joggers are regarded, not with hostility or even that sympathetic puzzlement reserved for the insane, but with a friendly wave or a toot on the horn.

http://shabablibya.org/news/in-libyan-rebel-capital-shouts-of-thanks-to-america-and-the-west-2

[tabatha]

33. Saving kids

http://twitter.com/#!/MatogSaleh/status/126290349399359489/photo/1

[tabatha]

49. This is the reunion that occurred after the kids were rescued by the FFs

http://yfrog.com/z/nzwndij

[tabatha]

34. Hillary Clinton arrives in Libya

[Iterate]

36. One percenters take note

LibyanDictator
Graffiti: "Today #Libya, tomorrow Wall Street." pic.twitter.com/Ggo69BUV 14 minutes ago

[tabatha]

37. Thanks for posting that. I had seen that but forgot where

and wanted to post it.

The one percenters in this country, especially the Kochs and Karl Rove, are no better than Gaddafi, because they want one party rule, and wealth hoarded at the top.

[Iterate]

38. Small sample: tweets of the moment

Actually, I had it in my head that you did post it and had to search back a few days to check.

A few sample tweets on what is actually a relatively slow news day for Libya:

4Adam Adam
Dean of the Great Jamahiri Thought Academy, Dr. Rajab Abodabous has been arrested - http://t.co/muANCwtT
Nalut's Military Council releases all Gaddafi soldiers who have been captured since the conflict started. #Libya #Feb17 #Nafusamountains 34 minutes ago

sharon_lynchsharon lynch
RT @alchemist585: In Msallata, FFs caught 21 pro- #Gaddafi thugs fleeing from #BaniWalid

Here's a real gem from the nutter camp:
_ForbiddenTruth No Forbidden Truth
URGENT: PLEASE TELL OTHERS TO STOP TWEETING PLANS and MOVEMENT of JAMAHIRIYA FORCES! It's compromising attacks" #Libya #Green #Resistence 17 minutes ago

In other words, don't tweet about imaginary plans for imaginary battles. For the uninitiated, they're the Gaddafi deniers who make climate change deniers and creationists seem quite reasonable, such as this sample:

_ForbiddenTruth No Forbidden Truth
#ARRAI TV and #Jamahiriyah Have both Confirmed #BaniWalid 100% in control of #Green Resistance. Also eye witness reports. #Libya #Libye #NTC 1 hour ago
@bnnNEWSLIVE Nonsense. There is nothing to seek. Whole Libya is stronghold of Gaddafi.
#Serbian #mainstream #media: #Gaddafi's #forces broke through the front of #Sirte. The #rebels in disarray. #Libya #Libye #Libyen #Surt #NTC

Take away CAPS lock and they'll have 1/3 as much to say, even in Spanish:

kir_T34 Кирилл Светицкий
Leonore: GUERRA HUMANITARIA EN LIBIA

[tabatha]

40. This was posted on AJE

(With reference to the FF's saving children photo above)

"Let's wait to see Mathaba reporting it as FFs kidnapping children to sell into slavery in NATO run brothels!"

[Iterate]

39. At Bani Walid party, Libya fighters look to future

At Bani Walid party, Libya fighters look to future
By Barry Malone

BANI WALID | Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:32pm EDT

...

"We never had anything but we were never afraid of Gaddafi. This generation had no fear," 26-year-old Abdul shouted to Reuters over the noise of the celebrations.

"Maybe our fathers did, maybe my grandfather. But we were always going to throw him out. Always. Because we wanted more."
...

"But it's not that. It's more. Nobody wanted to fight but, in my town, it was for freedom," Ali said, adjusting the touch-screen controls in the Gaddafi military car now owned by his brigade as he drove out of Bani Walid later.

"In the mountains, there were 20 of us fighting and only two of us made it home. This car? I would burn it and this whole world and everything I have in it to bring them back." (Editing by Jon Boyle)

complete: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/18/libya-bani-walid-fighters-idAFL5E7LI4JT20111018

[tabatha]

41. Two out of twenty

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[al bupp]

43. BBC (Video): Libya: 'Hand to hand fighting' in Sirte

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15359887

Col Muammar Gaddafi's forces are still holding out in the former Libyan leader's hometown, Sirte.

The BBC's Wyre Davies reports from the frontline, where men fighting for the Libyan National Transitional Council have come under attack.

[ellisonz]

44. NATO May End Mission

AJE Live Stream - Special Coverage: Libya Uprising - Tweeting revolutions
1 hour 7 min ago - Libya

NATO says it is considering ending its bombing campaign in Libya but the decision must consider the threat pro-Muammar Gaddafi fighters still pose to civilians, the AP news ageny reports.

Some have speculated that the North Atlantic Council, NATO's top decision-making body, will declare an end to the 7-month-old Libyan operation when it meets on Wednesday.

But a diplomat said France and Britain had insisted that the bombing campaign continue until Libya's new authorities are able to assume responsibility for security nationwide. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the matter.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya

[tabatha]

45. "All my people luf me"

especially when the walls around my home come down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Av7gKkd8Y&feature=player_embedded

[Iterate]

51. The shoes, the shoes!

People must have been throwing their shoes over and on top of that wall for years. Now it makes more sense as to why people were arrested for stopping near or walking by those walls.

Gaddafi - Zenga Zenga People (Noy Alooshe English Remix)
http://youtu.be/UzIa_dt_BK0

or

They love me all "my people" -Gaddafi's new song
http://youtu.be/90v4SbT18_M

or
bunga bunga Kadhafi music
http://youtu.be/vO9qPU-JQi4

[ellisonz]

66. Madness.

[tabatha]

46. Video: Secretary Clinton Delivers Remarks With Libyan TNC Prime Minister Jabril

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks with Libyan Transitional National Council Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril in Tripoli, Libya on October 18, 2011.


http://youtu.be/DHWkupTTF4U

[pinboy3niner]

47. Yemeni unarmed protesters killed by loyalist gunmen

Seven killed and over 50 wounded as government forces open fire on mass demonstration against Ali Abdullah Saleh

Tom Finn in Sana'a
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 18 October 2011 14.47 EDT


For the fourth day in a row unarmed protesters have been shot dead in Yemen's capital Sana'a after government loyalists opened fire on another mass demonstration calling for president Ali Abdullah Saleh's resignation.

Tuesday's attack, which resulted in the death of seven people and more than 50 wounded, brings the death toll of this week's government crackdown to 35, further dimming the prospect of a diplomatic solution to Yemen's ongoing political turmoil.

...


On Tuesday morning the narrow streets of downtown Sana'a were packed with tens of thousands of men and women kicking up dust with their feet and shouting "Oh Saleh, the courts are waiting with you." A shirtless young man shimmied down a lamppost after scrawling "Leave you murderer" across a billboard of the president's face.

The rally was scattered when plainclothed gunmen hiding in the trees of the al-Qa'a garden opened fire on the protesters with kalashnikov rifles, witnesses said. Government troops arrived in armoured trucks firing teargas and jets of water at the remaining crowds. In the ensuring mayhem activists were seized by the Republican Guard, the elite unit led by Saleh's son Ahmed.

...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/18/yemen-protesters-killed-loyalist-gunmen

[tabatha]

48. Frustrations fizzle in Swaziland - another country ripe for democracy

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/10/10/frustrations-fizzle-swaziland

While protests in Swaziland have been large, they have hardly been on the scale of those seen during the Arab Spring.

Masuku, who spent four years in prison accused of sedition and terrorism believes that is only because nearly a whole generation under the age of 40 has been depoliticised, believing they have no say in the political process.

Still, he remains convinced change in Swaziland is possible in his lifetime.

But while monarchies elsewhere in the world have changed with the times, it does not appear as if King Mswati is prepared to take a back seat just yet.

[pinboy3niner]

50. Libyans close to total victory over Gadhafi forces

By KIM GAMEL and RAMI AL-SHAHEIBI - Associated Press | AP – 55 mins ago


BANI WALID, Libya (AP) — Revolutionary forces celebrated the capture of one Moammar Gadhafi stronghold and closed in Tuesday on the last holdouts in the fugitive leader's hometown of Sirte, putting total victory in their eight-month uprising just a few city blocks away.

...


Revolutionary forces on Tuesday pushed from the east into the small pocket of the city under the control of Gadhafi loyalists and captured a vegetable market, though they came under heavy fire from snipers and rocket-propelled grenades on the rooftops of residential buildings and homes along major streets.

Abdul-Hadi Ali, fighting with the revolutionary forces, said the battle for Sirte, 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, was essentially finished so he was now returning home to the eastern city of Benghazi.

...


"We didn't find a regular army but only loyalists of Gadhafi, snipers with automatic weapons," (commander Ali Abdel-Rahman) said. "Some of the Gadhafi brigades took off their uniforms and vanished."

He said even families had fled the area. "There was a widespread perception that there would be a massacre here and pools of blood, but on the contrary, it was very bloodless, swift and with no resistance."

...


http://news.yahoo.com/libyans-close-total-victory-over-gadhafi-forces-202002368.html

[pinboy3niner]

52. LIBYAN REVOLUTION DAY 244: CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 12:01 AM WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19

Libya time = EDT +6 hours, PDT +9 hours, UTC +1 hour, GMT +2 hours

[tabatha]

53. Nalut's Military Council releases all Gaddafi soldiers who have been captured.

4Adam Adam
#Nalut's Military Council releases all Gaddafi soldiers who have been captured since the conflict started. #Libya #Feb17 #Nafusamountains
3 hours ago

[pinboy3niner]

54. Australian govt investigating reports of Australian aid worker being killed in Libya

The death was first reported by a radio station. Sky News reports the government can't confirm that the man was an aid worker, but 'Consular officials are in contact with the man's family in Australia,' a spokesman told AAP.

[pinboy3niner]

65. Sydney man feared dead in Libya

October 19, 2011 - 1:39PM

Australian Associated Press

A Sydney Muslim leader who travelled to Libya to fight for freedom and justice is feared dead.

Consular officials are in contact with the family of Sheik Naser Zuway in Australia as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade investigates reports an Australian man has been killed in Libya.

...


He said in the ABC interview he would not return to Sydney until Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was defeated.

...


"I'm prepared to die for the sake of freedom and justice and to see our country taking their place in the world and Gaddafi to leave Libya.

"It's not better for the Libyan only. It's better for the Australian, better for the Europe, better for the entire world."

...


http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/sydney-man-feared-dead-in-libya-20111019-1m6tp.html

[joshcryer]

73. Voice of Sydney Islamic moderation silenced in Libya

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/voice-of-sydney-islamic-moderation-silenced-in-libya-20111019-1m7qm.html">Voice of Sydney Islamic moderation silenced in Libya
...

"He will be seen by all Libyans as a national hero who risked his own personal safety," said his friend and founder of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia Keysar Trad.

"He could have been in Australia, away from all this. But he decided he could do some good and help people in need. As a result of taking that risk, he was killed."

Mr Trad said it was not yet known how Sheikh Zuway died, but that he may have been helping to defend Sirte and may have been targeted by Gaddafi supporters still holding out there.

"He did develop a high profile there and he was very well-loved. He became a symbol of humanity, of sacrifice in a warzone," Mr Trad said, adding that Sheikh Zuway was good friends with senior leaders of the Libyan opposition.

:cry:

[ellisonz]

55. US News and World Report/Reuters: The Rise of Secret Warfare

The Rise of Secret Warfare
Clandestine operations achieve military's desired effects without massive publicity
October 18, 2011

------

Cash flow is also key. Those with knowledge of western strategy toward Libya say it was driven more by what could not be done than what could. A wider military intervention was politically impossible and financially unaffordable, yet politicians demanded something be done.

Some of the most successful strategies were not conventional. British officials say the secret "oil cell" that helped starve Muammar Gaddafi of fuel supplies was key to rebel victory, yet involved the use of little or no military force.

------

It would be a delusion to see covert operations as a simple solution to global problems. "This comes in cycles," says Cordesman.

"There is a tendency to grossly exaggerate success and underestimate the cost... These things are never under control, not even in a democracy. Nothing you ever do with violence is going to be clean or simple. But sometimes you just have to look at the options, look at the consequences of not acting, and then do it."

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/10/18/the-rise-of-secret-warfare?PageNr=3&s_cid=rss:the-rise-of-secret-warfare

[pinboy3niner]

56. Heavy shelling from Gaddafi forces takes toll on NTC fighters in Sirte

At the eastern end of Sirte's seafront, a Reuters reporter saw the spot where, an hour earlier, mortars had landed in a cluster of NTC fighters.

Thirteen of them were killed in the incident, witnesses said. Blood from one of the victims stained the steps of a nearby house.

In several places in the city, locations that a day earlier were firmly under the control of anti-Gaddafi fighters were too dangerous to access because of fire coming in from loyalists.

On the edge of the "Seven hundred" district, the front line had not moved but the mood of optimism among NTC fighters had been replaced by despair at the mounting casualties.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7LI4V520111018?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

57. Italy World Cup winner Claudio Gentile approached to coach Libya

(AFP) – 4 hours ago

ROME — ....

The 58-year-old, a tough no nonsense defender who won the World Cup in 1982, was born in Libya and has previously coached Italy under-21s.

"I will return to my Libya to lead the new national team, I accepted out of affection," Gentile told Wednesday's edition of Oggi magazine.
...

"For now there isn't a formal accord. First the political situation needs to be clarified, (Colonel Moamer) Kadhafi needs to be arrested.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5it2m9pHcbZ1izKOEPDim4i03MbUw?docId=CNG.a424fe79da127400bb16486ba77bbb61.811

[tabatha]

58. Libyan rebels searching for weapons and loyalists in captured city

Published on Tuesday 18 October 2011 16:06

Libyan rebels finally in control of a key stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi’s supporters were digging in searches for hidden weapons yesterday, a concrete sign that the long battle for Bani Walid was virtually over.

On a different front, revolutionary forces launched another assault on Col Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, hoping to dislodge his dug-in loyalists. Libya’s new rulers are holding up declaring victory and setting a timetable for elections until both centres are under their control.

In Bani Walid, field commander Said Younis said fighters were searching for high level Gaddafi loyalists who had escaped to the city, including Col Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam, one of his closest political aides and spokesman.

“Saif was seen was on Thursday. He was eating in a desert village close to the city,” Mr Younis said.

Bani Walid is a valley city protected by many steep mountains and valleys, where Gaddafi loyalist snipers took positions during the fiercest battles. Mr Younis said many loyalist fighters have fled to caves in the mountains.

In the garden of a house in Bani Walid, ten fighters dug a hole, revealing a cache of Kalashnikovs. “We’ve been finding weapons and ammunition hidden in people’s houses since we liberated the city, all over,” said Ayman Mahdi, as he dug.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/international/libyan_rebels_searching_for_weapons_and_loyalists_in_captured_city_1_1917482

[pinboy3niner]

60. Arab Spring abuses show need for arms trade curb - Amnesty

Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:01pm GMT

• U.S., Russia, European nations accused of double standards

• Amnesty pins hopes on U.N. talks on new Arms Trade Treaty


By Keith Weir


LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Russia, the United States and European countries ignored fears over human rights abuses and sold large numbers of weapons to governments in the Middle East and North Africa in recent years, Amnesty International said in a report on Wednesday.

Rights group Amnesty said the failings showed the need for a meaningful international arms trade treaty to choke off the supply of weapons to countries seen at risk of turning them on their own people.

"The Arab Spring is the reaction of people whose rights have been stripped away by the coercive force of governments and their security forces using the tools supplied from Europe, north America, Russia and elsewhere," said Brian Wood, manager of arms control at Amnesty International.

...


It also identified 10 countries which had licensed the supply of weapons to Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan government since 2005, including Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Russia and Spain.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7LI46820111018?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

62. Yemeni Nobel laureate to UN: No immunity for Saleh

Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:55pm GMT

• Draft UN resolution urges implementation of GCC deal

• Karman to stay in NY til Saleh "war crimes" sent to ICC


By Louis Charbonneau


NEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Yemeni Nobel peace laureate Tawakul Karman made an impassioned plea to the United Nations on Tuesday to repudiate a Gulf Arab plan that would grant immunity to her country's "war criminal" president.

Karman arrived in New York as the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council circulated a draft resolution to the full 15-nation body that urges the swift "signature and implementation" of the Gulf Arab plan, under which Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh would be immune from prosecution.

"The youth's peaceful revolution is against the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) initiative, especially because it gives immunity to Saleh and his family," Karman told reporters at a demonstration near the United Nations, where she was greeted by a cheering crowd of around 150 Yemeni supporters.

...


"I feel shame that I will be sleeping tonight in a hotel and my people will be sleeping in the streets," she said. "(But) I will stay in New York until the crimes of Ali Saleh are transferred to the International Criminal Court and until they freeze all his assets."

That is what the Security Council did with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after his security forces earlier this year killed scores of demonstrators inspired by the "Arab Spring" uprisings that toppled governments in Egypt and Tunisia.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFN1E79H1ZL20111018?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

63. "We're calling on them to treat the revolutions in Yemen and Syria just like they did in Libya"

AFP – 1 hr 53 mins ago


Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman joined about 100 protesters Tuesday outside the United Nations to call for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stand down.

"We came here to tell that Ali Abdullah Saleh and (Syrian leader) Bashar al-Assad are both criminals and they have to be held accountable and prosecuted," Karma said.

"People are living on sidewalks and are being killed everyday... All because they asked for democracy and justice.

...


"As a Yemeni leader, as a Nobel Prize winner, as a leader of the Arab Spring, I came here to tell them to stand up for these rights," Karman said.

"We're calling on them to treat the revolutions in Yemen and Syria just like they did in Libya.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/yemeni-nobel-winner-un-urges-saleh-step-down-234113572.html

[tabatha]

64. For Amal, life (re)begins at 75

Since the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi, over 180 independent newspapers have sprung up in Libya, like flowers in the desert after a rare downpour. Like desert flowers, most will die. Yet a few that aren’t simple opinion sheets, which instead contain news and features and are more professionally run, will survive. One such is Al-Kalima (The Word) and one of its regular contributors is Amal Omar Shennib.

Born in 1935, she is not only the oldest Libyan woman writer but also the first. At age 15, before the country gained independence, she wrote for a magazine simply called Libya. Today, she often writes about the lost Libya, the Libya that Qaddafi hated and in true Stalinist style erased all reference to in books and the media: The Libya between independence in 1951 and 1969 when he seized power and abolished the monarchy.

“We knew nothing about that period; we’re only finding out about it now,” said Abdel Halim, a young Libyan university student whom Arab News later met in downtown Tripoli.

He recounted what had happened when he had visited the former royal palace there (now a museum) earlier this year while Qaddafi was still in control of the city. (The building in fact had started out as the Italian governor’s palace during the colonial period.) “I asked why there was nothing about King Idris. The guides told us they were forbidden to mention him.”

http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/offbeat/article520411.ece

[pinboy3niner]

67. "In Libya, as the country slid into armed conflict, Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi’s forces...

...launched Grad rockets, mortars and fired artillery into densely-populated civilian residential areas."

--Amnesty International, in its report. And that's just from the introduction. There's more:

LIBYA

...


Security forces greeted the peaceful protests in the eastern cities with excessive and at times lethal force, leading to the deaths of scores of protesters and bystanders. When some protesters responded with violence, security officials and soldiers flown in from other parts of the country failed to take any measures to minimize the harm they caused, including to bystanders. They fired live ammunition into crowds without warning, contravening not only international standards on the use of force and firearms, but also Libya’s own legislation on the policing of public gatherings.

...


In the unrest and armed conflict, al-Gaddafi forces committed serious violations of IHL, including war crimes, and gross human rights violations, which point to the commission of crimes against humanity. They deliberately killed and injured scores of unarmed protesters; subjected perceived opponents and critics to enforced disappearance, torture and other illtreatment, and arbitrarily detained scores of civilians. They killed and injured civilians not involved in the fighting. They extrajudicially executed people who had been captured and restrained and were posing no threat.


The al-Gaddafi forces concealed tanks and heavy military equipment in civilian residential buildings, in a deliberate attempt to shield them from possible air strikes by the NATO forces. Al-Gaddafi forces also launched indiscriminate attacks and attacks targeting civilians in their efforts to regain control of Misratah and territory in the east. They launched artillery, mortar and rocket attacks against civilian residential areas. They used inherently indiscriminate weapons such as anti-personnel mines and cluster bombs, including in residential areas.132 The use of both of these weapons are prohibited under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions or the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction; however, Libya is not party to either of these conventions.

...


ARMS TRANSFERS TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: LESSONS FOR AN EFFECTIVE
ARMS TRADE TREATY (100 pages, pdf):

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_21995.pdf

[tabatha]

68. Thank you Amnesty. A very credible organization.

That should shut the deniers up.

[tabatha]

69. Libyan Revolutionary Fighters Rescue Bangladeshi Children Trapped in Sirte

NTC “fighters came to our rescue. They screamed Allahu Akhbar, so we knew it was them and we came out of the house.”

Nur said it is difficult to know if there are still a lot of civilians in central Sirte. He only knows that another Bangladeshi family lived a few blocks from his home.

On the edge of the city, a field hospital receives wounded fighters. The sight of an infant, a boy and girl put a smile of nurses’ faces.

Fifteen minutes later, relief comes: The other Bangladeshi family joined Nur’s.

“Kadhafi soldiers told us not to get out of our house,” said exhausted Taha Saha.

“There was no electricity. Four days ago, we started to experience a shortage of water.”

http://feb17.info/news/libyan-revolutionary-fighters-rescue-bangladeshi-children-trapped-in-sirte/

[joshcryer]

70. Michele Bachmann Is Unhappy That American Troops Have Been Sent to Both Libya and Africa

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/10/michele_bachmann_is_unhappy_th.html">Michele Bachmann Is Unhappy That American Troops Have Been Sent to Both Libya and Africa
Referring to President Obama's recent decision to send a small number of American forces to help defuse Uganda's ongoing civil war, she complained, "The president, he put us in Libya. He is now putting us in Africa. We already were stretched too thin, and he put our special operations forces in Africa." At least she doesn't (seem to) think Africa's a country?

Price of Libyan liberation: $1 billion, and thousands of lives.
Price of internet connection to read blogs: $45
Price of Michele Bachmann sounding like a "leftist" complaining about humanitarian interventions: priceless

[pinboy3niner]

72. First Libya and now Africa, Oh, my--as Michele might say, it's a viscous circle!

:rofl:


:hi:

[tabatha]

85. THANKU4THEANGER on Michelle Bachman

Thanku4theAnger THANKU4THEANGER
In GOP CNN debate Michelle Bachman did not realise #LibyaisinAfrica .... God help America ... Are Republicans anti-geography?
3 hours ago

Another Libyan tweet
YasirNasir Yāsir Nasír
Michele Bachmann didn't know Libya is in Africa - what do you know, Sarah Palin has competition now.
10 hours ago

OMGWire OMGWire.com
Michelle Bachmann – “Obama Put Us In Libya, Now He Put Us In Africa” ow.ly/1fcOIZ
7 hours ago

DarthNader Nader
Maybe if Republicans hadn't cut so much out of public education, Bachmann would know that Libya is in Africa.
8 hours ago

lheron Liz Heron
"Libya is in Africa" trending worldwide after Bachmann said of Obama, "He put us in Libya. Now he's put us in Africa." #cnndebate
10 hours ago

mcsmartypants Laurie Kempton
So Michele Bachmann is unaware that #Libya is in #Africa. I suppose she can also see Russia from her house?
11 hours ago

craig_crawford Craig Crawford
Debate green room: Anderson Cooper says he'd rather be in Libya
13 hours ago

[joshcryer]

71. A spark lit in Tunesia ignites the world

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/18/opinion/main20122349.shtml">A spark lit in Tunesia ignites the world
Dear young man who died on the fourth day of this turbulent 2011, dear Mohammed Bouazizi:

I want to write you about an astonishing year -- with three months yet to run. I want to tell you about the power of despair and the margins of hope and the bonds of civil society.

I wish you could see the way that your small life and large death became a catalyst for the fall of so many dictators in what is known as the Arab Spring.

We are now in some sort of an American Fall. Civil society here has suddenly hit the ground running, and we are all headed toward a future no one imagined when you, a young Tunisian vegetable seller capable of giving so much, who instead had so much taken from you, burned yourself to death to protest your impoverished and humiliated state.

Wonderful post, mentions Libya in passing, but at least recognizes Libya's place in the events that have transpired this wonderful year.

[ellisonz]

74. I think Libya has definitely helped keep the Arab Spring on the front page.

[pinboy3niner]

75. Hillary Clinton in Libya: death threats before her arrival

Source: Malta Star

19 October 2011 07:54


A Pro-Gaddafi group that runs an online news service called The Truth Libya posted a death threat to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 48 hours before she arrived in Tripoli. Her trip to Libya was kept secret till the last minute. Even US media following her trip to Libya described it as "unannounced". During her short visit there was very tight security around her.

...


The Truth Libya describes its mission as "Exposing the lies of the corrupt mass media about the happenings in Libya and in the rest of the world."


http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=17056

[inna]

76. must be time for another highly popular daily propaganda thread, no?...

just wondering.

[ellisonz]

78. Generally around 100+ posts.

Are you excited? The Gaddafi regime doesn't hold a single city or major town in Libya. Fini. :popcorn:

[inna]

80. nope, no hard-on for regime change here, sorry to disappoint!

The whole "regime change" is a neocon idea to boot, btw. :shrug: Not to mention, something that US-NATO openly and brazenly LIED about at the beginning of the campaign (yeah, they were not interested in regime change and were there to protect civilians! lol.)

[tabatha]

84. Hmmmm - so why is Gaddafi still alive?

and NATO talking about shutting down operations possibly as soon as today?

And it was Gaddafi who fled Tripoli when FFs entered Libya.

Why? because his troops were sent off in the wrong direction by one of his commanders.

NATO had nothing to do with that.

But it is just easier to use buzz words than supply anything close to reality.

[joshcryer]

110. Yep, soon. And you'll hate, absolutely hate the picture I'm going to use.

:)

[pinboy3niner]

77. NTC forces take control of Dollar neighborhood in Sirte; loyalists now #2 only

From AJE Live Blog:

Muammar Gaddafi's remaining loyalist fighters have been pinned into a small section of the ousted leader's hometown Sirte after a fierce battle which saw heavy casualties, a commander said on Wednesday.

Essam Baghhar, field commander for the Zintan Brigade, told AFP that one of two neighbourhoods in the Mediterranean city that had still been under the control of Gaddafi loyalists fell to fighters of the National Transitional Council late on Tuesday.

"The Dollar neighbourhood was liberated last night and now the fight is in Number Two neighbourhood," Baghhar said.

He added that loyalist forces had been pushed into an area of Number Two neighbourhood less than one square kilometre (0.4 square mile) in size.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-oct-19-2011-1301

[pinboy3niner]

79. Libyans fight for buildings in Gadhafi hometown

By CHRISTOPHER GILLETTE Associated Press

Updated: 10/19/2011 03:37:55 AM PDT


SIRTE, Libya—Libyan revolutionary forces fought building by building Wednesday as they tried to rout the final remnants of Moammar Gadhafi's loyalists in his hometown, the last remaining major bastion of support for the fugitive leader.

But while Libya's transitional leadership worked to consolidate control over the entire country, the country's acting prime minister warned in a newspaper interview that Gadhafi can still cause trouble from his hiding place.

Mahmoud Jibril was quoted by the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat Tuesday as saying that the ousted leader is moving between Niger, Algeria and the vast southern Libyan desert and has been trying to recruit fighters from Sudan to help him establish a separate state in the south, or to march to the north and destabilize the new regime.

...


"Gadhafi has two options: either to destabilize any new regime in Libya or to declare a separate state in the south," Jibril was quoted as saying, adding there was evidence about this but he didn't elaborate.

...


http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_19145656

[pinboy3niner]

81. NATO airstrikes conducted Tuesday, October 18: None

Key Hits 18 OCTOBER:


Nil.


...


International Humanitarian Assistance Movements as recorded by NATO


Total of Humanitarian Movements**: 2089 (air, maritime)


Ships delivering Humanitarian Assistance 18 OCTOBER: 0


Aircraft delivering Humanitarian Assistance 18 OCTOBER: 46


**Some humanitarian movements cover several days.


http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_10/20111019_111019-oup-update.pdf

Tuesday was the sixth consecutive day with no airstrikes at Sirte. The last airstrike there was a week ago (October 12), when 2 military vehicles were hit "in the vicinity of Sirte."

[pinboy3niner]

82. Libya forces relaunch Sirte assault after setback

Wed Oct 19, 2011 11:30am GMT

By Rania El Gamal and Tim Gaynor


SIRTE, Libya, Oct 19 - Libyan interim government fighters attempted to relaunch their offensive on the besieged town of Sirte on Wednesday after being pushed back by die-hard Muammar Gaddafi loyalists holed up in the deposed leader's hometown.

...


NTC forces were poised a few days ago to declare victory in Sirte, but on Tuesday they were being forced to retreat in some places under intense fire.

At the eastern end of Sirte's seafront on Tuesday a Reuters reporter saw the spot where an hour earlier mortars had landed in a cluster of NTC fighters. Thirteen were killed in the incident, witnesses said. Blood from one of the victims stained the steps of a nearby house.

In several places in the city, locations that a day earlier were firmly under the control of anti-Gaddafi fighters were too dangerous to access because of fire coming in from loyalists.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7LI4V520111019?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

83. NTC formally grants full recognition to Syrian National Council as 'legitimate ruler of Syria'

AJE Live Blog reports:

Libya's Transitional National Council (NTC) officially recognised the Syrian opposition council on Wednesday as the legitimate authority in Syria after months of unrest against President Bashar Al Assad.

"The NTC expresses its full recognition of the Syrian National Council as the legitimate ruler of Syria," Libya's new government said in a statement.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria-oct-19-2011-1411

[pinboy3niner]

86. Asylum claims increase in UK as refugees flee Libya war

Source: The Telegraph

Asylum claims to the UK increased by 12 per cent in the first half of this year, driven by a sharp rise in Libyans fleeing the conflict there.



The civil war in Libya is blamed for fuelling the increase in asylum
claims (Photo: FRANCISCO LEONG/AFP/Getty Images)


By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor
9:33AM BST 19 Oct 2011


More than 12,000 people sought refuge in the UK compared with less than 11,000 in the first six months of 2010.

One of the biggest jumps was in asylum claims from Libyans, which rose sharply from 100 for the whole of last year to 700 in just six months this year.

The civil war in the north African country, which has since seen the toppling of Colonel Gaddafi, is blamed for fuelling the increase.

...


However, despite the increases, the number of claims was still the third lowest for the UK since the UNHCR began recording them in 1999.

...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8834728/Asylum-claims-increase-in-UK-as-refugees-flee-Libya-war.html

[tabatha]

87. CNN shows map of wrong Tripoli

Bikya Masr Staff | 19 October 2011 | 0 Comments

In a rare display of negligence, CNN showed a map pinpointing Tripoli on Tuesday and the race to capture Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, who has alluded arrest since rebels took control of most of the country in September. However, CNN showed viewers the wrong location, highlighting Lebanon’s Tripoli and not the Libyan capital.

Viewers were quick to catch the error and online, the images of their television quickly went viral.

http://bikyamasr.com/46052/cnn-shows-map-of-wrong-tripoli/#!wp-prettyPhoto/0/

[pinboy3niner]

88. This happened in August

Bikya Masr is recirculating it as if it just happened, but it's old news:

tripoli_cnn_map_8.23.11

by Alex Alvarez | 12:09 pm, August 23rd, 2011



http://www.mediaite.com/tv/oops-cnn-shows-map-of-tripoli-lebanon/attachment/tripoli_cnn_map_8-23-11/

[tabatha]

89. Assad's security forces kill 10 year old boy in Kernaz

Gone are the days when the former Syrian dictator, Assad’s father, could massacre 40,000 civilians in Homs and cover it up.

Now, EVERY Syrian death is recorded and passed on to the international community, so the whole world can see the brutal nature of Assad’s bloody reign.

Assad's security forces kill 10 year old boy in Kernaz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIuDtnYgpDU

[pinboy3niner]

90. NTC urges other countries to follow its example by recognizing Syrian National Council

Matthew Weaver and Haroon Siddique post at The Guardian's Live Blog:


Libya's National Transitional Council has urged other countries to follow its example by recognising the new Syrian National Council as the legitimate government of Syria.

Guma el-Gamaty, UK Co-ordinator for the NTC said, compared the Assad regime to the ousted Gaddafi government in Libya.

Speaking to the Guardian he said:

The nature of the Syrian regime is very similar to the former Gaddafi regime. We feel that the Syrian people have been let down by the world and they need moral and political support.

We are a free country now and we don't recognise the Assad regime as a legitimate political entity. The Syrian National Council is much more representative of the Syrian people than the Assad regime.

We went through the same process. We got political recognition and political support from various countries, and that was crucial for taking away legitimacy from Gaddafi. We think the Syrians are entitled to the same.

...

On Tuesday a delegation from the new Syrian National Council, including its Paris-based leader Burhan Ghalioun, visited Tripoli and met NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil, Gamaty said.

He added:

Assad is definitely finished, morally and politically. It is just a matter of time. The more political support we give to the Syrian people, the sooner their misery and suffering is brought to an end.

We are not going to interfere in other countries internal affairs, but if (there) are issues, we are going to side with the people and their plight for freedom, justice and democracy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/oct/19/yemen-libya-middle-east-unrest-live-updates#block-13

[pinboy3niner]

91. Tunisia will rebel if vote is unfair - front-runner

Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:02pm GMT
By Christian Lowe and Tarek Amara


TUNIS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The people who took to the streets to oust Tunisia's president will rise up again if there is evidence of large-scale fraud in this weekend's election, the leader of the Islamist party which is the front-runner in the vote said on Wednesday.

Tunisia became the birth-place of the "Arab Spring" when protests forced out president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and now, ten months on, its path towards building a democracy is being watched closely across the Arab world.

"If there is flagrant falsification of the results we will join the forces of the revolution, that started this revolution, to protect the will of the people," Rachid Ghannouchi, head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, told a news conference.

"There is still a possibility that there could be falsification but so far the process has been reasonable," he said.

Sunday's election is the first to take place in any of the states swept up in the revolts this year which reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7LJ2G020111019?sp=true

[Iterate]

92. Webcasts at USIP: Libya in Transition

Webcasts at USIP
Libya in Transition: The Significance of U.N. Resolution 1973 and Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa

The efforts to establish justice, security, and the rule of law in Libya offers lessons for other Middle Eastern and North African countries seeking democratic rule. A panel of distinguished experts will discuss the establishment of democratic rule in Libya and the importance of the transition to democracy in the region.

The event will be webcast live beginning at 10:00am EDT on October 19, 2011. Online viewers can engage with panelists and each other through a Twitter discussion
(Hashtag: #Resolution1973).

http://www.usip.org/newsroom/webcasts

No promises, as I don't know all of the speakers, but it does look to be good or very good. It's already begun and will run all day.

ETA:
For our low bandwidth users, please listen to the audio only version of this event.
http://www.usip.org/events/webcasts/audio-only

Frankly, the visuals at this type of event are usually not compelling. Using the audio feed might allow more listeners.

Panel:
Speakers
Dean Pittman, panelist
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of International Organization Affairs

Laith Kubba, panelist
Senior Director, Middle East and North Africa
National Endowment for Democracy

Manal Omar, panelist
Director of Iraq, Iran, and North Africa Programs
United States Institute of Peace

Ted Piccone, panelist
Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Foreign Policy
The Brookings Institution

Colette Rausch, moderator
Director, Rule of Law Center
United States Institute of Peace

Dick Rowson, introduction
Board Member
United Nations Association-National Capital Area

[pinboy3niner]

93. Bizarre bulldozer battleship roars into Libya fight

Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:11pm GMT

By Tim Gaynor

SIRTE, Libya Oct 19 (Reuters) - Onto a battlefield littered with bizarre homemade weaponry, Libya's ruling militia fighters have rolled out their weirdest contraption yet: a concrete and steel behemoth that's a cross between a bulldozer and a battleship.

The towering monster, which appeared on Wednesday in Sirte to help capture Muammar Gaddafi's home town, has a battleship's pointed prow and portholes along its sides with steel covers that can be pulled down.

Clad in concrete sandwiched between steel plates, it is painted in the colours of the new national flag -- red, green and black. Writing on the bow declares "there is no God, but Allah, and Mohammad is his prophet".

Built onto a tracked bulldozer in then-rebel workshops in the city of Misrata, the new weapon is designed to smash through roadblocks and barricades.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL5E7LJ2O520111019?sp=true

[Akarion]

95. Oh god its alive

It has to be the same one, i saved these pictures back in august.

[pinboy3niner]

96. That's it, lol

Thanks for the pics and welcome to DU, Akarion. :hi:

[Akarion]

97. Thanks

I just found pictures of it in sirte




I have in all secretness been following your Libya threads for a month and i have to say im amazed by the good work you guys put down.

[al bupp]

99. Thanks for the pics

And welcome DU!

[tabatha]

100. This is serious stuff, but this contraption had me in stitches.

Especially the description:

"NTC fighters have deployed an arsenal of homemade weapons. Wednesday a bulldozer arrived at the front retrofitted with armor and resembling a small ship, with a pointed prow and port holes. On its front was mounted a tank turret and the sides were crafted from concrete sandwiched between steel plate.

A man wearing a black ship's captain's hat with gold braid sat atop the contraption as it maneuvered into place, plowing into a lamp-post in the process."

The ultimate anti-sniper vehicle.

The men planned to drive the beast down the street and smash their way into the center of Sirte. A Reuters news team was invited to come along for the ride, but declined the offer.

Commanding a posse of pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, the man in the sea captain's hat, postman Lutfi al-Amin, plans to follow.

"When it clears the way, we will follow," Amin said. Asked about his headgear, he said: "It's my lucky hat!"

[joshcryer]

112. You know they're revolutionaries when they find dark humor in their efforts.

Wonderful description, thanks.

[pinboy3niner]

94. UN Security Council to vote on Yemen violence

AFP – 7 mins ago


The UN Security Council will vote, possibly as early as this week, on a measure condemning the worsening violence in Yemen, a senior Western diplomat said Wednesday.

...


The 15 council members have no major objections to the draft, and the five veto-wielding permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- are in favor of it, the diplomat said.

"I wouldn't expect that there will be a major problem," the official said.

...


http://news.yahoo.com/un-security-council-vote-yemen-violence-161237946.html

[tabatha]

101. Comedy bizarre

Major Media Liars Never Quit
By Stephen Lendman - Posted on 19 October 2011

Whenever major media Libya reports appear, truth is distorted, manipulated and falsified. For seven months, despite daily terror bombing and ground attacks, courageous loyalists bested the ferocity of NATO and its rebel army.

As a result, they control most of Tripoli, Benghazi and other cities across the country. Fighting, however, still rages. Loyalists are holding their own. They're determined to liberate Libya, live free and rebuild.

----

"NTC military commanders....said they captured about 95 per cent of" the city. Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley is a notorious liar, saying:

"We are very much in the center of Bani Walid. (Rebels) came through here just over an hour ago and they are saying this is an almost complete liberation of the town."

http://warisacrime.org/content/major-media-liars-never-quit

[ellisonz]

102. US Considered Cyber Attack on Gaddafi Air Defences.

7 hours 16 min ago - Libya

The US weighed launching a cyber-attack to disrupt Libyan air defences before the start of an air campaign against Muammar Gaddafi's forces, officials said on Tuesday.

The assault would have hacked into the Gaddafi regime's computer networks to cut links between early-warning radar and surface-to-air missiles threatening NATO aircraft, two defense officials said, confirming an account first published by The New York Times.

"A broad range of operations were considered," a senior defence official told AFP news agency.

But a cyber offensive was eventually ruled out and at no point was the administration "close to pulling the trigger," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya

[ellisonz]

103. NTC recognizes Syrian National Council as legitimate gov. of Syria.

Tags Cyber attack, Muammar Gaddafi, NATO
8 hours 3 min ago - Syria

Libya's Transitional National Council (NTC) officially recognised the Syrian opposition council on Wednesday as the legitimate authority in Syria after months of unrest against President Bashar Al Assad.

"The NTC expresses its full recognition of the Syrian National Council as the legitimate ruler of Syria," Libya's new government said in a statement.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya

[tabatha]

104. Town Hall Meeting With Youth and Civil Society

Townhall
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Tripoli University
Tripoli, Libya
October 18, 2011
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much, President Krekshi and to all the deans and faculty and students of Tripoli University. Good afternoon. I am deeply honored to be here with you today. I appreciate greatly the president’s kind words about the support that our government provided. But the victory is yours, the future is yours, and it is a personal honor to be here in the heart of a liberated Tripoli, speaking to a brave generation of Libyans.

I know that more than 30 years ago students from this university came to this very spot to engage in historic protests, and their voices were crushed by the Qadhafi regime. But today, because of the courage of the Libyan people, we can be here together to have a conversation about what you hope for your futures and what partnership the United States can offer. So on behalf of all of the people of my country, I congratulate all of the people of the new Libya. Libya, (in Arabic.) It is wonderful to be here. (Applause.)

The last seven months have been historic, not only for Libyans, but indeed for the world, because you have faced your challenges and conducted your revolution with courage and commitment. You demanded the rights and the dignity of a free people, and you withstood the brutal assaults from those who were only wedded to the past. And now we have a new era. There will be new stories written about Libya in the history books.

But what will that story be? That, to me, is the question of the day. If you are committed to a new Libya, then how will you make your contributions? The structures of oppression have been torn down, but new structures are only being imagined now. So what – excuse me – (coughs) – I talk way too much. (Laughter.) What we all have to determine is how you turn to reconciliation and create an inclusive Libya that guarantees human rights and dignity, that delivers jobs and opportunities, that governs itself under respect for the rule of law.

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/10/175786.htm

[tabatha]

105. Libyan leaders grapple with growing discontent among wounded

(Here is some pro-NTC propaganda)

(Reuters) - Libya's interim leaders came under increasing scrutiny Wednesday from fighters who accuse them of not doing enough for combat-wounded troops dying of treatable injuries in the field and languishing in crowded hospitals.

The case of the war wounded -- estimated to number in the tens of thousands -- adds to a growing list of challenges for Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) as they try to restore order following the revolt that ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Outside al-Jalaa Hospital in the eastern city of Benghazi, dozens of men gathered at the third day of a protest against the NTC's handling of veterans led by 28-year old Hamsa Saad Mohammed, a fighter shot in the thigh who says he needs complicated medical treatment abroad.

"They are trading with our blood -- they have luxurious cars and houses while we suffer," he said from his wheelchair, draped in Libya's new flag and flanked by a half dozen wounded men and children protesting on hospital beds.

"We spent six hours without antibiotics upon arriving here. Volunteer students from the medical schools are helping and they're doing an amazing job... but what about the NTC?"

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/19/us-libya-wounded-idUSTRE79I6XW20111019

[ellisonz]

106. CNN: Libya's disappearing dinars and funding a revolution

Libya's disappearing dinars and funding a revolution
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 4:28 PM EST, Wed October 19, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya (CNN) -- When Libya's National Transitional Council set up shop in the capital, Tripoli, it found the cupboard was bare.

"We only had $13.5 million in the Central Bank of Libya," according to Ali Tarhouni, the oil and economy Minister and one of the first senior officials of the NTC to arrive in the capital.

Moammar Gadhafi was on the run, but an acute shortage of Libyan dinar -- the national currency -- threatened to stop the revolution in its tracks.

"I was willing to do anything to get the urgent needs to the Libyans," said Tarhouni last week. "We used parallel markets in the exchange of the money," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/world/africa/libya-finances/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[tabatha]

107. Gaddafi

20minuten reports that Jibril said in an interview in the journal Aschark al Ausat that Gaddafi is moving between Niger, Algeria and the Libyan desert and tries hire fighters from Sudan in order to build up a state in the south of Libya. Also a march towards north could be possible, according to Jibril, in order to destabilise the new government.

Hire fighters from Sudan and not Libya?

[ellisonz]

108. We can only hope he does.

:evilfrown:

[pinboy3niner]

109. LIBYAN REVOLUTION DAY 245: CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 2:01 AM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20

Libya time = EDT +6 hours, PDT +9 hours, UTC +1 hour, GMT +2 hours

[pinboy3niner]

111. In Tripoli, Libya's Interim Leader Says He Is Quitting

Source: TIME Magazine

By Vivienne Walt / Tripoli Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011


Two months after rebel fighters stormed into Tripoli and drove Muammar Gaddafi from power, the man effectively running the country in his role as temporary prime minister warned on Wednesday night that Libya could turn to chaos unless the war ended soon. Mahmoud Jibril, a U.S.-educated economist who helped persuade NATO members to launch their Libya campaign last March, also announced in an interview with TIME that he was quitting — potentially leaving Libya in a perilous state of limbo.


Jibril, who heads the executive board of the rebels' National Transitional Council, did not say exactly when he would resign, but hinted that it could be as soon as Thursday, when a televised meeting of his group would detail what it had accomplished since Gaddafi's ouster, he said. In a grim assessment of Libya's current state, Jibril suggested that as the war dragged on, he had found governing the country was increasingly difficult. "We have moved into a political struggle with no boundaries," Jibril said, looking glum, rather than a man rejoicing liberation. "The political struggle requires finances, organization, arms and ideologies," he said. "I am afraid I don't have any of this."

...


http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097333,00.html?xid=rss-world

[joshcryer]

113. Week 35 part 3 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2149526