Libya - civil unrest & now NATO involvement
- Thread starter ernestolynch
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butchersapron
Bring back hanging
And Chavez has said no officially - as the govt did last night when Dima talked directly to them.
Always a chance for anti-chavez stuff to be put around, associating him/regime with daffy as brother dictators.
Always a chance for anti-chavez stuff to be put around, associating him/regime with daffy as brother dictators.
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
Beat me to it. I'd be very dissapointed if Chavez gave the cunt house room.
Lots of chatter on twitter of military aircraft bombing the protesters. I'm REALLY hoping that is just someone getting muddled up, there was military jets and helicopters overhead earlier.
The London ambassador and the entire staff have resigned, as has the Justice minister in Libya. (Al Jazeera).
The London ambassador and the entire staff have resigned, as has the Justice minister in Libya. (Al Jazeera).
weltweit
Well-Known Member
I just heard this on BBC R4 .. but they are saying maybe ..
Dillinger4
Es gibt Zeit
BBC News just talked about some unconfirmed reports Gaddafi was on his way to Venezuela.
edit: quimmy got there first
edit: quimmy got there first
Dillinger4
Es gibt Zeit
Yeh just saw that on BBCnews.
He seems to be responding to a journalist asking him if Gaddafi is on his way to Venezuela. He says he doesn't know, although he has seen some evidence to suggest that he is on his way there.
audiotech
wav, aiff, mp3, ogg, flac
Divisive Cotton
Now I just have my toy soldiers
News breaking that the all Libyan representatives in the UN are asking for international intervention to stop "genocide" being committed against the Libyan people by their own government
classicdish
Well-Known Member
@elbows: re. eastern cities
Tobruk (pop. 300,000+): Furthest east of these four, the airport was successfully sabotaged on Thursday 17th preventing mercenaries and other re-enforcements landing. This is where footage of the "green books" statue being toppled was filmed on Thursday 17th. I can find no reports of any deaths. All the footage shows protesters with a free run of the street and no police, no army, no shooting.
Darnah (pop. 120,000 - region? (or 50,000 - city?)): The next along as you travel west. Reports of 'mercenaries' being lynched on Thurs 17th, 3 deaths (up to Friday 18th) (not sure if these were the alledged mercenaries?) and that the security HQ was burnt down on Friday. There is youtube footage of live ammunition being fired and of injured people. There are also reports from last Thursday of a Korean building site being invaded by protesters and today reports of 300 foreign workers being held 'hostage', however I can't find reports of ongoing clashes beyond Thursday/Friday.
Bayda (pop. 200,000 / old capital): Further west...Footage from Wed.16th showed large crowds gathered with no police or army opposing them, but by Thursday night there were 13 confirmed dead (inc. photos of bodies in hospital). On Friday some mercenary reenforcements arrived, but the runway was then blocked preventing more. After a 'fierce battle' 50 mercenaries were reported as having been executed, with 23 deaths of protesters up to Friday night and the first declaration of the city as 'free'. I have seen no further reports of deaths since then - just that the radio station has been occupied (Sat) and started broadcasting (today).
...so for these three cities it seems that the initial Thursday 'day of rage' saw the protesters take over streets, and see off some arriving mercenaries on Thurs/Friday.
Benghazi (pop. 1,100,000): further west still... a far larger city presenting a far more complex and dynamic picture: Protests starting as early as Tuesday 15th, On Thursday a march into the city with six people shot dead, prisoners released and a police HQ burnt down. That night saw another 34 killed, injured protesters being snatched from hospitals. Friday saw 20,000 gather outside the courthouse, armed protesters from other cities heading into Banghazi as well as Saddi Gadafi and his special forces and mercenaries (although the airport was eventually closed down), the regular army 'sitting on the fence', buildings being burnt and radio stations occupied - with an additional 25 dead by the end of Friday (c.60 total). Saturday saw a counter-attack by special forces and snipers on the courthouse crowds but then the protesters invaded the al-fadheel brigade barracks, and on Sunday the al-birka barracks, the al-sibyl brigade and militia at the Elfedeel Bu Omar compound - with these battles seeing another 250 deaths including from heavy weaponry.
All of these I have seen first of all reported at the time on twitter and subsequently confirmed elsewhere, however there had also been a lot of confusion and noise. What any one person means by 'the protesters have taken the city' is vague - they might simply mean that they hold most of the streets and Gadafi-loyal units are besieged in their bases but still holding out or they might mean they fighting is completely over (or that there never was much in the first place). They might think they have taken a city but then face a counter-attack by special forces / presidential guard soldiers, by plain clothes security firing from unmarked cars or by machete wielding mercenaries and/or hired thugs.
Tobruk (pop. 300,000+): Furthest east of these four, the airport was successfully sabotaged on Thursday 17th preventing mercenaries and other re-enforcements landing. This is where footage of the "green books" statue being toppled was filmed on Thursday 17th. I can find no reports of any deaths. All the footage shows protesters with a free run of the street and no police, no army, no shooting.
Darnah (pop. 120,000 - region? (or 50,000 - city?)): The next along as you travel west. Reports of 'mercenaries' being lynched on Thurs 17th, 3 deaths (up to Friday 18th) (not sure if these were the alledged mercenaries?) and that the security HQ was burnt down on Friday. There is youtube footage of live ammunition being fired and of injured people. There are also reports from last Thursday of a Korean building site being invaded by protesters and today reports of 300 foreign workers being held 'hostage', however I can't find reports of ongoing clashes beyond Thursday/Friday.
Bayda (pop. 200,000 / old capital): Further west...Footage from Wed.16th showed large crowds gathered with no police or army opposing them, but by Thursday night there were 13 confirmed dead (inc. photos of bodies in hospital). On Friday some mercenary reenforcements arrived, but the runway was then blocked preventing more. After a 'fierce battle' 50 mercenaries were reported as having been executed, with 23 deaths of protesters up to Friday night and the first declaration of the city as 'free'. I have seen no further reports of deaths since then - just that the radio station has been occupied (Sat) and started broadcasting (today).
...so for these three cities it seems that the initial Thursday 'day of rage' saw the protesters take over streets, and see off some arriving mercenaries on Thurs/Friday.
Benghazi (pop. 1,100,000): further west still... a far larger city presenting a far more complex and dynamic picture: Protests starting as early as Tuesday 15th, On Thursday a march into the city with six people shot dead, prisoners released and a police HQ burnt down. That night saw another 34 killed, injured protesters being snatched from hospitals. Friday saw 20,000 gather outside the courthouse, armed protesters from other cities heading into Banghazi as well as Saddi Gadafi and his special forces and mercenaries (although the airport was eventually closed down), the regular army 'sitting on the fence', buildings being burnt and radio stations occupied - with an additional 25 dead by the end of Friday (c.60 total). Saturday saw a counter-attack by special forces and snipers on the courthouse crowds but then the protesters invaded the al-fadheel brigade barracks, and on Sunday the al-birka barracks, the al-sibyl brigade and militia at the Elfedeel Bu Omar compound - with these battles seeing another 250 deaths including from heavy weaponry.
All of these I have seen first of all reported at the time on twitter and subsequently confirmed elsewhere, however there had also been a lot of confusion and noise. What any one person means by 'the protesters have taken the city' is vague - they might simply mean that they hold most of the streets and Gadafi-loyal units are besieged in their bases but still holding out or they might mean they fighting is completely over (or that there never was much in the first place). They might think they have taken a city but then face a counter-attack by special forces / presidential guard soldiers, by plain clothes security firing from unmarked cars or by machete wielding mercenaries and/or hired thugs.
Divisive Cotton
Now I just have my toy soldiers
yeah he won't be going to Venezuela. No country in the world will accept him. Like a rat in the corner he's now going to lash out
likesfish
You can't park here sir
hopefully Gaddafi's doesn't get out less than hundred deaths can be put down to normal policing mistakes etc but he went for broke 
can't see he's got anywhere to run even the Saudi's might blanch as having him as a house guest.
South armarghs a possiblity I suppouse probably cruelier than firiing squad
can't see he's got anywhere to run even the Saudi's might blanch as having him as a house guest.
South armarghs a possiblity I suppouse probably cruelier than firiing squad
Divisive Cotton
Now I just have my toy soldiers
i would imagine that they had orders to bomb civilian targets and decided no fuck this
classicdish
Well-Known Member
Or orders to attack army units that were either neutral or siding with protesters.
edit: have seen earlier reports that abandoned/over-run army bases were being bombed so that protesters couldn't use the weapons and equipment left behind (fairly standard military procedure).
Divisive Cotton
Now I just have my toy soldiers
TheHoodedClaw
acknowledging ur soup leg
I know it's the fog of war etc etc, but if even half of what is being reported is true, then Jesus. Fucking. Christ.
Divisive Cotton
Now I just have my toy soldiers
They are totalling going for broke aren't they. They have no intention of offering concessions and have no intention of fleeing (not least because nobody wants them)
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
If what we're getting is true they're not close to pulling out their full range. (If they' even have the power to use them). This could get much much worse yet. They psychological thing of pulling out all stops, not been reached yet IMO. NO matter how horrible this is.
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