Libya’s rebels under fire
And more news from the Arab uprisings:
Developments
Fighting in town southwest of Tripoli, 9 killed
Fierce fighting erupted in the town of Yafran southwest of Tripoli on Tuesday between Moamer Kadhafi’s forces and Libyan rebels controlling the area, residents reached by telephone said.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/fighting-in-town-southwest-of-tripoli-9-killed-2011-03-22-1.371637
Misrata resident says snipers fire on hospital
BEIRUT, March 23 (Reuters) – Snipers are firing at the clinic in Libya’s rebel-held Misrata where people wounded in fighting over the city are being treated, and three people have been killed, a resident told Reuters by telephone.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/misrata-resident-says-snipers-fire-on-hospital
Gaddafi forces shell rebel town of Zintan:resident
ALGIERS, March 23 (Reuters) – Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have resumed their bombardment of the rebel-held town of Zintan, about 90 km (55 miles) south-west of the capital, a resident said. “Gaddafi’s brigades started bombardment from the northern area half an hour ago. The bombardment is taking place now. The town is completely surrounded. The situation is very bad,” the resident, Abdulrahman, told Reuters by telephone from the town. “They are getting reinforcements. Troops backed with tanks and vehicles are coming. We appeal to the allied forces to come and protect civilians,” he said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafi-forces-shell-rebel-town-of-zintanresident
Libya Forces Intensify Shelling Of Rebels In East; Gaddafi Speaks
AJDABIYA, Libya — International airstrikes forced Moammar Gadhafi’s forces to withdraw tanks that were besieging a rebel-held western city Wednesday, residents said, while people fleeing a strategic city in the east said the situation was deteriorating amid relentless shelling. Western diplomats, meanwhile, said an agreement was emerging about NATO would take responsibility for a no-fly zone over Libya after the United States which has effectively commanded the operation until now – reiterated that it was committed to the transition.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/23/libya-forces-intensify-attacks_n_839415.html
Video: Children Massacred in Misrata (Warning: Very Graphic)
While Gaddafi throws a fit to the international community about the enforcement of the No-Fly-Zone, he continues to kill whoever he can in a desperate attempt to show that he has power.
http://feb17.info/media/video-children-massacred-in-misrata-warning-very-graphic/
Attack on Libya’s Zintan kills at least 10-resident
ALGIERS, March 22 (Reuters) – Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi killed at least 10 people in their bombardment of the western town of Zintan on Tuesday, a resident told Reuters by telephone. “Gaddafi’s forces bombarded Zintan this morning and killed 10 to 15 people,” said the resident, called Abdulrahman. “After the bombardment they retreated from the eastern area of Zintan. I think they want to reorganise themselves.” “But they have not withdrawn from the northern area. There is still a huge number of soldiers there, backed with 50 to 60 tanks and several vehicles. The situation here is bad.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/attack-on-libyas-zintan-kills-at-least-10-resident
U.S.: Libya forces attack civilians in third largest city of Misrata
U.S. Navy Adm. Locklear says the allies are considering all options in light of the attacks; U.S. F-15E crashed in Libya overnight and its two crew members were rescued.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-libya-forces-attack-civilians-in-third-largest-city-of-misrata-1.351159?localLinksEnabled=false
Moammar Kadafi’s forces continue attacks on rebels in Libya
The military assaults suggest that the Libyan leader wants to stamp out what remains of the popular rebellion and underscore questions about whether the U.S.-led air campaign is succeeding. Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi carried out attacks on several rebel-held areas and deployed an elite military brigade to help bolster defenses, U.S. officials said, despite sharply stepped-up coalition airstrikes against his regime.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/8z0IuYHtM5c/la-fg-us-libya-20110323,0,7743643.story
Libya’s rebels struggle to retake territory, despite UN help
A key test of whether Libya’s rebels will be able to make headway is Ajdabiya, a hotbed of anti-Qaddafi sentiment. So far, it’s not looking promising for the rebels.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/MBGiWA87WJ0/Libya-s-rebels-struggle-to-retake-territory-despite-UN-help
Rebel leaders press U.N. envoy for Libya ceasefire
RABAT, March 22 (Reuters) – Libyan rebel leaders met a United Nations special envoy in the eastern town of Tobruk on Tuesday and demanded that Muammar Gaddafi’s forces to lift a siege of several towns and implement a ceasefire.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/rebel-leaders-press-un-envoy-for-libya-ceasefire
Al-Jazeera Video: Front line stalls outside Ajdabiya
Four days into an international military operation that has crippled Muammar Gaddafi’s air force and air defence and forced the retreat of his ground troops in the east, rebels still can’t seem to break through to Ajdabiya. Al Jazeera’s James Bays filed this report nine kilometres outside the town, where the AJE team had earlier come under missile fire from Gaddafi’s forces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKoI6D_kRvc&feature=player_embedded
Leader of a Gaddafi brigade killed in Libya-Jazeera
TRIPOLI, March 22 (Reuters) – One of the heads of a Gaddafi brigade near Tripoli has been killed, Al Jazeera television reported on Tuesday. The broadcaster gave the commander’s name as Hussein El Warfali.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/hussein-el-warfali-one-of-the-heads-of-the-gaddafi-battalions
Live Caller: Doctor in Misrata says captured mercenaries today (English)
March 22, 2011: A live caller from Misrata describes the dire situation in the city, and talks about captured mercenaries.
http://feb17.info/media/live-caller-doctor-in-misrata-says-captured-mercenaries-today-english/
Libya rebels name interim head of government – TV
CAIRO, March 23 (Reuters) – Libya’s rebel national council based in the country’s east has named Mahmoud Jabril to head an interim government and pick ministers, Al Jazeera television reported on Wednesday. Jabril, a reformer who was once involved in a project to establish a democractic state in Libya, is already the head of a crisis committee to cover military and foreign affairs.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libya-rebels-name-interim-head-of-government-tv
Libyan council forms government
The Benghazi-based National Transitional Council has taken the step of declaring a government, to be headed by former foreign envoy Mahmoud Jibril. Nisan Gouriani, spokesman for the council, speaks to Al Jazeera’s James Bays about the political development.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ5MfHkccRU&feature=youtube_gdata
Libyan rebel council vows democracy, to keep oil deals
PARIS, March 23 (Reuters) – Libya’s rebel national council wants to establish a secular democracy that would respect oil contracts awarded under Muammar Gaddafi if it toppled the Libyan leader, members of the council said in Paris. Ali Zeidan, one of 31 members of the Libyan National Council, told reporters the rebels could overcome Gaddafi’s forces in ten days if the coalition of Western powers continued its U.N.-mandated strikes.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-rebel-council-vows-democracy-to-keep-oil-deals
Gadhafi defiant as Libya bleeds
TRIPOLI: Moammar Gadhafi’s forces attacked two west Libyan towns Tuesday, killing dozens, while rebels were pinned down in the east and NATO tried to resolve a dispute over who should lead the Western air campaign.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126357
Gadhafi: Foreign ‘fascist’ forces will end up in history’s dustbin
Beleaguered Libya leader’s speech comes as U.S.’s Clinton estimates Gadhafi may be considering exile in wake of foreign strikes.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/gadhafi-foreign-fascist-forces-will-end-up-in-history-s-dustbin-1.351252?localLinksEnabled=false
INTERVIEW-West helping rebels’ cause – Libyan minister
TRIPOLI, March 22 (Reuters) – Western forces are more interested in helping rebels advance than protecting civilians and they have made it clear they intend to assassinate Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday. “That’s the problem now we are seeing, the coalition forces they are part of the war against the legitimate government,” Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told Reuters in an interview, adding that coalition forces were even striking soldiers in their barracks.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/western-forces-are-more-interested-in-helping-rebels-than-protec
Libyan officials decry air strikes as immoral and undemocratic
On a tour of a missile storage area that was still smoldering, Libyan officials cast the UN-sanctioned air strikes as contrary to Western values and inconsistent with the stated aim of protecting civilians.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/Hr8T-T1HQ38/Libyan-officials-decry-air-strikes-as-immoral-and-undemocratic
A talk with Libyan Deputy FM Khalid Kaim
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Libyan Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Khalid Kaim spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat via telephone from Tripoli about the latest developments on the ground in Libya after UN Security.
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=24605
Fate of Libyan-American Student and Rebel Fighter Muhannad Bensadik Unknown After Shooting in Libya
Muhannad Bensadik is a 21-year-old Libyan-American medical student who has joined the armed struggle against Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. He was reportedly shot during fighting near Brega earlier this month, but it’s unclear if he is dead or missing. We air an interview conducted by Democracy Now!’s Anjali Kamat with Bensadik just two days before he disappeared. We’re also joined by Bensadik’s mother, Suzi Elarabi. She recently learned that her son may not have died in the shooting as previously believed.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/23/fate_of_libyan_american_student_and
International Intervention
Shooting at Libyan civilians who attempted to greet US “rescuers”
“Six Libyan villagers are recovering in hospital after being shot by American soldiers coming in to rescue the U.S. pilots whose plane crash-landed in a field. The helicopter strafed the ground as it landed in a field outside Benghazi beside the downed U.S. Air Force F-15E Eagle which ran into trouble during bombing raid last night. And a handful of locals who had come to greet the pilots were hit – among them a young boy who may have to have a leg amputated because of injuries caused by a bullet wound.” Now, look at the typical convoluted explanation that the New York Times gives: ”Channel 4 News in Britain reported that six villagers were shot by American troops in rescuing one of the two airmen. None of the villagers — who were interviewed by a reporter in a nearby hospital — were killed, although a small boy may need to have a leg amputated.” And has there ever been a case in which civilians are killed by US troops and in which the US military does not engage in clear obfuscations, fabrications, cover-ups, and ridiculous rationalizations? Just one case?
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/shooting-at-libyan-civilians-who.html
Gaddafi’s air force ‘defeated’
The commander of British aircraft operating over Libya says that Colonel Gaddafi’s air force “no longer exists as a fighting force”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12837330
Air strikes hit Gaddafi air base:Misrata resident
ALGIERS, March 23 (Reuters) – Western air strikes early on Wednesday hit an air base south of Libya’s rebel-held Misrata where government forces are positioned, but snipers shot two people dead in the centre of the city, a resident said. “This morning, air strikes twice hit the airbase where Gaddafi’s brigades are based,” the resident, called Sami, told Reuters by telephone from Misrata. “Two people were killed by snipers an hour ago in the centre of the town. Their bodies are now at the hospital, which I visited a while ago. Shooting is still going on there (in the city centre) now,” he said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/air-strikes-hit-gaddafi-air-basemisrata-resident
Western jets attack Gaddafi warplane – Al Jazeera
CAIRO, March 22 (Reuters) – Western warplanes attacked a military aircraft belonging to Muammar Gaddafi’s armed forces that was flying towards the rebel-held city of Benghazi on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported, quoting its correspondent.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/western-jets-attack-gaddafi-warplane-al-jazeera
Gaddafi’s air force significantly damaged- admiral
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s air force is now unlikely to have a negative impact on U.N. backed operations after it was hit hard enough by allied military strikes, U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear told reporters on Tuesday. Locklear said air forces from the Gulf state of Qatar would be “up and flying” by the weekend as part of efforts to police the no-fly zone.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/weakened-gaddafi-air-force-will-not-have-negative-impact-on-west
Gaddafi not complying with UN resolution -admiral
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his forces have not complied with a Security Council resolution demanding an end to attacks on civilians, despite the imposition of a U.N.-backed no-fly zone by coalition forces, a U.S. military official said on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-military-official-says-gaddafi-and-forces-not-yet-in-complian
Turkish navy to help enforce Libya embargo
Ankara offers ships and submarine to help enforce arms embargo on Libya as talks over NATO’s role in Libya continue.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/03/2011323142534477747.html
UK says can’t put time frame on Libya operation
LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday he could not say how long Britain would be involved in enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya. “We regard ourselves as in the early stages of it,” Hague said, speaking at a conference on Africa organised by the Times newspaper. “I don’t think you can put a deadline or a time objective to that.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/uk-says-cant-put-time-frame-on-libya-operation
Obama: Gaddafi a threat to Libyans if he stays
SAN SALVADOR, March 22 (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the Libyan people face potential threats from Muammar Gaddafi if he remains in power. Unless Gaddafi is willing to step down, “there are still going to be potential threats toward the Libyan people,” Obama told a news conference with El Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes. U.S. officials have emphasized that removing Gaddafi is not the objective of military intervention in Libya. But they have said the United States would like to see an end to his 41-year rule.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/obama-gaddafi-a-threat-to-libyans-if-he-stays
Clinton On Libya: Gaddafi Is ‘Game Playing’ But Could Be Looking For Exit Strategy
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, said that Gaddafi was engaged in “theater” and “game playing,” but that he might be looking for an exit strategy. After claiming that allies have allegedly been reaching out on Gaddafi’s behalf, Clinton acknowledged that a lot of the Libyan leader’s actions were “theater.” However, she then added that “some of it, we think, is exploring. You know, what are my options, where could I go, what could I do. And we would encourage that.” The U.S., which is currently cooperating with an international coalition on Operation Odyssey Dawn, has said repeatedly that Gaddafi must leave power in Libya. However, Clinton refused to speculate on the outcome of the military operation, declining to say that she was confident the strongman would be removed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/clinton-libya-gaddafi-exit-strategy_n_839298.html
U.S. sees more Arab participation on Libya in days
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – The United States expects more Arab nations in the next several days to contribute to the no-fly zone being imposed over Libya, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Tuesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the United States was confident that it could find a way to use NATO military capabilities while bringing in countries from outside the Western security alliance.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-sees-more-arab-participation-on-libya-in-days
Kuwait and Jordan to contribute to Libya effort
LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) – Kuwait and Jordan are to make logistical contributions to back efforts to protect civilians in Libya, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday, emphasising broad support for operations. He also said a no-fly zone was in place over Libya, and 11 nations were contributing over 150 aircraft. “I think as we discussed on Monday there has been an early and good effect in terms of regime forces having to retreat from Benghazi, but clearly there is great concern about what the regime is doing in Misrata,” he told parliament. “We will be getting logistic contributions from countries like Kuwait and also Jordan,” he added.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/kuwait-and-jordan-to-contribute-to-libya-effort
U.S., allies agree on key NATO role in Libya campaign
Allies have stopped short of explicitly endorsing NATO political leadership of the mission, which they fear could be a hard sell for NATO member Turkey and undercut shaky Arab support.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/u-s-allies-agree-on-key-nato-role-in-libya-campaign-1.351190?localLinksEnabled=false
Medvedev slams Putin’s ‘inexcusable’ Libya ‘crusade’ comments
The sharp exchange of words on Monday reveals what some Russia experts say is a growing rift between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/bmnyIezqJpU/Medvedev-slams-Putin-s-inexcusable-Libya-crusade-comments
Splits widen among Western leaders over way forward in Libya
As the US moves to transfer command of Libya operations to Western allies, Europe is grappling with who should take the lead to enforce UN Resolution 1973.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/QqPdZHb8RPM/Splits-widen-among-Western-leaders-over-way-forward-in-Libya
Most French back Libya military action – poll
PARIS, March 22 (Reuters) – A majority of French support the Western military action in Libya, according to the first poll carried out in France since operations started against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on Saturday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/most-french-back-libya-military-action-poll
U.S. Treasury aims to crimp Libya oil revenues
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday banned Americans from doing business with 14 companies that it said were owned by Libya’s National Oil Corporation and might be raising revenues for Libya. The action by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control was aimed at blocking National Oil Corporation from being a source of funding for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-treasury-aims-to-crimp-libya-oil-revenues
Anti-Intervention
Kucinich pushes to block funds for Libya intervention
WASHINGTON – Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) on Tuesday announced that he will offer a measure to deny funds to the Obama administration for military attacks against Libya aimed at protecting civilians and ousting tyrant Muammar Gaddafi. “I intend to offer an amendment to the forthcoming Continuing Resolution or Omnibus Appropriations bill that would prohibit funding for U.S. involvement in military operations in Libya,” Kucinich wrote in a letter to colleagues. “I urge you to support this amendment.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/22/kucinich-pushes-to-block-funds-for-libya-intervention/
Humanitarian Crisis
Libyans lack access to food, health care
Most of the country remains off limits to aid workers, who say they have sketchy information about the humanitarian situation.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyans-lack-access-to-food-health-care-aid-agencies
Refugees report thousands displaced in eastern Libya: UNHCR
GENEVA: The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that that thousands of Libyans have fled their homes in the east of the country, according to witnesses crossing the border into Egypt. “UNHCR staff at Egypt’s border with Libya have been hearing from new arrivals that thousands of Libyans are displaced in the east of the country, taking refuge in homes, schools and university halls.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126335
Thousands of African migrants stranded in southern Libya
Deterioration in security and limited number of aid groups in Libya makes it difficult to provide relief to these migrants – UNHCR
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/thousands-of-african-migrants-stranded-in-southern-libya
Media & Oppression/Suppression
Uncertainty and Cruelty Followed Times Journalists Held in Libya, ANTHONY SHADID, LYNSEY ADDARIO, STEPHEN FARRELL and TYLER HICKS
Four Times journalists described their treatment at the hands of government troops before their release.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=4eed289c89f721e716e19a73ae3af0e8
Al Jazeera’s James Bays comes too close to fighting in Ajdabiya
Our Libya correspondent has to cut his report short when an explosion occurrs 400m away from where he was stationed, just outside the city of Ajdabiya, where fighting has been raging. “We have to get out of here. We are too close. We have to go,” he said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz12JbYEMsk&feature=youtube_gdata
Missing journalists ordered freed in Libya -Getty
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has ordered the release of three journalists missing in Libya, including two working with Agence France-Presse and a Getty Images photographer, Getty said on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/missing-journalists-ordered-freed-in-libya–getty
Other News
Libyan oil seen out for year even without sabotage
* No oil from Libya for up to 18 months – funds, analysts
* Damage from air strikes, looting, sabotage feared
* May take years to rebuild industry
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-oil-seen-out-for-year-even-without-sabotage
Analysis/Op-ed
Libya fighting rages as international division grows
Western-led air strikes on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces continue for a fourth consecutive night. Despite this, Gaddafi’s forces have continued to bombard the towns of Misurata, Ajdabiya and Zintan, as well as the rebel held stronghold of Benghazi. Al Jazeera’s Hazem Sika reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSOAC5tdhFs&feature=youtube_gdata
East Libyans lurch from fear to joy as West acts
BENGHAZI, Libya, March 22 (Reuters) – Rescued by Western air strikes from what rebels predicted would be a bloodbath at the hands of Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, the people of east Libya have swung between despair and jubilation within the past few days. Sheer desperation when Gaddafi’s forces stormed the strategic rebel town of Ajdabiyah and advanced towards their headquarters in Benghazi gave way to unbridled joy when the United Nations decided to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/east-libyans-lurch-from-fear-to-joy-as-west-acts
Libyan rebels content to wait
An uneasy stalemate settles in eastern Libya as rebel units hold back until troops loyal to Moammar Kadafi run out of supplies or allied airstrikes destroy their weapons advantage. On Libya’s eastern front, as allied warplanes circled Tuesday, the word on the lips of several rebel fighters near the government-held city of Ajdabiya was sabor , or “patience” in Arabic.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/yGGLBvjZEP4/la-fg-libya-stalemate-20110323,0,6764132.story
Some find their voice in Libya capital
Since the start of the Western-led bombing campaign against Libya’s armed forces, government’ opponents in Tripoli have been emboldened. He woke up in a fright as the air raids and antiaircraft guns opened up over Tripoli. But when Abdul-Momen climbed to his rooftop to watch the tracer fire streaking the sky, it was not fear that filled his heart. It was hope.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/I-Dh10C5yqU/la-fg-libya-kadafi-20110323,0,3910385.story
In Tripoli, Airstrikes and a Change of Atmosphere
During an organized stroll through the old city with government minders Tuesday, residents approached foreign journalists to offer their disdain or impatience with the Qaddafi government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23tripoli.html
Gaddafi’s brutality has united Libya
My colleagues and I defected from the Libyan mission to the UN to draw attention to Gaddafi’s attacks on unarmed protesters
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/22/gaddafi-brutality-libya-libyan-mission
US fighter pilot talks to Al Jazeera
As objections mount against the bombing of Libyan sites, allegations of “mission creep” in the operation are rising. Former US fighter jet pilot Jay Stout tells Al Jazeera that the military involvement in Libya has reached beyond what is usually expected in enforcing a no-fly zone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpk4b9FZV7o&feature=youtube_gdata
Who’s rethinking support for Libya’s no-fly zone – and why
After a few days of Western airstrikes on Libya, initial international support is beginning to fall apart as disputes arise about what levels of military action are authorized by Thursday’s UN resolution.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/j-PDLqbzKaw/Who-s-rethinking-support-for-Libya-s-no-fly-zone-and-why
Libya campaign lacks a leader
After days of joint airstrikes, no one has stepped up to take command of the coalition trying to rein in Libyan dictator Moammar Kadafi. Depending on whom you ask, the warplanes sent to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya are there to carry out Operation Odyssey Dawn, Operation Ellamy or Operation Harmattan.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/nBINB7wWJM0/la-fg-libya-command-20110323,0,2304206.story
Riz Khan – Endgame in Libya
As European and US military jets continue their operations against Gaddafi’s forces, will it bring peace to the country?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KT0l6f3k20&feature=youtube_gdata
Anonymous press release 22.3 011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb_r07IWW1o
Jeffrey Feltman and Qadhdhafi’s henchman, Musa Kusa
“FM-equivalent Musa Kusa assured visiting Acting A/S Feltman July 27 that the Government of Libya was prepared to launch a bilateral Human Rights Dialogue; would sign the HEU-LEU agreement in time to meet the September deadline to transfer its nuclear spent fuel; was ready to move forward on security cooperation, including signing the end-use monitoring agreement; was prepared to take a second look at some kind of participation in the Trans Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP); and was discussing a plan to expedite the visa approval process for U.S. officials, business travelers, and technical experts. On signing a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), Kusa did not give a clear answer but stated that strategic dialogue was possible in the international sphere. Kusa confirmed that the GOL was planning to host a one-day AU Summit meeting in Tripoli August 31 to discuss crisis spots in Africa. Kusa also noted that counterterrorism and Darfur would be on the Leader’s agenda for any possible meeting with POTUS on the margins of the upcoming UN General Assembly. Feltman asserted that any potential meeting would be enhanced by Libyan agreement to the several issues raised and that the Libyan side would be well-advised to make efforts to temper Qadhafi’s rhetoric while in New York to the extent possible.“
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/jeffrey-feltman-and-qadhdhafis-henchman.html
John McCain Was In Favor Of Supplying Military Aid To Gaddafi Before He Was For Supplying Military Aid To The Forces Looking To Topple Gaddafi
During his 2010 reelection campaign, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) frequently made great sport of his rival, J.D. Hayworth, for Hayworth’s tendency to misstate basic facts about American military history. But now, McCain is in full-on “we are all Benghazians” mode, and on this morning’s edition of CBS’s “The Early Show,” McCain made a big deal about how Muammar Gaddafi has “American blood on his hands.” But over at Salon’s War Room, Justin Elliott finds that there’s ample opportunity for Hayworth to claw back a little bit of his lost pride.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/john-mccain-was-in-favor-_n_839249.html
In Libyan school: Reading, writing and Kadafi
At a middle school in Tripoli, Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi’s portraits adorn all the walls and students and teachers sing his praises. His Green Book, part of the curriculum, is taught by a specially designated instructor. Col. Moammar Kadafi’s portraits hang from the walls of the middle school. All of the walls.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/TQ0QRF15Quo/la-fg-libya-school-20110323,0,4481845.story
The difference with Libya, Brian Whitaker
Unlike Bahrain or Yemen, the scale and nature of the Gaddafi regime’s actions have impelled the UN’s ‘responsibility to protect’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/23/libya-bahrain-yemen-un-responsibility-protect
As’ad AbuKhalil Professor of political science, California State University, Stanislaus
Western governments, or “the West”, never intervene in the Middle East without invoking the loftiest of ideals. Western armies, since the days of Napoleon, descend on the region uninvited, promising reforms and change that are never consistent with people’s aspirations and desires. And the promises never materialise.
http://www.economist.com/debate/days/view/673
Debating Intervention: Is U.S.-Led Military Action the Best Solution to Libya Crisis?
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi continue to advance on rebel-held towns amidst ongoing U.S.-led air strikes. Gaddafi’s deadly crackdown on the Libyan uprising has sparked debate on longstanding questions around international intervention. We host a debate between Libyan poet, scholar and University of Michigan professor Khaled Mattawa, who supports U.S.-led intervention, and UCLA law professor Asla Bali, who says the U.S.-led coalition has ignored viable alternatives to military attacks.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/23/debating_intervention_is_us_led_military
Gaddafi, moral interventionism and revolution, Richard Falk
Intervening in Libya now will set a poor precedent on when the use of force is justified.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/2011322135442593945.html#
The Mustafa `Abd Al-Jalil council
“The behavior of the fledgling rebel government in Benghazi so far offers few clues to the rebels’ true nature. Their governing council is composed of secular-minded professionals — lawyers, academics, businesspeople — who talk about democracy, transparency, human rights and the rule of law. But their commitment to those principles is just now being tested as they confront the specter of potential Qaddafi spies in their midst, either with rough tribal justice or a more measured legal process.Like the Qaddafi government, the operation around the rebel council is rife with family ties. And like the chiefs of the Libyan state news media, the rebels feel no loyalty to the truth in shaping their propaganda, claiming nonexistent battlefield victories, asserting they were still fighting in a key city days after it fell to Qaddafi forces, and making vastly inflated claims of his barbaric behavior.” I should only add that the `Abd Al-Jalil marginalized the lawyers and professionals and secularists.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/mustafa-abd-al-jalil-council.html
Here we go again, Rory Stewart on the Libyan intervention
Until yesterday, I thought we were at the end of the age of intervention. The complacency that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union had been shattered by the Balkan wars; despair was followed by the successful interventions in Bosnia and then Kosovo; then triumphal pride led us to disaster in Iraq and Afghanistan. Midway through the period, in 2000, it seemed we could intervene anywhere. By 2010, it felt as though we would not venture abroad again. What had begun with the irresistible victory of democracy, the free market and the United States, ended with occupation, financial crisis and American impotence.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/2011/03/18/rory-stewart/here-we-go-again
Though the risks are very real, the case for intervention remains strong | Jonathan Freedland
Not to respond to Gaddafi’s chilling threats would leave us morally culpable, but action in Libya is fraught with danger. Newton’s law applies to geopolitics as much as it does to physics: every action causes an equal and opposite reaction. So the failure of the US military intervention in Somalia in 1993 haunted the Clinton administration, making it recoil from action to halt the Rwanda genocide in 1994. Guilt over that inaction prompted Bill Clinton to commit troops to halt Slobodan Milosevic in Kosovo five years later. The lessons Tony Blair drew from that conflict led him, in turn, to pursue the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Which brings us to Libya, and to today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/22/case-for-intervention-still-strong
Vilifying Gaddafi externalises evil | Richard Seymour
The demonology used by the media to describe dictators is just part of a bid to monopolise the moral ground. The air strikes on Libya are, under the terms of the UN resolution, supposedly intended to protect civilians and result in a negotiated settlement between Colonel Gaddafi and the rebels. This has resulted in some controversy, as air strikes devastated Gaddafi’s compound – Bab El-Azizia, the presidential palace abutting military barracks in Tripoli. The defence secretary Liam Fox has insisted, against British army opposition, that Gaddafi would be a legitimate target of air strikes. Assassination, whatever else may be said about it, would leave Gaddafi unavailable for negotiations. But a “compound” – what could be wrong with bombing such a facility?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/22/gaddafi-demonology-media
Intervention in Libya: Human Rights War or Resource Grab?
The recent attack on Libya by the US, UK and France surprised nearly everyone with the speed with which it was authorized and executed. Although hard data on what’s actually going on is scarce, what is clear is that after non-violent protests in Tripoli were met with the murder of a large number of protesters, an armed rebellion began which includes some members of the Libyan armed forces, who are primarily located in the eastern part of the country. The Libyan army and air force responded fiercely, and within the last week, began to rout the rebels in town after town, finally approaching the city of Benghazi, which as of this writing, is still in rebel hands.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/03/libyan-intervention-human-rights-war-or-resource-grab/
Jon Stewart on Libya
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/3/23/jon-stewart-on-libya.html
Bahrain
Bahrainis mourn woman killed at checkpoint
Mourners have gathered in Bahrain for the funeral of Bahiya Aradi, a woman who was shot and killed as she approached a military checkpoint last week. The police and army moved in to end weeks of protests in the kingdom, which were inspired by a wave of uprisings across the Arab world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCI42D7Oqys&feature=youtube_gdata
U.N. rights office calls on Bahrain to uphold law
GENEVA, March 22 (Reuters) – Activists and medical staff have been arrested or harassed in Bahrain, where up to 100 people have been reported missing since a crackdown last week, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/un-rights-office-calls-on-bahrain-to-uphold-law
U.S. issues new warning against travel to Bahrain
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – The United States is urging Americans to avoid Bahrain because of the threat of violent political demonstrations. “We urge U.S. citizens to defer travel to Bahrain at this time. U.S. citizens currently in Bahrain should consider departing,” the U.S. State Department said in a travel warning issued on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-issues-new-warning-against-travel-to-bahrain
Bahrain Punishes Lebanon
A confidential Bahraini source sent me this: ”Please note that Bahrain goverment stopped Lebanese from entry to Bahrain, suspended gulf air flights and restricted direct phone calls to lebanon.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/bahrain-punishes-lebanon.html
Bahrain to focus on restoring security
Bahrain’s foreign minister said Tuesday his country would focus on restoring security and pushing ahead with political consultations after Gulf troops quashed one month of protests while the U.N. human rights office called on Manama to uphold international law.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126338
Many Bahraini Protesters Angry With United States
Last week’s crackdown on protesters in Bahrain has left many in the capital, Manama, angry with the United States. They say they believe the White House tacitly approved the attacks on demonstrators and put its strategic interests over democratic principles. On Friday at the Sadiq Mosque in Manama, the preacher recounted the week’s extraordinary events. Sheik Issa Qassim criticized Bahrain’s royal family for sending in soldiers and police to crush an anti-government rebellion — an assault that left at least seven dead and hundreds wounded. Then, he criticized the United States for not doing more to prevent it. “They have influence they’re not using to save the people here,” he said.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/21/134738662/many-bahrain-protesters-angry-with-united-states?sc=tw&cc=share
Oil interests muted Bahrain criticism: analysts (AFP)
AFP – Saudi Arabia’s massive oil wealth and Sunni solidarity against Shiite Iran is the main reason Arab states remained muted over repression in Bahrain, while loudly protesting over the crushing of a popular revolt in Libya, analysts say.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110322/wl_mideast_afp/mideastunrestlibyagulfiran
Kuwait sues Shiite daily over Saudi ‘invasion’ (AFP)
AFP – A Shiite newspaper in Kuwait faces trial for its use of the term “invasion” to report on the Saudi troop deployment in Bahrain to help quell protests, its editor and local media said on Tuesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110322/wl_mideast_afp/bahrainpoliticsunrestkuwaitmediatrial
VIDEO: Assessing the turmoil in Bahrain
Bill Law examines the real story behind the continuing unrest in Bahrain.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9433490.stm
Bahrain update
A confidential source sent me this: ”There is something very strange going on in Bahrain. Bahrain’s General Labor Union called off the general strikes today morning. All these people started saying that the union’s head was be threatened by the government or that the information was false. The seven opposition societies then came out and said that despite what the union said, they are calling all workers to continue the strike. The union then comes out and denies that it was threatened and releases a clear statement calling for the strikes to end. The seven opposition societies then come out and say that they support the unions decision and call for the end of the strikes. The youth movement then come out and say that they are against the opposition’s decision and that the strikes should continue. Meanwhile, although violence has subsided in some areas, there was renewed shooting in the village of Naim and fighter jets flying really low from the sky.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/bahrain-update.html
Yemen
Yemen imposes state of emergency
Yemen’s parliament approves the imposition of a state of emergency amid escalating street protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-12831981
Yemen opposition calls mass protests for Friday
SANAA, March 23 (Reuters) – Yemen opposition groups called on protesters to march on President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s Sanaa palace on Friday to force him out, hoping to end a crisis his allies abroad fear will benefit Islamic militants.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-opposition-calls-mass-protests-for-frida
YEMEN: Forty killed in clashes in northern governorate of Al-Jawf
SANAA, 23 March 2011 (IRIN) – The anti-government uprising, backed by opposition parties, has sparked clashes between pro- and anti-government tribesmen in the northern governorate of Al-Jawf where at least 40 people have been killed in the past few days, said Sheikh Abdulhamid Amer, chairman of local NGO Social Development and Peace Association.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-forty-killed-in-clashes-in-northern-governorate-of-al-jawf
Yemeni pres. seeks Saudi asylum’
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh has reportedly requested asylum from Saudi Arabia after announcing he will step down by the end of the year.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171185.html
Yemen’s leader says he will step down
Yemen’s embattled US-backed president pledged to step down more than a year early but refused to immediately resign on Tuesday, infuriating tens of thousands of demonstrators demanding his ouster.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemens-leader-says-he-will-step-down-2249551.html
Yemeni opposition rejects gradual transfer of power
President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his support within Yemen’s government crumbling, offers to leave office before his term ends in 2013, though not immediately. ‘No deals,’ an opposition leader says. Yemen’s political crisis deepened Tuesday as opposition groups rejected an offer by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to negotiate a gradual transfer of power.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/ebziC3K9xks/la-fg-yemen-president-20110323,0,4517531.story
Yemen president invites youth for dialogue
SANAA, March 22 (Reuters) – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, facing youth-led street protests demanding his ouster, invited young people to join what was described as a transparent and open dialogue, the state news agency said on Tuesday. “President Ali Abdullah Saleh is truly sympathetic with the youth and is interested in their problems and causes,” state news agency Saba said, citing an official source. “The president calls the youth to a transparent, sincere and open dialogue,” it said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemeni-president-invites-youth-to-dialogue-said-to-be-sympathet
Yemen conflict – civil war or Saleh out?
There have been mixed messages from President Ali Abdullah Saleh. On the one hand, he has offered to step down by the start of next year, on the other, he’s warning of “grave repercussions” over any dissent. He has dispatched his foreign minister to Saudi Arabia to seek mediation, but the demonstrators still out in the capital Sanaa and across the country remain defiant and galvanised with military generals offering them protection. But the defense minister has declared the army is sticking by the president and tanks have manouvered to guard the presidential palace. Inside Story presenter Laura Kyle is joined by guests: Mohamed Qubaty, a former adviser to the Yemeni prime minister; Joseph Kechichian, columnist for Gulf News newspaper and Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. This episode of Inside Story aired on Tuesday, March 22, 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oVhi25zGrQ&feature=youtube_gdata
Yemen defections shake government rule
Three army commanders, including a top general defected saying they are now with the protesters calling for the end of Ali Abdullah Saleh’s thirty year rule. The move came as thousands took to the streets of Sanaa on Friday to mourn the deaths of protesters killed by sniper fire. The most senior to defect is Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a long-time confidant of Saleh, along with Bridadiers Ali Mohsin Saleh and Hameed Al-Qushaibi. Also in recent days, the most prominent tribal council has thrown its lot with the protest movement and a number of newly appointed cabinet ministers have resigned. But will these mass defections, be enough to force a peaceful handover of power? Or in a country still recovering from years of civil war is this divide a spark for another one? Inside Story, with presenter Mike Hanna, discusses with guests: Hassan Nafaa, a professor and Chairman of Political Science Department at Cairo University; Khaled Fahmy, a professor and Chair of the Department of History at the American University in Cairo and in Washington DC, Mark Perry, he’s a Foreign Affairs Analyst. This episode of Inside Story aired from Monday, March 21, 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg2pDtkH1zE&feature=youtube_gdata
Yemen military figures switch sides
High profile members of Yemen’s military have defected to support the anti-government protesters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1esL3nceUtc&feature=youtube_gdata
Syria
Syria security forces kill 6 in attack on Daraa mosque, witnesses say
Among victims is a doctor from a prominent Daraa family who arrived at the protest hub to help victims of the attack.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/syria-security-forces-kill-6-in-attack-on-daraa-mosque-witnesses-say-1.351283?localLinksEnabled=false
Syrian forces ‘open fire on protesters’
Residents say at least five people killed in the southern city of Daraa, where protests have been held since Friday.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/20113231127592364.html
Syria Protests Spread As Child Dies From Tear Gas
Unrest spread in southern Syria on Monday with hundreds of people demonstrating against the government in three towns near the main city of Deraa, but authorities did not use force to quell the latest protests. Security forces killed four civilians in demonstrations that erupted last week in Deraa, in the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule since the 45-year-old succeeded his father 11 years ago.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/post_667_n_838978.html
Protest Spreads to New Southern Syrian Village
Protests spread in southern Syria Tuesday as hundreds of people marched to demand reforms in a previously peaceful village, witnesses and activists said.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=73f6d302bc054256debc2351aaa819e1
UN calls for Syria probe as hundreds protest
UN human rights chief calls for investigation into weekend crackdown as protesters take to the streets for a fifth day.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011322155925612161.html
Syria fires governor after seven anti-government protesters killed
Syrian Human rights group says leading campaigner for southern protesters demanding end to government corruption was taken from his home by Syrian authorities on Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/syria-fires-governor-after-seven-anti-government-protesters-killed-1.351168?localLinksEnabled=false
Syria security threatens channel over coverage
A Syrian businessman said employees at a private channel he owns had to resign following threats by Syrian security officials over coverage of recent protests against the regime.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/22/142568.html
France urges Syria to make immediate political reforms
PARIS, March 22 (Reuters) – France urged Syria on Wednesday to carry out political reforms without delay and respect its commitments to human rights. “France calls on Syria to follow its international commitments to human rights, to which it has signed up especially with regard to freedom of expression and opinion,” foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a daily briefing to reporters. “Political reforms must be put in place without delay to meet the aspirations of the Syrian people,” he said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/france-urges-syria-to-make-immediate-political-reforms
Daraa protests are the spark Syria needed | Maher Arar
The security forces’ violent clampdown on protesters in Daraa will inspire repressed Syrians to finally break their silence. Syria seemed relatively stable before massive protests erupted last week in the city of Daraa, a small city south of the capital. Demonstrators chanted for freedom and for the end of corruption.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/23/daraa-protests-syria
Saudi Arabia
Saudi arrests 100 Shi’ite protesters: rights group (Reuters)
Reuters – Saudi authorities arrested 100 Shi’ite protesters during demonstrations in the east of the country last week, a Saudi human rights group said on Wednesday. Hundreds attended protests in and around the region’s main Shi’ite center, Qatif, calling for the release of prisoners and withdrawal of Saudi forces from Bahrain.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110323/wl_nm/us_saudi_arrests
Saudi Arabia to hold municipal polls
Local bodies elections could be concession extended to protesters seeking political change in kingdom.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011323101416723875.html
Analysis/Op-ed
Arab revolution is an unstoppable force
While the world’s attention is focussed on Libya, people across the Middle East are rising up against dictators
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/23/arab-revolution-unstoppable-force
The Alternative Opposition in Jordan and the Failure to Understand the Lessons of the Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions
In Jordan, no one seems to have learned from the lessons of Tunisia and Egypt. Especially not the “opposition,” which can be divided into the “official” opposition and the “alternative” opposition. The “official” opposition—comprised of the legalized opposition parties and professional associations—still seeks weak reformist goals that constitute a continuation of its collapsing course that began in 1989 (the year marking the end of martial law in Jordan and the onset of the so-called “democratic era”). This official opposition is made up of three broad sets of groups: the Islamists, featuring the Muslim Brotherhood and their political wing the Islamic Action Front; the nationalists, including two Ba’thist parties (one connected to the Iraqi faction and the other to the Syrian faction); and the leftists, including the Jordanian Communist Party, the Popular Unity Party (affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), and the People’s Democratic Party (affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine). This official opposition (which resembles all the official oppositions around the Arab world) has been subjected to substantial and incisive criticism over the past two decades—particularly around their absorption into the regime structure and inability to deliver meaningful political change—and there is no need to expand here on this issue.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/959/the-alternative-opposition-in-jordan-and-the-failure-to-understand-the-lessons-of-the-tunisian-and-egyptian-revolutions
