Nothing about the depleted uranium the West is dumping on them.
"World leaders voice support for Libyan rebels; No plans for direct action to oust Khadafy" by Liz Sly and Joby Warrick, Washington Post / March 30, 2011
TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan rebels fled under fire from a key town in eastern Libya yesterday as world leaders convening in London insisted that Colonel Moammar Khadafy step down but offered no new suggestions for how to dislodge him from power.
The rebels’ chaotic retreat from the town of Bin Jawwad, which they had captured from troops loyal to Khadafy just two days earlier, reversed the momentum they had seized over the weekend and suggested that the ad hoc and lightly armed opposition force might have reached its limit.
It was the fourth time Bin Jawwad has changed hands in less than three weeks, raising the specter of a prolonged stalemate along the sparsely populated stretch of coastal highway between the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to the east and Khadafy’s heavily garrisoned hometown of Sirte to the west.
Gee, I was told the"Rebels captured Surt."
But hey, what's one more AmeriKan media lie at this point?
Although the 40 world leaders meeting in London pledged humanitarian aid and continued airstrikes to protect civilians, they indicated that it would be up to Libyans to force Khadafy out, leaving it unclear how they were supposed to do so.
The question of whether to arm the rebels was not publicly discussed, nor was the question of how to release frozen Libyan assets to help fund them. But the leaders attending the conference made it clear that the military campaign in Libya would not end until Khadafy had gone.
Uh-huh.
“Khadafy has lost the legitimacy to lead, so we believe he must go. We’re working with the international community to try to achieve that outcome,’’ Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters after the talks, indicating that the United States is pinning its hopes on defections from those around Khadafy....
Until Israel puts a stop to it.
“We have prevented a potential massacre, established a no-fly zone, stopped an advancing army, added more partners to this coalition, and transferred command of the military effort to NATO,’’ Clinton said. “That’s not bad for a week of work at a time of great, intense international concern.’’
Meanwhile, REAL ONES are occurring by our hands in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, and Iraq.
********************
President Obama said yesterday he would not preclude the possibility of arming the rebels. Pressed on the issue in an interview with NBC News, Obama said, “I’m not ruling it out, but I’m also not ruling it in.’’
“We are still making an assessment about what Khadafy’s forces are doing,’’ Obama said.
In a series of network television interviews, Obama emphasized that his decision to deploy US forces in Libya should not be applied to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. He told NBC that his policy on Libya should not be construed as an “Obama doctrine’’ that can be applied in a “cookie-cutter fashion.’’
Translation: We only go after those countries Israel tells us to.
Related: Obama Takes Command
The strongest challenge to Khadafy in London came from the prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, a nation that has been the most forthright Arab supporter of the Western-led military campaign in Libya....
Also see: Qatar Quits Arab League
Bin Jawwad, 90 miles east of Sirte, marked the farthest point of the rebel advance the last time they swept west through government lines a little over three weeks ago. Yesterday’s retreat suggested that the rebels will have a difficult time taking and holding territory in Khadafy’s loyalist heartland.
So I'm being lied to day after day by my newspaper. Great.
News footage showed panicked rebels leaping into cars and pickup trucks, scrambling to leave Bin Jawwad as approaching Khadafy forces pounded them with mortars and artillery. There were no reports of any airstrikes as the rebels withdrew from the city.
The rebels retreated 37 miles to Ras Lanuf, the oil refinery town they had retaken from Khadafy earlier this month as the momentum in the war seemed to swing in their favor. Yet even there, their hold seemed tenuous and there were reports late yesterday that the town was coming under heavy artillery fire from advancing Khadafy troops.
There were also reports from the besieged town of Misurata that Libyan forces had launched a fresh onslaught of attacks, pounding civilian areas with mortar and artillery fire. In Tripoli, airstrikes occurred for the first time in daylight, with three loud explosions shaking the capital at 5:30 p.m.
Clinton, like Obama, did not discount the possibility of arming the rebels. She said she believed such a step would be legal under the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorized the use of force to protect the lives of Libyan civilians.
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"Top Khadafy aide helped craft deal with local firm; Company aimed to help Libya image" by Farah Stockman, Globe Staff / March 30, 2011
WASHINGTON — The document — later posted on the website of an opposition group — ties the activities of Monitor Group to one of the most notorious members of Khadafy’s inner circle and a man who has been recently accused of orchestrating atrocities against antigovernment protesters. The general relationship of Monitor and Khadafy had been detailed in a Globe report earlier this month....
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Also see: Local consultants aided Khadafy
"Libyan woman faces lawsuit over rape claim" by Liz Sly, Washington Post / March 30, 2011
TRIPOLI, Libya — The Libyan woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel to tell journalists she had been raped is now facing slander charges filed by the men she accused, a government official said yesterday.
Related: Woman bursts into hotel to tell of rapes
Smelled like a staged incident.
Iman al-Obaidi has not been seen since she was dragged by security guards and government minders from the Rixos Hotel Saturday to prevent her from recounting her story of rape by 15 militiamen to reporters staying at the hotel.
See: Lies which justify war
Maybe it isn't; however, you certainly do not expect me to believe my war-promoting paper, do you?
Now, in the latest twist to the saga that turned her into a symbol of defiance against the regime of Moammar Khadafy, she is being sued by her alleged assailants, said Moussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman. One of them, he said earlier, is the son of a high-ranking Libyan official.
“A legal case is being brought by the boys who she accused of rape,’’ he said. “It is a grave offense to accuse someone of a sexual offense.’’
Ibrahim has given conflicting accounts of Obaidi’s fate since she was last seen being driven away from the hotel in an unmarked car. Initially, he said she was drunk and mentally unstable; then he said she was a prostitute. Later, he said she had been freed.
Obaidi’s denied that, saying they did not know where she was, and that they would be happy for her to be interviewed by reporters. They and said they had been offered money and a house if she would agree to change her story.
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Globe Editorial Obama’s forthright defense of a necessarily limited war
And look who has been in Libya (as if we didn't know or sense this already):
"CIA personnel operating in Libya, officials say; Gathering intel, making contacts said to be mission
By Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt, New York Times / March 31, 2011
WASHINGTON — The CIA has inserted clandestine operatives into Libya to gather intelligence for military air strikes and make contacts with rebels battling Moammar Khadafy’s forces, according to US officials.
The CIA presence comprises an unknown number of US officers who had worked at the spy agency’s station in Tripoli and those who arrived more recently.
Which means they were already there.
In addition, current and former British officials said, dozens of British special forces and MI6 intelligence officers are working inside Libya. The British operatives have been directing air strikes from British Tornado jets and gathering intelligence about the whereabouts of Libyan government tank columns, artillery pieces, and missile installations, the officials said....
Related: British Bootstraps
Looks like it's the British citizens that are being flogged.
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The article was a shell of my printed paper, where the wire services informed me the U.S. has moved more military equipment into the region and is ACTIVELY TAKING PART in SHOOTING MISSIONS with AC-130 gunships.
Also see:
Libya rebels give ground, but key Khadafy aide defects (By C.J. Chivers and David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times)
Related:
“We think he could be the beginning of a stream of Libyans who think sticking with Khadafy is a losing game,’’ one senior US official said. “But we don’t know.’’
In Libya, the government advance on Wednesday appeared to return control of the east’s most important oil regions to Khadafy’s forces, giving the isolated government, at least for the day, the region’s most valuable economic prize.
That's what the U.S. wants!
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Good thing we have a Congress looking out for the interests of the American people:
"Foreign countries should take Libya lead, Congress told; Military officials testify in hearings on Capital Hill" by Donna Cassata and Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press / April 1, 2011
WASHINGTON — The United States should avoid developing a closer relationship with Libyan opposition forces, defense leaders said yesterday, telling an often hostile Congress that foreign nations must now take over airstrike responsibilities and any efforts to train and equip the rebels.
With the US role in Libya at a turning point, the next critical decision is how, if at all, the nation chooses to support the opposition forces, particularly with the ongoing budget crisis at home. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he is opposed to arming the rebels, a step his boss, President Obama, has not ruled out.
Bullshit put out to mollify the Amurkn people.
Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was time to turn the bulk of the conflict over to NATO....
Many lawmakers were angered by what they said was the administration’s lack of candor with Congress ahead of the Libya mission. Several complained that the mission is expensive and ill-defined.
Then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
The ongoing scope of US military action drew heated debate among senators unhappy that the Pentagon will no longer be conducting airstrikes in the coming days — leaving that key combat responsibility to allies such as the French, British, and Canadians.
What sick s***s. Unhappy we won't be blowing stuff up and killing people.
Mullen said that after tomorrow, US aircraft will be available to help with airstrikes if requested by the NATO commander.
Translation: We will STILL BE DOING THEM!
Senators objected, with some suggesting that the United States is abandoning the campaign just as strongman Moammar Khadafy is regrouping and routing the opposition forces.
Because that is what Israel wants.
“For the United States to withdraw our unique offensive capabilities at this time would send the wrong signal,’’ said Senator John McCain, top Republican on the Senate Armed Services panel.
He said the United States must not fail in Libya, adding that he spoke as someone experienced in a lost conflict, a clear reference to his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam....
He said the same about Iraq and Afghanistan before the surges!!
The vigorous debate, which stretched throughout the day on Capitol Hill, underscores the tensions across the US government over how best to aid Libyan civilians and accomplish the administration’s goal of ousting Khadafy without committing America to a costly war the public doesn’t understand and many don’t support....
Yeah, us dumb publix doesn't understands dat dis is about oil, water, gas, empire, and Israel, duuuuhh!
Related:
"At least one recent poll shows Americans solidly behind the president's decision. Seventy percent favored the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya in a March 18-20 CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. Fifty-four percent favored airstrikes against Khadafy's forces, with 43 percent unopposed(sic)."
An error?
"A poll conducted by Fox News last week, before the airstrikes started, found a majority of Americans, 65 percent, opposed to military involvement in Libya"
Gee, either the stoo-pid Amurkn public is flip-flopping all over the place or SOMEONE is a LIAR!!!
The defense leaders would not comment on reports that the CIA has small teams working with the Libyan rebels.
Don't have to; we already know they are there.
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Hope it is all worth it, Americans:
"Senate panel questions the cost of Libya operations" by Farah Stockman, Globe Staff / April 1, 2011=
WASHINGTON — Concerns about the cost of the no-fly zone over Libya dominated a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday, with Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican, issuing an uncharacteristically aggressive statement questioning the Obama administration’s judgment.
“By some estimates, American military operations in Libya may already have expended close to a billion dollars,’’ Lugar said.
“Who is going to pay for it?’’ Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, asked the hearing’s only witness, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.
Some senators began to hint of a raid on the $30 billion in Moammar Khadafy’s assets frozen as part of the international intervention.
I can see how the world views AmeriKa as a f***ing thief!!
“Is there any reason why Colonel Khadafy can’t pay for this himself with those funds?’’ said committee chairman John F. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat. “We’d like to very squarely put it on the table that we ought to be looking at that hard.’’
What a TOTAL TOOL!
Maybe it is JUST ME but I AM OPPOSED to ROBBING SOMEONE to pay for the AGGRESSION against them!
Steinberg, a consummate diplomat, seemed flustered by the questioning. He said Khadafy’s frozen funds are held in trust for the future democratic government of Libya and that the United States should not do anything with the funds without consulting their international partners.
Seconds later, Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican, seized upon the same theme.
“I think one of the things we ought to be doing is looking at what that authority is and creating the opportunity for those funds to be used to reimburse the liberation of an oppressed people, if the funds are in fact those of Mr. Khadafy,’’ Isakson said. “Is there any precedent for those funds being used to reimburse a country for its effort in liberating a nation?’’
Steinberg acknowledged that some of Saddam Hussein’s frozen funds were used on US-led reconstruction projects in Iraq, an expenditure that angered many Iraqi officials. Steinberg also acknowledged that other countries, including Kuwait, helped pay the cost of the US-led operation to evict Hussein from Kuwait in 1991.
But the person who might have been expected to be most concerned about the operation’s cost did not ask about it at all: Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who was swept into office by Tea Party conservatives. Instead of complaining about the cost of attacking Khadafy, he urged Congress to take stronger action.
“If he survives, it is fair to say he will probably be upset,’’ Rubio said of Khadafy. “It’s important that he not survive.
Until tomorrow, that is:
--more--"
Related: Libyan unrest drives oil up further
Yeah, whatever it is it is not Bernanke and his printing press.
"US officials foresee a Libya stalemate; Deadlock would have pros, cons for NATO, allies" by Joby Warrick and Liz Sly, Washington Post / April 2, 2011
WASHINGTON — US officials are becoming increasingly resigned to the possibility of a protracted stalemate in Libya, with rebels retaining control of the eastern half of the divided country but lacking the muscle to drive Moammar Khadafy from power.
Such a deadlock, perhaps backed by a formal cease-fire agreement, could help ensure the safety of Libyan civilians caught in the crossfire between the warring sides.
But it could also dramatically expand the financial and military commitments by the United States and allied countries that have intervened in the six-week-old conflict, according to US officials familiar with planning for the Libyan operation.
New evidence of a possible impasse emerged yesterday as an opposition spokesman called publicly for a cease-fire that would halt the fighting and essentially freeze the battle lines....
What that tells you is NO ONE WANTS the AmeriKans or NATO to take over!
At the same time, British officials privately disclosed a recent visit to London by a senior aide to one of Khadafy’s sons, prompting new speculation that those close to the Libyan leader were exploring ways to end the fighting.
I am ALWAYS for THAT!
Khadafy loyalists continued to pound rebel fighters in the key oil hub of Brega, a town that had been claimed by antigovernment forces less than a week ago.
Yet despite repeated setbacks in recent days, intelligence assessments suggest that the rebels, with continuing NATO air support, are capable now of maintaining control of strongholds such as Benghazi as well as key oil fields in eastern Libya, according to two US officials privy to classified reports from the region who agreed to discuss them on the condition of anonymity....
One likened the conflict to an evenly matched football game, with two sides skirmishing over a few yards in midfield....
I'm really getting sickened by DEATH-DEALING WARS being compared to a DAMN FOOTBALL GAME!
And if that is true, it is TIME to END the BOMBING!
General Carter Ham, head of US Africa Command, acknowledged the possibility of a deadlock in which Khadafy would continue to control part of the country.
“I do see a situation where that could be the case,’’ he said. “I could see accomplishing the military mission, which has been assigned to me, and the current leader would remain the current leader.’’
Then WHAT WAS ALL THIS FOR, anyway?
WTF?!!!!!!!!!!!
US officials and independent analysts say that Khadafy has been badly weakened by defections, airstrikes, and a freeze on his foreign-held assets, and he has few allies outside of Latin America.
In Tripoli, meanwhile, heavy gunfire erupted before dawn yesterday as tensions rose in the capital city following rumors that other government officials were preparing to join the foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, in defecting from the Khadafy government.
Koussa was the most senior Khadafy minister to abandon the regime, and his defection in London on Wednesday prompted appeals by US and British officials for other top figures to follow him into exile.
However, there were no new media reports yesterday of defections.
Honestly, readers, I'm tired of reading contradictory, agenda-pushing bullshit. Just damn tired of it.
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"Libyan rebels confirm NATO airstrike killed 13 of their own; Accept blame for ‘accident’ and say it’s the cost of war" by Ben Hubbard and Ryan Lucas, Associated Press / April 3, 2011
BENGHAZI, Libya — A NATO airstrike intended to thwart Moammar Khadafy’s forces killed 13 rebel fighters in eastern Libya instead, the opposition said yesterday, but they described it as an “unfortunate accident’’ and stressed it did not diminish their support for the international air campaign.
The rebels’ response to the attack — blaming it on a mistake within their ranks — highlighted their heavy dependence on the international air campaign as they face the superior military power of the longtime Libyan leader. The error also showed the challenges the coalition faces in identifying targets without coordination with forces on the ground.
What, with all those CIA and MI6 agents on the ground?
Readers, do you see why I am sick of this slop.
Day after f***ing day it's bullshit upon bullshit!!!!!!!
“As regrettable as it may be, we understand that we might have to give up lives for the greater good. We have to look at the bigger picture,’’ opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said. “This is a war and the lines are so fluid going back and forth, so it’s natural that mistakes will happen.’’
Well, if you guys are fine being annihilated by our weapons of war I'll just shut up.
The slain fighters were hit Friday night as they moved forward, attempting to take back the oil city of Brega, while airstrikes were in progress. Seven fighters were wounded. Another opposition spokesman, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, said it was an example of the lack of coordination in the ranks that has proven a key obstacle to victory over the more organized Libyan military.
Rebels without training — sometimes even without weapons — have rushed in and out of fighting in a free-for-all for more than six weeks, repeatedly getting trounced by Khadafy’s more heavily armed forces. But ex-military officers who have joined the rebel side have stepped up training efforts and taken a greater role in the fight....
NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the alliance was investigating the reports, and appeared to suggest that its aircraft on patrol had encountered ground fire and retaliated.
Afghans are used to hearing that sort of thing.
“The exact details are hard to verify because we have no reliable source on the ground,’’ Lungescu said. “Clearly, if someone fires at one of our aircraft they have the right to defend themselves.’’
I guess CIA agents are not reliable.
Is this something or what, readers? Can you blame me for falling behind and not wanting to read the morning paper anymore?
Mohammad Bedrise, a doctor in a nearby hospital, said three burned bodies had been brought in by men who said they had been hit after firing a heavy machine gun in the air in celebration....
So the U.S. fighter jets dropped a bomb on them.
NATO, which on Thursday took over what had been a US-led military campaign to stop Khadafy from attacking his own people, also is investigating whether other airstrikes have killed civilians in western Libya, as the Libyan government claims.
Yeah, those are the hospitals, schools, and infrastucture the U.S. is blowing up on that side of the country.
The United States, meanwhile, was ending its role in combat missions yesterday, leaving that work for other nations....
Yup, yeah, sure, uh-huh.
Sigh.
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"Infighting hinders Libya rebel leadership; Opposition also stalled on battlefield" by Kareem Fahim, New York Times / April 4, 2011
BENGHAZI, Libya — Militarily, the rebellion appears to be locked in a stalemate....
The United States has agreed to NATO’s request for a 48-hour extension of American participation in coalition airstrikes....
Need I even type it, readers?
Many decisions are made in secret and are leaked to Libyans piecemeal, by a few rebel leaders who seem to enjoy seeing themselves on Al-Jazeera, the satellite news channel.
Yeah, good thing we don't have hack politicians like that in the U.S.
Not only is the newspaper a lying, obfuscating, agenda-pushing, war-promoting PoS; it is an INSULTING, lying, obfuscating, agenda-pushing, war-promoting PoS.
And that is just ONE MORE REASON I am SICK OF IT!
This is what we get for "news" here in AmeriKa.
But with each day that Khadafy remains in power, the self-appointed leaders of the rebel movement face growing questions about their own legitimacy and choices....
An envoy of Khadafy’s government told Greece’s prime minister yesterday that the Libyan leader was seeking a way out of his country’s crisis two weeks after the start of international airstrikes, the Associated Press reported, quoting Greek officials.
Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi, a former Libyan prime minister who has served as a Khadafy envoy during the crisis, will travel next to Turkey and Malta in a sign that the regime may be softening its hard line in the face of the sustained attacks....
I thought Khadafy didn't have any friends except in Latin Americ.... never mind.
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"Khadafy’s sons must also go, opponents insist; Italy is 3d nation to recognize Libyan rebels" by Christopher Torchia, Associated Press / April 5, 2011
ISTANBUL — The developments also reflected military gains by the rebels. Opposition fighters pushed back into the oil town of Brega yesterday, seizing half of it and pledging to drive out Khadafy’s forces within a day.
Oh, we(?) are winning again?
Control of Brega’s small refinery and Mediterranean port could significantly boost the rebels’ hunt for oil revenues they can use to purchase heavy weapons for the fight against the government’s better-equipped troops and militiamen....
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"Air Force, Marine planes strike in Libya as US pares mission" by Robert Burns, Associated Press / April 5, 2011
WASHINGTON — Air Force and Marine attack planes struck targets in Libya on a stretch of Mediterranean coastline near the cities of Surt and Brega yesterday, the final day of planned US combat missions in the North African nation, US officials said....
A number of US combat aircraft, including fighter jets, will remain on standby in the event NATO commanders request help in coming days. Other US planes will continue providing support in the form of aerial refueling, intelligence collection and aerial reconnaissance and surveillance.
We ain't cutting back s***.
Readers, WHAT is with the CONTINUOUSLY UNABASHED and UNASHAMED SPIN from the NEWSPAPER, huh?
Also remaining part of the NATO mission are several Navy EA-18G Growler electronic attack planes, which protect friendly aircraft in hostile territory by locating air defense radars and neutralizing them with confusing or blinding electronic signals. Growlers can also disrupt communications of hostile ground forces....
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Related:
"The account provided by the team of Russian Doctors constitutes an eyewitness account of what is happening on the ground in Libya. It contradicts the stream of media disinformation. It confirms that the coaltion is routinely bombing civilian targets. For those progressives who have endorsed the US-NATO "humanitarian mandate", this account provides us with evidence of extensive war crimes by those you claim to be coming to the rescue of civilians. Residential buildings, hospital are being targeted"
Wow, what a waste of time is reading the Boston Globe.
