“It’s difficult to imagine a scenario different from a military kind of international intervention.”
That's not silly at all!!
Related: Libya & Calls for International Strikes, Furthering the Balkanization Agenda
"Security Council to meet on Libya" Associated Press February 18, 2015
UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council will discuss Libya in an emergency session Wednesday, as permanent council members express support for a resolution on a response to the country’s crisis.
The meeting comes as Egypt presses the council to take action after the Islamic State posted a video of the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.
At a meeting Tuesday between Egypt’s foreign minister and the five permanent council members, ‘‘we agreed we would be working together on a draft resolution,’’ Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia told reporters.
He did not give details except to say this would be a different approach than the current coalition that is combating the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
The other permanent council members, China, the United States, France, and Britain, did not comment, some saying it was too early.
Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, said in a radio interview that creating a UN-backed coalition was the best course of action to rid Libya of Islamic extremists.
Islamic extremists, huh?
--more--"
"Video apparently depicts beheading" by Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times February 16, 2015
More lopping lies to end the day with?
NEW YORK — A video released Sunday by the Islamic State appears to show the mass beheading of a group of 21 Coptic Christians, who are made to kneel beside the sea in what is identified as the coast near Tripoli, Libya.
It is the first time that the Islamic State has released an official video showing such a killing outside of the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq.
Oh, it's an official video. Must be real, huh?
The footage begins with slow-motion images of the Egyptian Christian hostages, who were kidnapped in Libya several weeks ago, walking single file along the sandy beach. The hostages are all wearing orange jumpsuits.
It's another fake, folks!!!
Each one is led by a black-clad executioner who is grasping a knife. The only sound is that of the crashing waves. They are made to kneel, and then one by one they are beheaded.
This smells of psyop propaganda, just like all the rest.
The lead executioner, who wears a brown mask over his face, thrusts his dagger at the camera.
“Oh people, recently you have seen us on the hills of as-Sham and Dabiq’s plain, chopping off the heads that have been carrying the cross for a long time,” he says in fluent English, using terms referring to localities in and around Syria. “And today, we are on the south of Rome, on the land of Islam, Libya, sending another message.”
The propaganda doesn't get any more obvious!
‘‘All crusaders: safety for you will be only wishes, especially if you are fighting us all together. Therefore we will fight you all together,’’ the executioner says. ‘‘The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama Bin Laden’s body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood.’’
PFFFFFT!
The high-quality video, which bears the logo of Al Hayat, the official publishing arm of the Islamic State, is in stark contrast to the footage released in the past by affiliates of the group outside of Iraq and Syria.
The footage in those videos was shaky and grainy, suggesting an amateur production. By contrast, the five-minute clip released Sunday is professional and cinematic and is filmed in the same style as previous Islamic State videos, including one that showed the mass beheading of captured Syrian soldiers last year.
Yup, it's a well done professional piece of propaganda.
So who found the thing anyway?
The video suggests that at least some of the Islamic State’s franchises abroad are becoming more tightly linked with the central group.
Stills of the video appeared last week in Dabiq, the Islamic State’s English-language magazine. And the footage released Sunday was preceded by an announcement on the group’s official news media, which foreshadowed the release, saying: “A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross.”
The Egyptian government declared a seven-day mourning period for the victims, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi convened an emergency national security meeting to discuss a response. Sissi sent condolences to ‘‘the victims of terrorism,’’ according to a statement released by the presidency.
Qalini Sanyout, whose two nephews were among the hostages, told the Associated Press by phone from Libya: ‘‘What can we say? Can someone tell us if this is true. The whole village is in mourning. Men are covering their heads with dust and mud.’’
--more--"
And that is your casus belli:
"Egyptians retaliate against Islamic State with airstrikes in Libya" by David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times February 17, 2015
CAIRO — The Egyptian military said Monday that it had carried out airstrikes in Libya in retaliation for the beheading of more than a dozen Egyptian Christians by a branch of the Islamic State extremist group there.
Wouldn't be the first time.
The odd thing is Egypt treats their Christians like second-class citizens, but now they care so much!
Btw, dozens of innocent civilians were killed inn the airstrikes.
In a statement Monday, the Egyptian military said it had conducted airstrikes at dawn against training camps and arms depots of the Islamic State in Libya, but it did not provide further details.
When did ISIS arrive in Libya?
The foreign ministry said that Egyptian warplanes had struck Derna, a town in eastern Libya that is a hub of Islamist militancy. It is also close to the Egyptian border, well within the range of the jets.
The airstrikes represent a significant escalation of Egypt’s role in the continuing battle between armed factions in Libya for control of the country. With the backing of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt has worked covertly to support a Libyan general who is fighting to take back the capital and much of the coast from a rival coalition of militia groups, some of which are made up of Islamist extremists.
They must be referring to Herr Hifter.
In a televised address late Sunday night, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt vowed that his country would take action to avenge the killings.
“Egypt reserves the right to respond, with the appropriate manner and timing, in order to carry out retribution on those killers and criminals who are stripped of the most basic of human values,” Sissi said.
They are sounding more like Israel all the time.
The Egyptian military said in a statement issued around 8:30 a.m. that the dawn strikes were “retribution and response to the criminal acts of terrorist elements and organizations inside and outside the country.”
“We stress that revenge for the blood of Egyptians, and retribution from the killers and criminals, is a right we must dutifully enforce,” the statement said. Egyptian state television showed footage of F-16s taking off in the dark as the statement was read on the air.
The leader of the Libyan air forces for the anti-Islamist faction, Saqer al-Joroushi, appeared on Egyptian state television and estimated that the strikes had killed “not less than 40 or 50” people.
Egypt’s air assault came less than 12 hours after the main Islamic State group released a video online that appeared to show fighters from the group’s self-proclaimed Tripolitania Province beheading more than a dozen Egyptian Christians.
The Christians were among the thousands of Egyptians who routinely travel across the border to Libya to find work in its oil-rich economy, forging a deep connection between the neighboring states. About 20 Egyptian Christians disappeared around the coastal city of Surt weeks ago, and last month the Tripolitania Province released a picture showing that it had captured them.
The video of their beheadings aroused special horror in Egypt and beyond because it was filmed with the theatrical brutality that has become a trademark of the Islamic State.
This isn't funny anymore.
The video appeared to show a row of masked fighters dressed in black and with ceremonial knives at their chests parading more than a dozen captives in orange jumpsuits along a Mediterranean beach in western Libya.
Speaking in English, the lead executioner proclaimed in the video that the fighters were part of the larger Islamic State group fighting in Syria, warned that they would allow no safety to “crusaders,” invoked the American military’s burial at sea of Osama bin Laden, and alluded to apocalyptic prophecies about a battle for Rome.
Oh.
So when does the Mossad bomb the Vatican?
The video appeared to show a greater degree of communication and collaboration between the Islamic State and its Libyan satellite group than Western officials had previously known.
PFFFFFFFFT!!!!
Egypt’s airstrikes on Monday drew it further into the Libyan conflict. Islamist fighters in Libya could now seek to stage attacks across the long, lightly patrolled desert border with Egypt or to increase their support for allied Egyptian militants already attempting to foment an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.
The Egyptian military gave no indication Monday of whether the airstrikes were a one-time punishment or the beginning of a more prolonged military effort.
This is the SECOND INVASION of LIBYA!
The leaders of Libya’s internationally recognized government welcomed the retaliation.
Those are the U.S. puppets.
That government has relocated to the Libyan cities of Tobruk and Bayda, near the Egyptian border, and has allied itself with the general fighting against the Islamist factions.
Who he?
At least three groups of militants inside Libya have proclaimed themselves so-called provinces of the Islamic State, mainly through online messages and videos. Their leaders and locations are unknown.
Sissi, a former general who led the military ouster of President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood here 18 months ago, has made it clear since then that he views the chaos in Libya as a danger to Egypt’s stability.
And it will get the unhappy Egyptian masses looking at a foreign enemy.
--more--"
"Italy to weigh military action in Libya if diplomacy fails" by Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press February 17, 2015
ROME — Italy would consider participating in any military intervention to keep forces from the Islamic State group from advancing in Libya should diplomatic efforts fail, Italian officials said Monday.
Their track record regarding military action isn't very good.
Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti has said Rome could contribute 5,000 troops to lead such a military mission. But Pinotti and Premier Matteo Renzi on Monday sought to dispel the notion Italy already decided on military operations if launched under the auspices of the United Nations.
The people of Italy found out and didn't like it, huh?
Renzi told TG5 TV news that the government would wait to see whether the UN Security Council can work “with a bit more conviction” on a diplomatic solution. UN-sponsored efforts must involve “all the players, the local tribes, African Union countries, Arab countries, the Europeans,” he said.
Italy’s coast is about 200 miles across the Mediterranean from Libya. With security rapidly deteriorating in the North African country, the number of migrants who set out in smugglers boats from Libyan shores toward Italy has surged.
On Sunday alone, Italian authorities rescued more than 2,100 migrants and refugees, many of them fleeing the Syrian war.
Obama's refugees, thank you.
Some in Rome fear Islamic State advances could increase risks that terrorists, mingled among boatloads of migrants, could reach Italy from Libya.
Italy on Sunday became the last Western country to shut its embassy in Tripoli, and its citizens were advised to leave the country. Many Italians work in oil, gas, and construction sectors in Libya, which was occupied for decades by Italy in the last century.
That is a signal that an ATTACK is COMING!
Political support for Italian military involvement was growing Sunday as Egypt carried out airstrikes against Islamic State strongholds across its border in Libya after the extremists beheaded Egyptian Christian hostages.
Sigh.
“From how things are evolving in Libya, frankly, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario different from a military kind of international intervention,” said Enrico Zanetti, a Cabinet undersecretary.
Yeah, I got that.
Renzi said the Italian ambassador had worked to facilitate UN envoy Bernardino Leon’s efforts aimed at a compromise between the internationally recognized government based in Tobruk in eastern Libya and another government in Tripoli, backed by Islamist militias.
Split the country up, right?
On Thursday, the Italian government will brief Parliament about Libya.
The energy-rich North African nation is wracked by the worst fighting since long-ruling dictator Moammar Khadafy was overthrown in 2011.
Another EUSraeli intervention gone kerflooey.
Even after Khadafy forced Italian citizens residing in Libya out of the country in 1970, Italy continued to do business there, including Eni, the Italian oil refiner.
Increased violence has sharply reduced oil output in Libya.
Good. Maybe the price will stabilize before the world economy implodes.
Production fell to 350,000 barrels a day in January compared with 1.6 million barrels a day before Khadafy was toppled, according to Libya’s National Oil Corp. The company said over the weekend that it would stop pumping at all fields if authorities fail to contain attacks that are endangering workers.
Renzi and Italian Cabinet ministers said the government will approach any military intervention with caution.
“On Libya, wisdom, prudence, and a sense of the situation are required,” Renzi said in the TG5 TV interview. “There is no need to jump from total indifference to hysteria and an unreasonable reaction.”
--more--"
I'm sure France will be following them in.
About that oil:
"Oil tumbled to the lowest level in more than five years on speculation that a global supply glut that has driven crude into a bear market will continue through the first half of 2015. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2.1 percent, to $53.61 a barrel, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It had been rising early in the day because of an escalating conflict in Libya. Fires have been extinguished at three of six tanks at Es Sider, Libya’s largest oil port, which were set ablaze after an attack by militants, said a National Oil Corp. spokesman, Mohamed Elharari. Crude also fell as the dollar climbed to a two-year high against the euro, reducing the appeal of raw materials as a store of value. Oil futures contracts plunged 46 percent this year and are on track for the biggest annual drop since 2008 as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries resists supply cuts to defend market share in response to the highest US output of petroleum in three decades."
You can see the tanks burning in the harbor from far, far away 11/4:
What the invaders will have to look forward to:
At least 210 killed in fighting over Libya’s Benghazi
Rights group decries war crimes in Libya
That's not silly at all!!
Related: Libya & Calls for International Strikes, Furthering the Balkanization Agenda
"Security Council to meet on Libya" Associated Press February 18, 2015
UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council will discuss Libya in an emergency session Wednesday, as permanent council members express support for a resolution on a response to the country’s crisis.
The meeting comes as Egypt presses the council to take action after the Islamic State posted a video of the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.
At a meeting Tuesday between Egypt’s foreign minister and the five permanent council members, ‘‘we agreed we would be working together on a draft resolution,’’ Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia told reporters.
He did not give details except to say this would be a different approach than the current coalition that is combating the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
The other permanent council members, China, the United States, France, and Britain, did not comment, some saying it was too early.
Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, said in a radio interview that creating a UN-backed coalition was the best course of action to rid Libya of Islamic extremists.
Islamic extremists, huh?
--more--"
"Video apparently depicts beheading" by Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times February 16, 2015
More lopping lies to end the day with?
NEW YORK — A video released Sunday by the Islamic State appears to show the mass beheading of a group of 21 Coptic Christians, who are made to kneel beside the sea in what is identified as the coast near Tripoli, Libya.
It is the first time that the Islamic State has released an official video showing such a killing outside of the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq.
Oh, it's an official video. Must be real, huh?
The footage begins with slow-motion images of the Egyptian Christian hostages, who were kidnapped in Libya several weeks ago, walking single file along the sandy beach. The hostages are all wearing orange jumpsuits.
It's another fake, folks!!!
Each one is led by a black-clad executioner who is grasping a knife. The only sound is that of the crashing waves. They are made to kneel, and then one by one they are beheaded.
This smells of psyop propaganda, just like all the rest.
The lead executioner, who wears a brown mask over his face, thrusts his dagger at the camera.
“Oh people, recently you have seen us on the hills of as-Sham and Dabiq’s plain, chopping off the heads that have been carrying the cross for a long time,” he says in fluent English, using terms referring to localities in and around Syria. “And today, we are on the south of Rome, on the land of Islam, Libya, sending another message.”
The propaganda doesn't get any more obvious!
‘‘All crusaders: safety for you will be only wishes, especially if you are fighting us all together. Therefore we will fight you all together,’’ the executioner says. ‘‘The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama Bin Laden’s body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood.’’
PFFFFFT!
The high-quality video, which bears the logo of Al Hayat, the official publishing arm of the Islamic State, is in stark contrast to the footage released in the past by affiliates of the group outside of Iraq and Syria.
The footage in those videos was shaky and grainy, suggesting an amateur production. By contrast, the five-minute clip released Sunday is professional and cinematic and is filmed in the same style as previous Islamic State videos, including one that showed the mass beheading of captured Syrian soldiers last year.
Yup, it's a well done professional piece of propaganda.
So who found the thing anyway?
The video suggests that at least some of the Islamic State’s franchises abroad are becoming more tightly linked with the central group.
Stills of the video appeared last week in Dabiq, the Islamic State’s English-language magazine. And the footage released Sunday was preceded by an announcement on the group’s official news media, which foreshadowed the release, saying: “A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross.”
The Egyptian government declared a seven-day mourning period for the victims, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi convened an emergency national security meeting to discuss a response. Sissi sent condolences to ‘‘the victims of terrorism,’’ according to a statement released by the presidency.
Qalini Sanyout, whose two nephews were among the hostages, told the Associated Press by phone from Libya: ‘‘What can we say? Can someone tell us if this is true. The whole village is in mourning. Men are covering their heads with dust and mud.’’
--more--"
And that is your casus belli:
"Egyptians retaliate against Islamic State with airstrikes in Libya" by David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times February 17, 2015
CAIRO — The Egyptian military said Monday that it had carried out airstrikes in Libya in retaliation for the beheading of more than a dozen Egyptian Christians by a branch of the Islamic State extremist group there.
Wouldn't be the first time.
The odd thing is Egypt treats their Christians like second-class citizens, but now they care so much!
Btw, dozens of innocent civilians were killed inn the airstrikes.
In a statement Monday, the Egyptian military said it had conducted airstrikes at dawn against training camps and arms depots of the Islamic State in Libya, but it did not provide further details.
When did ISIS arrive in Libya?
The foreign ministry said that Egyptian warplanes had struck Derna, a town in eastern Libya that is a hub of Islamist militancy. It is also close to the Egyptian border, well within the range of the jets.
The airstrikes represent a significant escalation of Egypt’s role in the continuing battle between armed factions in Libya for control of the country. With the backing of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt has worked covertly to support a Libyan general who is fighting to take back the capital and much of the coast from a rival coalition of militia groups, some of which are made up of Islamist extremists.
They must be referring to Herr Hifter.
In a televised address late Sunday night, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt vowed that his country would take action to avenge the killings.
“Egypt reserves the right to respond, with the appropriate manner and timing, in order to carry out retribution on those killers and criminals who are stripped of the most basic of human values,” Sissi said.
They are sounding more like Israel all the time.
The Egyptian military said in a statement issued around 8:30 a.m. that the dawn strikes were “retribution and response to the criminal acts of terrorist elements and organizations inside and outside the country.”
“We stress that revenge for the blood of Egyptians, and retribution from the killers and criminals, is a right we must dutifully enforce,” the statement said. Egyptian state television showed footage of F-16s taking off in the dark as the statement was read on the air.
The leader of the Libyan air forces for the anti-Islamist faction, Saqer al-Joroushi, appeared on Egyptian state television and estimated that the strikes had killed “not less than 40 or 50” people.
Egypt’s air assault came less than 12 hours after the main Islamic State group released a video online that appeared to show fighters from the group’s self-proclaimed Tripolitania Province beheading more than a dozen Egyptian Christians.
The Christians were among the thousands of Egyptians who routinely travel across the border to Libya to find work in its oil-rich economy, forging a deep connection between the neighboring states. About 20 Egyptian Christians disappeared around the coastal city of Surt weeks ago, and last month the Tripolitania Province released a picture showing that it had captured them.
The video of their beheadings aroused special horror in Egypt and beyond because it was filmed with the theatrical brutality that has become a trademark of the Islamic State.
This isn't funny anymore.
The video appeared to show a row of masked fighters dressed in black and with ceremonial knives at their chests parading more than a dozen captives in orange jumpsuits along a Mediterranean beach in western Libya.
Speaking in English, the lead executioner proclaimed in the video that the fighters were part of the larger Islamic State group fighting in Syria, warned that they would allow no safety to “crusaders,” invoked the American military’s burial at sea of Osama bin Laden, and alluded to apocalyptic prophecies about a battle for Rome.
Oh.
So when does the Mossad bomb the Vatican?
The video appeared to show a greater degree of communication and collaboration between the Islamic State and its Libyan satellite group than Western officials had previously known.
PFFFFFFFFT!!!!
Egypt’s airstrikes on Monday drew it further into the Libyan conflict. Islamist fighters in Libya could now seek to stage attacks across the long, lightly patrolled desert border with Egypt or to increase their support for allied Egyptian militants already attempting to foment an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.
The Egyptian military gave no indication Monday of whether the airstrikes were a one-time punishment or the beginning of a more prolonged military effort.
This is the SECOND INVASION of LIBYA!
The leaders of Libya’s internationally recognized government welcomed the retaliation.
Those are the U.S. puppets.
That government has relocated to the Libyan cities of Tobruk and Bayda, near the Egyptian border, and has allied itself with the general fighting against the Islamist factions.
Who he?
At least three groups of militants inside Libya have proclaimed themselves so-called provinces of the Islamic State, mainly through online messages and videos. Their leaders and locations are unknown.
Sissi, a former general who led the military ouster of President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood here 18 months ago, has made it clear since then that he views the chaos in Libya as a danger to Egypt’s stability.
And it will get the unhappy Egyptian masses looking at a foreign enemy.
--more--"
"Italy to weigh military action in Libya if diplomacy fails" by Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press February 17, 2015
ROME — Italy would consider participating in any military intervention to keep forces from the Islamic State group from advancing in Libya should diplomatic efforts fail, Italian officials said Monday.
Their track record regarding military action isn't very good.
Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti has said Rome could contribute 5,000 troops to lead such a military mission. But Pinotti and Premier Matteo Renzi on Monday sought to dispel the notion Italy already decided on military operations if launched under the auspices of the United Nations.
The people of Italy found out and didn't like it, huh?
Renzi told TG5 TV news that the government would wait to see whether the UN Security Council can work “with a bit more conviction” on a diplomatic solution. UN-sponsored efforts must involve “all the players, the local tribes, African Union countries, Arab countries, the Europeans,” he said.
Italy’s coast is about 200 miles across the Mediterranean from Libya. With security rapidly deteriorating in the North African country, the number of migrants who set out in smugglers boats from Libyan shores toward Italy has surged.
On Sunday alone, Italian authorities rescued more than 2,100 migrants and refugees, many of them fleeing the Syrian war.
Obama's refugees, thank you.
Some in Rome fear Islamic State advances could increase risks that terrorists, mingled among boatloads of migrants, could reach Italy from Libya.
Italy on Sunday became the last Western country to shut its embassy in Tripoli, and its citizens were advised to leave the country. Many Italians work in oil, gas, and construction sectors in Libya, which was occupied for decades by Italy in the last century.
That is a signal that an ATTACK is COMING!
Political support for Italian military involvement was growing Sunday as Egypt carried out airstrikes against Islamic State strongholds across its border in Libya after the extremists beheaded Egyptian Christian hostages.
Sigh.
“From how things are evolving in Libya, frankly, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario different from a military kind of international intervention,” said Enrico Zanetti, a Cabinet undersecretary.
Yeah, I got that.
Renzi said the Italian ambassador had worked to facilitate UN envoy Bernardino Leon’s efforts aimed at a compromise between the internationally recognized government based in Tobruk in eastern Libya and another government in Tripoli, backed by Islamist militias.
Split the country up, right?
On Thursday, the Italian government will brief Parliament about Libya.
The energy-rich North African nation is wracked by the worst fighting since long-ruling dictator Moammar Khadafy was overthrown in 2011.
Another EUSraeli intervention gone kerflooey.
Even after Khadafy forced Italian citizens residing in Libya out of the country in 1970, Italy continued to do business there, including Eni, the Italian oil refiner.
Increased violence has sharply reduced oil output in Libya.
Good. Maybe the price will stabilize before the world economy implodes.
Production fell to 350,000 barrels a day in January compared with 1.6 million barrels a day before Khadafy was toppled, according to Libya’s National Oil Corp. The company said over the weekend that it would stop pumping at all fields if authorities fail to contain attacks that are endangering workers.
Renzi and Italian Cabinet ministers said the government will approach any military intervention with caution.
“On Libya, wisdom, prudence, and a sense of the situation are required,” Renzi said in the TG5 TV interview. “There is no need to jump from total indifference to hysteria and an unreasonable reaction.”
--more--"
I'm sure France will be following them in.
About that oil:
"Oil tumbled to the lowest level in more than five years on speculation that a global supply glut that has driven crude into a bear market will continue through the first half of 2015. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2.1 percent, to $53.61 a barrel, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It had been rising early in the day because of an escalating conflict in Libya. Fires have been extinguished at three of six tanks at Es Sider, Libya’s largest oil port, which were set ablaze after an attack by militants, said a National Oil Corp. spokesman, Mohamed Elharari. Crude also fell as the dollar climbed to a two-year high against the euro, reducing the appeal of raw materials as a store of value. Oil futures contracts plunged 46 percent this year and are on track for the biggest annual drop since 2008 as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries resists supply cuts to defend market share in response to the highest US output of petroleum in three decades."
You can see the tanks burning in the harbor from far, far away 11/4:
What the invaders will have to look forward to:
At least 210 killed in fighting over Libya’s Benghazi
Rights group decries war crimes in Libya
Suicide bombers kill seven troops at Libyan airport
The airport is the only site still under the control of General Khalifa Hifter after he was defeated by a group of Islamist militias, including the extremist group Ansar al-Shariah. Colonel Mohammed Hegazi, a spokesman for the renegade general said the Libyan air force later launched airstrikes to prevent the militias from taking over the airport. In addition to Benghazi, Hifter and Islamist extremist militias battled along a highway linking the eastern city of Darna, known as a stronghold of Islamists, along with another city called al-Qoubba on Wednesday. The clashes near al-Qoubba killed five people, mostly Hifter’s troops, a security official said.
The airport is the only site still under the control of General Khalifa Hifter after he was defeated by a group of Islamist militias, including the extremist group Ansar al-Shariah. Colonel Mohammed Hegazi, a spokesman for the renegade general said the Libyan air force later launched airstrikes to prevent the militias from taking over the airport. In addition to Benghazi, Hifter and Islamist extremist militias battled along a highway linking the eastern city of Darna, known as a stronghold of Islamists, along with another city called al-Qoubba on Wednesday. The clashes near al-Qoubba killed five people, mostly Hifter’s troops, a security official said.
Hopefully the negotiations won't be rejected.
"Militant pleads not guilty in Benghazi attacks" by Pete Yost, Associated Press October 21, 2014
WASHINGTON —A Libyan official said Monday that six days of fighting in Benghazi between Islamist militias and progovernment fighters has left 65 people dead, and fierce battles were continuing.
The official said the death toll includes all those killed since a progovernment offensive began on Oct. 15. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The fighting has displaced thousands of residents. It is occurring as Libyans commemorate the three-year anniversary of the capture and killing of dictator Moammar Khadafy at the end of Libya’s eight-month civil war in 2011.
Bewailing it more like it.
Libya has since faced mounting challenges tied to a proliferation of militias initially formed from rebel forces opposing Khadafy. It now has two rival governments.
One, based in Tripoli, is led by an umbrella group of Islamist militias called Libya Dawn.
You know, the bad guys.
The other — the internationally recognized Parliament elected in June, led by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni — was forced to flee to the remote coastal city of Tobruk, near the Egyptian border, more than 900 miles from Tripoli. It is backed by a few militias of its own, as well as the weak and shattered military.
On Monday, Libya’s Supreme Court set Nov. 5 to issue its ruling on the legitimacy of the Tobruk-based Parliament, possibly helping put an end to the paralyzing standoff in the oil-producing nation.
Meloud al-Zewi, spokesman for Libya’s special forces, said his troops had taken control of an air force barracks on the outskirts of Benghazi.
--more--"
Related: Al Qaeda suspect facing trial in New York dies in custody
How convenient! That's the U.S. government shoving that up your anus.
Now turning to Benghazi:
"Benghazi probe looks set to go deep in 2016 race" by Bradley Klapper, Associated Press September 18, 2014
"Militant pleads not guilty in Benghazi attacks" by Pete Yost, Associated Press October 21, 2014
WASHINGTON —A Libyan official said Monday that six days of fighting in Benghazi between Islamist militias and progovernment fighters has left 65 people dead, and fierce battles were continuing.
The official said the death toll includes all those killed since a progovernment offensive began on Oct. 15. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The fighting has displaced thousands of residents. It is occurring as Libyans commemorate the three-year anniversary of the capture and killing of dictator Moammar Khadafy at the end of Libya’s eight-month civil war in 2011.
Bewailing it more like it.
Libya has since faced mounting challenges tied to a proliferation of militias initially formed from rebel forces opposing Khadafy. It now has two rival governments.
One, based in Tripoli, is led by an umbrella group of Islamist militias called Libya Dawn.
You know, the bad guys.
The other — the internationally recognized Parliament elected in June, led by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni — was forced to flee to the remote coastal city of Tobruk, near the Egyptian border, more than 900 miles from Tripoli. It is backed by a few militias of its own, as well as the weak and shattered military.
On Monday, Libya’s Supreme Court set Nov. 5 to issue its ruling on the legitimacy of the Tobruk-based Parliament, possibly helping put an end to the paralyzing standoff in the oil-producing nation.
Meloud al-Zewi, spokesman for Libya’s special forces, said his troops had taken control of an air force barracks on the outskirts of Benghazi.
--more--"
Related: Al Qaeda suspect facing trial in New York dies in custody
How convenient! That's the U.S. government shoving that up your anus.
Now turning to Benghazi:
"Benghazi probe looks set to go deep in 2016 race" by Bradley Klapper, Associated Press September 18, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of a special House panel on Benghazi charted a course Wednesday for his investigation to stretch deep into a 2016 presidential election that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton seems likely to enter.
Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina vowed to pursue the facts wherever they lead him. Opening his committee’s first public hearing since its establishment four months ago, he stressed the thoroughness of the task ahead, not the need to reach immediate conclusions.
‘‘Given the gravity of the issues at hand, I am willing to risk answering the same question twice rather than risk not answering it once,’’ said Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor leading Congress’s eighth investigation of the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, attack in eastern Libya.
Congress is still seeking documents from the Obama administration related to the attack, he said. More witnesses are being interviewed, and those who have participated in previous investigations will be questioned again. The special investigation was created to ‘‘find all of the facts, and I intend to do so fully,’’ Gowdy said.
The US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in Benghazi when militants stormed a US diplomatic post and, hours later, fired on a CIA compound nearby. The attack became immediate political fodder given its timing in the weeks before President Obama’s re-election.
Some Republicans say that the military held back assets that could have saved lives, and that Obama and Clinton lied to the public about the nature of the attack.
Democrats deride the interest in Benghazi as a right-wing effort to keep talk of scandal fresh and harm a potential Clinton bid for the presidency. They say notions that US forces were ordered to ‘‘stand down’’ during the attack or that Clinton played a direct role in security decisions are fantasy.
We may never know the exact sequence of events; however, the stand down is pretty evident as is the fact that the administration lied about what caused the attack, who was behind it, etc, etc.
Despite pitched political battles between Republicans and Democrats over the last two years, Wednesday’s public debut for the Select Committee on Benghazi took place in a more subdued and bipartisan atmosphere. Still, there was tension as Republicans took turns challenging the State Department’s diplomatic security chief, Gregory Starr, on the security failings that led to the attack and his agency’s efforts since to bolster protection for US embassies and consulates overseas.
Gowdy sought to defend his panel against arguments that it was wasting time and money re-examining Benghazi. The special investigation’s initial budget is $3.3 million. No limits have been placed on what it can investigate or when it should finish.
‘‘To those who believe it is time to move on, to those who believe that there is nothing left to discover, that all the questions have been asked and answered and that we’ve learned all the lessons that there are to be learned, we have heard all of that before,’’ he said. ‘‘And it was wrong then.’’
--more--"
Related:
Gowdy vows to ‘ratchet up’ Benghazi investigation
House Benghazi probe likely to be narrowed
Benghazi inquiry panel to question top Obama officials
Family of Winchester man slain in Benghazi files claims
The real Benghazi scandal
The ‘truth’ about Benghazi, again and again
As if we will find the real truth in what has become more parody than paper.
"House finds no government wrongdoing in Benghazi" by Ken Dilanian, Associated Press November 22, 2014
Cover up.
WASHINGTON — A two-year investigation by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee has found that the CIA and the military acted properly in responding to the 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, and asserted no wrongdoing by Obama administration appointees.
Another scandal buried.
Debunking a series of persistent allegations hinting at dark conspiracies, the investigation of the politically charged incident determined that there was no intelligence failure, no delay in sending a CIA rescue team, and no missed opportunity for a military rescue.
It also found no evidence the CIA was covertly shipping arms from Libya to Syria.
OMG! That is an open secret! They look silly!
************
People in and out of government have alleged that a CIA response team was ordered to ‘‘stand down’’ after the State Department compound came under attack, that a military rescue was nixed, that officials intentionally downplayed the role of Al Qaeda figures in the attack, and that Stevens and the CIA were involved in a secret operation to spirit weapons out of Libya and into the hands of Syrian rebels.
That right there is likely the truth!
None of that is true, according to the House Intelligence Committee report.
That's a confirmation!
The report did find, however....
--more--"
What a bunch of bulls***.
And at the bottom of it all?
House Benghazi probe likely to be narrowed
Benghazi inquiry panel to question top Obama officials
Family of Winchester man slain in Benghazi files claims
The real Benghazi scandal
The ‘truth’ about Benghazi, again and again
As if we will find the real truth in what has become more parody than paper.
"House finds no government wrongdoing in Benghazi" by Ken Dilanian, Associated Press November 22, 2014
Cover up.
WASHINGTON — A two-year investigation by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee has found that the CIA and the military acted properly in responding to the 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, and asserted no wrongdoing by Obama administration appointees.
Another scandal buried.
Debunking a series of persistent allegations hinting at dark conspiracies, the investigation of the politically charged incident determined that there was no intelligence failure, no delay in sending a CIA rescue team, and no missed opportunity for a military rescue.
It also found no evidence the CIA was covertly shipping arms from Libya to Syria.
OMG! That is an open secret! They look silly!
************
People in and out of government have alleged that a CIA response team was ordered to ‘‘stand down’’ after the State Department compound came under attack, that a military rescue was nixed, that officials intentionally downplayed the role of Al Qaeda figures in the attack, and that Stevens and the CIA were involved in a secret operation to spirit weapons out of Libya and into the hands of Syrian rebels.
That right there is likely the truth!
None of that is true, according to the House Intelligence Committee report.
That's a confirmation!
The report did find, however....
--more--"
What a bunch of bulls***.
And at the bottom of it all?
