Qadafi may have fled to Venezuela (unconfirmed but credible British sources)

[visionary]

So some big news in Libya this evening.

Musa Kusa, the Libyan Foreign Minister has defected along with four other major officials.

In other news, it has been leaked that the US has CIA agents on the ground in Libya.

(which isn't all that surprising, although seeing it made public is)

Ok, so let's get to the various recent news reports of the day:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

12:45am Tunisia has become the latest country to freeze Gaddafi's assets, with prime minister Beji Caid Sebsi saying the move was "the least we can do". He said:

We had no problems making that decision.

1:11am Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught tells us that Koussa was not alone, and that there are several senior Libyan government figures waiting to fly to European capitals.

She said they include the current head of intelligence, the oil mininster, the secretary of the general peoples' congress and a deputy foreign minister. She tells us:

It seems the government of Gaddafi is collapsing around him tonight, and they're running for the hills.

But its all about Cololnel Gaddafi here. The people are loyal to him, not to his ministers, so how this will be taken by the Libyan people is another matter - that's if they know what's going on. Today, state TV said that Moussa Koussa was going on holiday. We'll see if they say the same for these others.

1:43am Want more details on those reports of Obama secretly authorising covert ops in Libya? Check out this article:

1:51am CIA officers on the ground in Libya assisted with the rescue of one of two airmen who ejected when their F15E fighter jet crashed last week, sources tell the Associated Press.

2:10am So who let the cat out of the bag about the previously covert operations in Libya? Al Jazeera's John Terrett, reporting from Washington DC, tells us that "the smart money is on Pentagon officials" concerned about mission creep in libya, while also having troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2:24am Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, reporting from Tripoli, says that Moussa Koussa's defection doesn't necessarily mean Gaddafi will be leaving power any time soon:

Will this be seen by Gaddafi as a sign he has no friends left? Who knows? He is a law to himself.

We haven't heard from him much recently, and we've also not heard much from his sons.

2:46am And the air strikes continue. Explosions have reportedly shaken an eastern suburb of Tripoli, as warplanes staged a raid on the Libyan capital, a witness has told the AFP news agency

Libya's state news agency also reported the attack.

Shortly after the aircraft flew over the east and southeast suburbs of the city, explosions could be heard in the southeast Salaheddine district, targeting a military site in the area, said the witness, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia [meaning Splendid Gate] home and compound is located in a southern suburb of the city - whch is also home to 1million people.

Jana, the official Libyan news agency, said "a civilian site in Tripoli has been the target tonight of bombing from the colonialist crusader aggressor." They continued:

The price of any bomb or missile launched by the crusaders on the Libyans is paid for by the Qatari and Emirati governments.

---------- Post added March-30th-2011 at 09:19 PM ----------

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

2:28am New footage has emerged from the first moments of the uprising in Libya, showing gunmen - who appear to be Gaddafi loyalists - shooting unarmed protesters dead.

With armed men dragging people from Benghazi's mosque, others were left to die on the streets.

Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reports from the city.

Kfc5eibgGm0

[Baculus]

If the USA foolishly arm the rebels that does have Al qaeda and Hezbollah among them, I wonder how many US and allied casualties in the future will be related to that weaponry?

Towing the Gaddafi line, eh? So much for conservative support of "freedom." :-)

BTW. there isn't any evidence of a large numbers of extremists, especially Al Qaida, in the ranks of the rebels. The large majority of them from ranks of average citizens, which is why they have more zeal than combat experience.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

3:15am Gaddafi's foreign minister has flown to Britain and is reportedly seeking refuge after abandoning the regime in Libya.

A former spy chief, Koussa is not guaranteed a warm reception in the country, after he was expelled as Libyan ambassador to the UK, having said he would attempt to eliminate political opponents there.

Al Jazeera's Tim Friend has more.

AzgQncRBIgY

---------- Post added March-30th-2011 at 10:45 PM ----------

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

3:47am Our regular liveblog readers will remember that, at about this time yesterday, we mentioned that Nicaragua's first lady announced that former foreign minister Miguel D'Escoto was to become the new Libyan ambassador to the United Nations.

Now Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, has poured cold water on the idea, saying that D'Escoto was only in the US on a tourist visa - which didn't allow him to undertake government business.

She also said that he had been appointed by Moussa Koussa, who has since quit the administration and fled to Britain. Rice told reporters:

I think the first question is whether he's actually been appointed in any legitimate fashion.

D'Escoto is a Roman Catholic priest and a former Sandinista revolutionary, whose left-wing government in Nicaragua was attacked by US-funded Contra fighters during the 1980s. He once called former US president Ronald Reagan "the butcher of my people".

He was understood to have been appointed after Gaddafi's first choice, Ali Treki, was reportedly denied a visa to enter the United States.

http://twitter.com/JoneilCNN

The opposition spokesman in Misrata says the coalition airstrikes need a "change in tactics" when it comes to Gadhafi forces there. #AC360 28 minutes ago via Echofon

http://twitter.com/LibyaInMe

Thank you Paul Wolfowitz for telling Egypt to shut down and jam Libyan State TV.. @andersoncooper 11 minutes ago via web

[twa]

Running covert ops ...won't be long before peace breaks out.

Koussa should be arrested:beatdeadhorse:

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

8:41am De StandaardI, a Belgian newspaper, has posted video of F-16 fighter jets in action over Libya, bombing buildings and planes at a regime-controlled airfield:

vv6xgB7Xz7M

ltV-PjvWZYA

8:59am Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid spent some time driving around the eastern front in Libya with Hatem Al Hodairy, a volunteeer ambulance driver:

UlD3GoKU-GE

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

9:21am Lindsay Graham, an influential Republican senator on the Armed Forces Committee, has weighed in with CNN on the flurry of recent developments in Libya.

Graham says there are "some very sophisticated people" leading the opposition in Libya and that he does not fear the country risks turning into an "al-Qaeda-driven state" if the rebels win:

"You know, to be honest with you, I'm sure there are probably some people under the banner of opposition that are - that may have some al-Qaeda sympathies, but I have zero concern about this turning into an al Qaeda-driven state; and the Libyan people are not going to replace Gadhafi to be run by al Qaeda."

The US mission in Libya needs to be aimed more specifically at taking Gaddafi out of power by force, Graham said, using overwhelming airpower - specifically A-10 and AC-130 warplanes. He also said he considers Gaddafi an "unlawful enemy combatant."

http://www.libyafeb17.com/

09:12 Reuters Revolutionaries have massed outside Brega and say their forces are still fighting Col Gaddafi’s troops for control of the east Libyan oil town.

10:15 NATO Secretary General Rasmussen has confirmed that the alliance has taken over international air operations over Libya this morning at 0600 GMT.

10:50 The Guardian Gaddafi’s regime has been ordered to appear before Africa’s highest court to face charges of “massive violations of human rights” for killing peaceful demonstrators. The court declares the regime must immediately stop any action that would result in loss of life or breach of human rights. The announcement from the court in Arusha, Tanzania, is likely to be welcomed by Nato.

11:17 BBC‘s Nick Springate is between Ajdabiya and Brega, he says: “In the last few minutes, opposition forces who were travelling down the coastal road have been hit by artillery. One round landed on their lead vehicle, destroying their vehicle, and without doubt killing those inside.”

11:56 AFP Nato’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he is opposed to the idea of arming Libyan rebels, stressing Nato is in the country to protect and not to arm Libyans, AFP reports.

12:43 Reuters Nato has said it is investigating reports of civilian casualties during coalition strikes on Tripoli. “We are making inquiries to the chain of command to see if there is any substance, but don’t have information to corroborate [them],” an official was quoted by Reuters as saying. “We will do everything we can to determine if anything did happen.” A top Vatican official in Tripoli cited what they called reliable witnesses as saying at least 40 civilians have been killed in air strikes on the city.

The BBC‘s Ben Brown in Ajdabiya says the rebels are still coming under ferocious fire from tanks and artillery. They appear to be losing ground quickly, he says, as the regime troops slowly but surely move eastwards.

13:39 DIRECT from Misratah Wefaq Media confirm Gaddafi’s forces are still shelling and bombarding the city specifically in the eastern entrance near the Medical Technology College and in Tripoli Street. Eyewitness confirm that Gaddafi’s forces are using civilian cars to bring in supplies and mercenaries in an attempt to avoid being targets for air strikes.

13:45 Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent has just reported that Gaddafi’s forces are bombarding the eastern entrance of the city of Brega

---------- Post added March-31st-2011 at 08:20 AM ----------

http://twitter.com/LibyaFeb17_com

20 civilians killed in Misrata on Wednesday - #libya #feb17 - http://t.co/vJT4HUu half a minute ago via Tweet Button

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201133192759573836.html

'No immunity' for Libyan foreign minister

UK foreign minister says Moussa Koussa, once Gaddafi's spy chief, is "distressed and dissatisfied" by events in Libya.

Last Modified: 31 Mar 2011 11:36

Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister who resigned his position and fled to the United Kingdom, has not been offered immunity from prosecution and is "voluntarily talking" to authorities, British Foreign Minister William Hague said on Thursday.

Koussa was staying in a safe and secure place and engaged in ongoing discussions with British diplomats, including some who worked at the now-shuttered embassy in Libya, Hague said.

"His resignation shows that [Muammar] Gaddafi's regime ... is fragmented, under pressure and crumbling from within," he said.

Hague said Koussa had been his contact with the regime in recent weeks and that he had spoken with him several times.

"One thing I gathered between the lines of my telephone calls ... was that he was very distressed and dissatisfied" by the regime's response to protests, Hague said.

Koussa's resignation deals a serious political blow to Gaddafi, Libya's leader for 41 years, even as the regime's troops beat back rebels in the east.

---------- Post added March-31st-2011 at 08:30 AM ----------

http://twitter.com/NicRobertsonCNN

Govt spokesman speechless. At least temporarily. Says he will have statement once all facts are available to him. about 13 hours ago via web

In hotel, Musa Kusa's resignatn/defectn seems to hv taken govt officials & minders by surprise. Sms they believd he was really comng back. about 13 hours ago via web

Over 14 hours since Foreign Minister Musa Kusa quit and still no comment from rattled regime, who will follow ? 8 minutes ago via web

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1244: A Libyan government spokesman has said Col Gaddafi and his sons are still in Libya and will "remain here until the end," Reuters reports.

#1316: "Artillery bombardment resumed this morning and is still going on. The [pro-Gaddafi] brigades could not enter the town\rbut they are surrounding it," the spokesman, called Sami, told Reuters by telephone. About the shelling on Wednesday, he said: "Many people were wounded. Massacres\rare taking place in Misrata.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

2:12pm NATO is holding a press conference to brief reporters on their campaign in Libya - Operation Unified Protector. Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, the chariman of NATO's military committee, just finished speaking, and soon we'll hear from Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, who is commanding the operation itself.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

11:56am The four New York Times' journalists who were captured by Gaddafi's forces in Libya talk about their experience on video:

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/03/30/world/africa/100000000752052/libyafour.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/africa/23times.html?_r=1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1340: Coalition forces have bombed pro-Gaddafi forces near Brega, and they have been pushed back to the village of Bishr, west of the city, BBC Monitoring reports, quoting privately-owned online newspaper Libya al-Yawm. "Brega: Alliance forces bomb the hardware of Gaddafi's brigades near the village of al-Urqub to the south of Brega... Brega: Gaddafi brigades driven back to the area of the village of Bishr west of Brega," the paper said.

[AsburySkinsFan]

So is it safe to say that Qadafi isn't in Venezuela?

[visionary]

So is it safe to say that Qadafi isn't in Venezuela?

Probably...lol.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1403: A spokesman for the Libyan government, Moussa Ibrahim, has shrugged off Moussa Koussa's departure: "We are not relying on individuals to lead this struggle. This is the struggle of a whole nation. It's not dependent on individuals or officials. It doesn't matter how high-ranking they are. We have millions of people leading this struggle. And this is a fact. So if anyone feels tired, feels sick or exhausted and they want to take a rest, it just happens."

They seem to be sticking to the taking a vacation story.

I'm seeing on Al Jazeera new formations and organization by the opposition forces.

They have sent out some spotters along the sides to look for flanking artillery.

Also radios and coordinating equipment is now being used somewhat.

The reporter says that they seem to be listening more to the commanders and are trying to be more restrained and firing less into the air.

A couple of times she saw men go off in a flanking maneuver and then get excited and rush too far forward. (So there's still improvement to be made, as would be expected this early.)

---------- Post added March-31st-2011 at 10:00 AM ----------

Some more big diplomatic news concerning Libya!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1420: A former Libyan foreign minister whom Col Gaddafi had appointed as his UN ambassador,Ali Abdussalm Treki, has refused to take up any official position and condemned the "spilling of blood", Reuters reports. Mr Treki made the remarks in a statement sent to Reuters by his nephew, Soufian Treki, a Libyan diplomat at the Arab League in Cairo. He said his uncle was in Cairo now.

#1422: Mr Treki said in a statement: "I have decided not to continue work or to accept any duty. I pray to God to help me participate in saving this precious nation." He called for a national dialogue to discuss Libyan aspirations.

I think the reason Gaddafi wanted a Nicuraguan to be his envoy to the UN, is because he knew any Libyan he sent out of the country now would not come back. :ols:

http://twitter.com/panosharitos

#1450: Journalist Panos Haritos tweets: "When I enter #Libya 6 weeks ago, it was just the revolution flag. Today next to them, flag is the French USA, UK, EU&NATO."

http://twitter.com/NicRobertsonCNN

@NicRobertsonCNN: After day of silence on Musa Kusa, government spksman says will have presconf in 20mins half a minute ago via TweetDeck

[visionary]

http://twitter.com/acarvin

Sec Gates: Pres Obama has no additional military moves in mind for Libya beyond those already authorized. Me: So much for jujitsu. 12 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Gates: Other countries can train and assist Libyan rebels; others besides US should do that. - Reuters 11 minutes ago via TweetDeck

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

2:36pm Some key points from the first half of the NATO press briefings by Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, the chairman of NATO's military committee, and Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, the commander of the operation in Libya:

--NATO is aware of a report of civilian casualties in Tripoli. The top Vatican official in the Libyan capital, Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, told Catholic news agency Fides that at least 40 civilians died in Tripoli when a building collapsed. He also said air strikes had "indirectly" hit hospitals, including one in Mizda, 145km southwest of Tripoli. General Bouchard said NATO is investigating to determine whether its forces were involved.

--NATO will block arm shipments into Libya by sea, no matter where they are coming from, but Admiral Di Paolo is "confident" no allies are thinking about doing that.

--There are no NATO forces on the ground.

--Admiral Di Paolo said he was "not surprised" that NATO supreme commander and US Admiral James Stavridis mentioned "flickers" of intelligence that Hezbollah and al-Qaeda might be active in Libya. Such indications should be expected, he said.

http://www.tweetdeck.com/twitter/hamzamu/~IxyCF

#libya #Misrata , #Turkey sent a ship to evacuate some victims & give some supplies yet refused to get to the harbor for days & yet 4 aids ships arrived to Misrata Libyans Wondering !

@Weaver2World The aid ship is at the sea for more than 5 days refused to dock !!! its AID ship ! about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck in reply to Weaver2World

@Weaver2World Turks ambassador called the hospital in Misrata 6 days ago tell them the ship arrived yet nothing came !!! still in SEA refused to get to the harbor

#Egypt #Libya #Misrata : Refuges Camp Egyptians are the main majorties ,Egyptian ambassador in tripoli calimed its impossible to evacuate them and many countires evacuated their citizins ! They call Qutar , UN , Europe for HELP " cause they had enough from the Egyptian Authorties "

http://twitter.com/LibyaNewMedia

Correction @hamzamu is an Egyptian Medical Doctor & not a medic as suggested earlier. Tweeting from under-fire Misurata, Libya. less than a minute ago via web

The government spokesman is still towing the party line on tv right now.

I don't know why he hasn't left yet.

Wow, that was a pretty hilarious press conference.

He doesn't seem to know where anyone is.

Now they have some civilians lying about a peace drive that as far as I know, never happened.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

4:33pm Human rights and mine experts on Thursday said that Gaddafi's forces have planted land mines including Brazilian-made anti-personnel mines and Egyptian-made anti-tank mines in areas around Ajdabiya.

Monitors discovered two minefields following Saturday's retreat of government troops, believed to have been laid during their 10-day occupation of the crossroads town south of the rebel capital, Benghazi.

Human Rights Watch monitor in Benghazi, Peter Bouckaert, said his team found stocks of mines abandoned by Gaddafi's forces.

We found 12 warehouses of anti-vehicle mines in Benghazi, tens of thousands of them.

Bouckaert's team also found 35 warehouses full of munitions in Ajdabiya, which had no land mines but had vast quantities of artillery shelss, mortar bombs and anti-tank missiles.

Wonder what they did with all those weapons they found....

From what I'm hearing on AJE, it seems that opposition forces are holding the ground in Brega so far.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1627: A fishing trawler packed with food and medical equipment has docked in rebel-held Misrata, bringing one of the first aid shipments to the besieged Libyan city since it came under attack by Col Gaddafi's forces 10 days ago, AFP reports.

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1742: A former member of the Libyan embassy in London has told the BBC that the Libyan diplomat who defected on Thursday in London is believed to be Tarek Khalid Ibrahim Awad, who was first counsellor and deputy head of the mission.

#1657: Dutch armed forces are to help maintain the no-fly zone over Libya, the government has announced. The Netherlands will send a mine hunter, a KDC-10 tanker aircraft and six F-16 fighter jets, the NRC Handelsblad website reported, citing a government statement.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

5:37pm Turkye's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected the idea of arming the Libyan rebels to remove Gaddafi from office.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his British counterpart David Cameron in London, he said:

Doing that would create a different situation in Libya and we do not find it appropriate to do that.

This could also create an environment which could be conducive to terrorism, and that would itself be dangerous. It should be NATO which should protect the civilians from cruelty.

http://twitter.com/hamzamu

#Libya +18 Graphic Photo #Misrata History archive http://yfrog.com/h22y7wtj 5 minutes ago via TweetDeck

It's a dead baby.

#Libya #Misrata Massacre by Gaddafi units http://yfrog.com/h02i9ptj 2 minutes ago via TweetDeck

#Libya #Misrata Masscare Archive 03 , +18 Photo http://yfrog.com/h4mfjsmj 1 minute ago via TweetDeck

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011331142051984358.html

Troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have continued their advance against pro-democracy fighters as they moved eastwards toward Brega.

Brega is one of several oil towns along the fiercely contested coastal strip. Ras Lanuf and Es Sider, west of Brega, have both been retaken by Gaddafi's forces. Zueitina, east of Brega, is still in rebel hands.

Some rebel forces fell back on Wednesday as far as the town of Ajdabiya, the gateway to the east about 150 kilometres south of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Ajdabiya was still in rebel hands on Thursday.

For several weeks pro-democracy fighters and forces loyal to Gaddafi have been fighting across a strip of land between Ajdabiya and Bin Jawad.

Rebels armed mainly with pick-ups mounted with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 assault rifles have been unable to hold on to gains despite almost two weeks of air strikes by coalition forces.

Brega and Misurata reportedly came under heavy attack from Gaddafi's forces on Thursday, with the frontline moving closer to Ajdabiya.

[visionary]

http://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

#BREAKINGNEWS, Source tells me:"UK will very soon officially recognize #Libya National Transitional council." Will try to find more on this. about 21 hours ago via web

Watch me tonight on Al Aan TV at 0600 pm #Libya time, 0800 #UAE time, speaking to the only female fighter on the frontline. #feb16 #Benghazi about 5 hours ago via web

Only female on frontline Fawziya tells me:" I learned how to use a gun but I didn't use it yet. I mainly help rebels with logistics." #Libya 38 minutes ago via web

Fawziya, #Libya only female fighter,came back 2day to #Benghazi to celebrate her kid's birthday.Tomorrow she heads back to frontline. #Libya 36 minutes ago via web

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1943: Sky News tweets: "Witness reports a dozen loud explosions and rocket fire in West Libyan city of Misrata"

http://twitter.com/LibyaFeb17_com

DIRECT from Misratah: Coalition fighter jets air striking Gaddafi's tanks in Misratah right now - #Libya - http://t.co/emklZCD 8 minutes ago via web

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-31

7:17pm A senior Libyan diplomat has announced his resignation and fled to Egypt, becoming the second high-profile reported defection from Gaddafi's government in as many days.

Ali Abdessalam Treki, who was recently named as Libya's envoy to the UN, said in a statement posted on several opposition websites that he is not going to accept that job or any other.

We should not let our country fall into an unknown fate. It is our nation's right to live in freedom, democracy and a good life.

An Al Jazeera English reporter in Tunisia just said that 32 cars with Libyan diplomats have crossed over into Tunisia in the past few days.

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#2047: Norway says arming Libyan rebels would violate the UN resolution authorising limited action against Col Gaddafi. "We will not contribute to arming the rebels," said Minister of Defence Grete Faremo. Norway has sent six F-16 fighter jets to help enforce the no-fly zone

http://twitter.com/LibyaFeb17_com

Almanara Media: 10 tanks are stationed near the gas factory which is 10km east of Zwarah - #Libya - http://t.co/emklZCD about 1 hour ago via web

Zintan Phonecall: "They attack us from the north, west and south today" - #libya #feb17 - http://t.co/zds3IRm about 1 hour ago via Tweet Button

BREAKING: 20 military trucks & Grad missile launchers stationed in Teejee district west Nalut right now - #Libya - http://t.co/emklZCD 40 minutes ago via web

These probably ought to be uh disabled before they're used to kill more civilians.

Al Jazeera Arabic: A reinforcements convoy of Grad missile launchers headed from Benghazi to Ajdabiya - #Libya - http://t.co/emklZCD 17 minutes ago via web

Head of Libyan Council: Revolutionaries lack organisation. A change in military leadership very possible - #Libya - http://t.co/emklZCD 9 minutes ago via web

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#2131: A BBC contact in Misrata, Mohamed, says the shelling and killing goes on in the rebel-held city. "Misrata is still under fire. We are still being shelled. Tanks and snipers are continuing to wreak havoc. The whole city is in flames. I have sick children and they are terrified."

http://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi

Clashes reported in Zwara, heavy presence of Gaddafi troops there. #Libya half a minute ago via web

http://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

Fawziyah, only female on Libya frontline. http://twitpic.com/4ff9c0 13 minutes ago via Twitpic

---------- Post added March-31st-2011 at 05:01 PM ----------

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#2157: Libyan state television has broadcast footage showing a pro-Gaddafi protestor in London yanking open his jacket and vowing to turn himself an "explosive bomb", a video on YouTube shows. The incident is said to have occurred at the protest near the Foreign Office in Whitehall on 29 March. In the clip, which has been circulated widely on social media, the man refers to anti-Gaddafi protestors as "traitors and rats", and exhorts Libyans to "return to the Koran".

[visionary]

http://twitter.com/LibyaFeb17_com

DIRECT from Misratah: 9 Gaddafi snipers successfully sniped by revolutionary snipers today #Libya - http://t.co/emklZCD (try saying it fast) 37 minutes ago via web

DIRECT from Misratah: Battles in the city today claimed the lives of 7 martyrs - #Libya - http://t.co/emklZCD 34 minutes ago via web

BREAKING: Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem says he is still in #Libya & will appear on TV in a few minutes - http://t.co/emklZCD 24 minutes ago via web

I thought Musa Kusa's family went to Tunisia with him

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/31/gaddaf-envoy-britain-secret-talks-exit-strategy

Colonel Gaddafi's regime has sent one of its most trusted envoys to London for confidential talks with British officials, the Guardian can reveal.

Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, visited London in recent days, British government sources familiar with the meeting have confirmed.

The contacts with Ismail are believed to have been one of a number between Libyan officials and the west in the last fortnight, amid signs that the regime may be looking for an exit strategy.

Disclosure of Ismail's visit comes in the immediate aftermath of the defection to Britain of Moussa Koussa, Libya's foreign minister and the country's former external intelligence head, who has been Britain's main conduit to the Gaddafi regime since the early 1990s.

A team led by the British ambassador to Libya, Richard Northern, and MI6 officers, embarked on a lengthy debriefing of Koussa at a safe house after he flew into Farnborough airport on Wednesday night from Tunisia. Government sources said the questioning would take time because Koussa's state of mind was "delicate" after he left his family in Libya.

The Foreign Office declined "to provide a running commentary" on contacts with Ismail or other regime officials. But news of the meeting comes amid mounting speculation that Gaddafi's sons, foremost among them Saif al-Islam, Saadi and Mutassim, are anxious to explore a way out of the crisis in Libya.

"There has been increasing evidence recently that the sons want a way out," said a western diplomatic source.

Although he has little public profile in either Libya or internationally, Ismail is recognised by diplomats as being a key fixer and representative for Saif al-Islam.

According to cables published by WikiLeaks, Ismail has represented the Libyan government in arms purchase negotiations and acted as an interlocutor on military and political issues.

"The message that was delivered to him is that Gaddafi has to go and that there will be accountability for crimes committed at the international criminal court," a Foreign Office spokesman told the Guardian , declining to elaborate on what else may have been discussed.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

A rebel stands inside a bullet-riddled guard house at a roadside checkpoint on the outskirts of Ajdabiya on March 31 [Reuters]

http://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

BREAKINGNEWS: #Brega fully controlled by #Gaddafi troops, who are now specifically gathered 50 kms away from #Ajdabya. #Libya 7 minutes ago via web

Damn. I was watching Al Jazeera English earlier, and they showed the growing organization and discipline in the opposition ranks and better strategy. They also showed Gaddafi's mortars destroying some opposition cars and fighters from far away and forcing people to move back rather than be flattened.

---------- Post added March-31st-2011 at 06:30 PM ----------

I'm getting nervous about the military situation in Libya. Gaddafi seems to still have plenty of troops and artillery and enough tanks to blow up some cities. The opposition in the east keeps being pushed back, while more and more civilians in the west are being killed by the day as Gaddafi's forces try to crack down harder on western cities.

From everything I've heard and seen today, no one really seems to want to arm the rebels or help train them, and the air strikes either aren't hitting the right targets, or aren't happening frequent enough to make a lot of difference. It seems as if it's only a matter of hours before Ajdibiya is once again besieged (luckily there is hardly anyone left there now) and then perhaps that catastrophe Obama mentioned will be looming over Benghazi once more in the next few days.

The only way I see things changing for the better in time is if NATO is able to wipe out a large portion of the remaining Gaddafi military power in the next day or so, or some sort of diplomatic coup takes place in Tripoli. Although there is the chance that the opposition could somehow push Gaddafi's forces in the east back and suddenly start fighting much more effectively.

I don't know how likely that is at the moment though.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

12:20am Gadadfi's forces have advanced this week - because of the weather, says the US military. Admiral Mike Mullen, the country's top military officer, told senators:

The biggest problem the last three or four days has been weather.

We have not been able to see through the weather or get through the weather to be able to do this kind of identification of targets ...

And that has more than anything else reduced the impact... reduced the effectiveness, and has allowed the regime forces to move back to the east.

Gaddafi's forces had consolidated their positions to the south of Ajdabiya and were expected to renew an offensive towards Benghazi, Mullen said.

Well I hope the weather is a lot better over the next few days.

I thought we weren't in charge of the airstrikes anymore though....

12:45am US defence secretary Robert Gates says there will no US "boots on the ground" in Libya - despite reports that CIA operatives are already active within the country, making contacts with anti-Gaddafi fighters and officials, and guiding air strikes.

There's a CNN reporter in Misrata now who arrived via a boat. He says that in some places the opposition is manning checkpoints while very lightly armed with knives and makeshift guns that they put together. And elsewhere in the city tanks and gaddafi troops with rpgs and mortars farther out are in control. He said that the opposition do still control a large part of the city though and they seem to have good moral and believe they will win somehow.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/31/libya.misrata/index.html?hpt=C1

Misrata, Libya (CNN) -- Five weeks of battle and Misrata looks grim. Bullets have made Swiss cheese of buildings. Wreckage litters streets that are empty save opposition fighters desperately defending their city against Moammar Gadhafi's heavy armor.

The Libyan leader laid siege to the nation's third largest and most prosperous city after opposition fighters took control here. Just two hours east of Tripoli, it was the final rebel stronghold in the West.

Now it is a city of fear, uncertainty and human suffering.

International reporters had not been able to access central Misrata and many of CNN's reports were cobbled together from interviews with witnesses and doctors. That was until Wednesday, when CNN journalists were able to reach the city by boat.

The fishing trawler was commissioned by two wealthy Libyan businessman from England to carry 150 tons of food, medicine and other basic supplies. A heart surgeon on board said he wants to do everything he can to help: Libya is in "mortal danger" and he could not stand by without doing his share.

Gadhafi's tank-supported forces lob shells into Misrata from their encampments. Rooftop snipers take aim at civilians from the Libyan Insurance Company building, Misrata's tallest, on Tripoli Street in the heart of the city. A green flag flutters atop, signifying support for Gadhafi.

One Misrata resident says Gadhafi's men are going door-to-door evicting and terrorizing people. It's "utter madness," he said Thursday, fearing a massacre.

Bullets zing through the air. Tension hangs thick and heavy.

An opposition fighter celebrates atop the carcass of a tank. Another shows the consequences of Gadhafi's heavy hand -- destroyed schools, restaurants, gas stations, fire stations.

Gadhafi's foes say they are outgunned and fight back with the few weapons they possess, including rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. They provided CNN with a video of a man disabling a tank with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

At a relocated orphanage, children, traumatized by bombs and bullets, rock back and forth chanting "Allahu Akbar." God is Great.

At a school, entire families displaced from their homes find comfort in one another. They have nothing else left of their lives, says Masoud el-Masoudi, who came to the shelter a week ago with his wife and three children after their house on Benghazi Street was shelled.

At a makeshift refugee camp next to the port, Libya's largest, foreign workers trapped in the nation's war simply try to survive each day. They are from places like Niger, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Egypt. They have nothing but the bread people bring them to feed their aching bellies, says Masahudu Idris, 29, of Ghana. The shops are empty and there is no food they can buy, he says.

At the central hospital -- where men, women and children lie in crowded rooms, forever scarred -- doctors work around the clock without proper equipment, medicine or even anesthesia.

"We don't go from here," says Dr. Ali el-Misrati. "We sleep here. We live here now."

The chief of the hospital, Dr. Mohammed Fortia, says 398 people have been killed in Misrata since the Libyan conflict began last month. Five were killed Wednesday, he says. He fears more have died. The hospital just doesn't know about them.

I'm not sure if that takes into account bodies dragged away or people kidnapped from or killed in theirs houses in other areas of the city. The number is lower than I would have expected though.

---------- Post added March-31st-2011 at 08:14 PM ----------

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

1:38am Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the US-based Nation Of Islam, has defended Gaddadi "as a brother", and said Libya has loand "millions of dollars" to his movement, says the Associated Press news agency.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

3:35am Henry Schuler, a former US diplomat to Libya, is wary of taking Moussa Koussa's flight to Britain at face value. He told Al Jazeera's Inside Story that officials should be cautious of treating his reports as entirely factual:

We have to bear in mind that its rather unusual that Moussa Koussa was able to leave Libya without being detected. Especially since his name was conspicuously absent from the no travel and asset freeze sanctions - that should have been a warning to Gaddafi that something was afoot, that someone was trying to lure him away.

I can't believe entirely that Gaddafi simply missed the chance to stop him from leaving. I'm not sure he's not out doing an errand for Gaddafi - as he did throughout the past decade.

We're told he's going to talk about what conditions were like and they're hoping to get intelligence as to Gaddafi's state of mind - and if he provides disinformation in that respect, it will make it extremely difficult to make a reasonable assessment of how the regime is standing up.

There's a great danger in psychological warfare, which the British are conducting in this case, of blowback - where the people who are waging a psychological battle begin to believe their own propaganda.

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#0646: Speaking on a visit to China, Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has said the crisis in Libya cannot be resolved through military means and called for a cease-fire.

0715: The rebels are probably beginning to accept that they cannot win this battle on their own, says the BBC's Ben Brown in Ajdabiya. Airstrikes have been hindered by cloud cover in the last couple of days, thwarting any rebel advances, although they are expected to push for more ground today around Brega, he adds

#0804: With their advance stalled, some rebels consider a collapse of the Gaddafi regime their best bet of victory, says the BBC's Ben Brown in Ajdabiya. Our correspondent says many in the city are living in fear of an invasion by pro-government forces.

#0809: From Tripoli, our world affairs editor John Simpson says there is no sign whatsoever of the system collapsing, although he adds that often in situations like these the first sign of a government collapse is when it actually happens.

#0916: Our colleagues at BBC Monitoring report that Libyan intelligence chief Abuzayd Umar Durdah has called into Libyan state TV denying claims he had defected. He called into a live discussion programme on the state-owned Al-Jamahiriyah TV channel late on Thursday night, saying: "I don't have one reason to depart the homeland or to betray the people or the leader and the victorious revolution he is leading."

#1108: The BBC's Ben Brown has more on the Libyan doctor's report on civilian deaths near Brega (see 1035). The doctor said the coalition airstrike had targeted a pro-Gaddafi convoy, but that missiles hit a truck carrying ammunitions. The truck was between two houses when it exploded, killing three girls from the same family. The BBC has been unable to confirm this information.

#1111: The doctor told the BBC that the family of the dead girls had no bitterness and wanted the strikes to continue, says our correspondent.

#1121: Here's more from Libyan intelligence chief Abuzayd Umar Durdah, who called in to state TV last night to deny reports he was defecting. He told them: "It is impossible for Abuzayd Durdah to think, not only when awake but even when dreaming, of leaving Libya or the Libyan people or the revolution, or betraying its leader Muammar al-Gaddafi...I am in Libya and am going to stay in it, and I am steadfast in the victorious revolution's trench."

#1129: Rebel leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil has told a news conference in Benghazi: "We have no objection to a ceasefire but on condition that Libyans in western cities have full freedom in expression their views."

1213: Meanwhile, Qatar is set to provide fuel, medicine, food and other humanitarian needs to Libya's rebels as part of a deal to market oil from rebel-held eastern Libya, a top rebel finance official is quoted as telling Reuters.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

12:56pm "Our main condition for ceasefire is that the Gaddafi forces have to leave the inside of the cities and leave the embargo imposed on them. At that moment the world will see that the Libyan people aspire for freedom," Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the head of Libyan National Transitional Council, said at the press conference in Benghazi.

1:02pm Mustafa Abdel Jalil also called for the removal of "mercenary" troops from the streets under any ceasefire.

Abdel Jalil said rebels would need weapons if Gaddafi's forces did not stop attacking civilians, repeating calls for assistance to battle better-equipped forces of the Libyan leader. He also said rebels would not back down from their main demand that Gaddafi and his family leave Libya.

1:37pm Rebel spokesman tells Reuters that pro-Gaddafi forces are attacking the city of Misurata with tanks, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

1:52pm A man called Sami from Misurata tells Reuters by telephone:

We no longer recognise the place. The destruction cannot be described. The pro-Gaddafi soldiers who made it inside the city through Tripoli Street are pillaging the place, the shops, even homes, and destroying everything in the process.

They are targeting everyone, including civilians' homes. I don't know what to say, may Allah help us.

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1329: The BBC's Nick Springate reports from Libya's eastern town of Brega that for the first time, rag-tag rebel forces have been bolstered by a number of well-armed, seemingly well-trained soldiers in full military attire. It's not clear where they've come from, our correspondent says, but their very presence has boosted morale on the front line. "

#1336: Our correspondent says the rebels are now starting a major onslaught on Brega, having given a boisterous reception to two key rebel figures - the former interior minister and the former head of the armed forces. Brega's significance is as one of the major oil towns on the route to Col Gaddafi's birthplace of Sirte, our correspondent adds.

The latest news is that the opposition has retaken Brega.

Gaddafi's forces were forced out of the city earlier today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1435: This just in from the US: The CIA has sent a small, covert team into rebel-held eastern Libya while the White House debates whether to arm the opposition, NPR reports. The operatives are in Libya to gather intelligence to help direct NATO airstrikes and to help train inexperienced rebel fighters, it says.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

2:25pm Rebel fighters throw a man from Chad into the back of a pick-up truck at a checkpoint, after he was captured in Ajdabiyah, in Libya. [Reuters]

3:20pm A brutal illustration of how the lack of training on the opposition fighters' side has a human cost. These men grieve for Ibrahim El Felah, an opposition fighter in Ajdabiya who accidently shot himself dead while at the front line. [Reuters]

3:44pm In this phone call from Misurata, posted on the Voices of Feb 17 Audiboo page about 16 hours ago, a resident describes "two weeks of hell". He says the town has been under "relentless attack" from pro-Gaddafi forces, who are using tanks, heavy artillery and mortars to target neighbourhoods and the city's key port.

He says that the pro-Gaddafi forces now occupy a "large part of the main street", and that the humanitarian sitution is "very dire".

4:11pm Reporting from the front lines has been difficult throughout this conflict, and today we're told that a Fox News crew attempted to gain access to Ajdabiya, but were turned away after getting about 200m inside the city's western gate by the opposition. Fighters say they are not prepared to let any journalists in at the present time.

---------- Post added April-1st-2011 at 11:13 AM ----------

http://twitter.com/LibyaFeb17_com

BREAKING: Coalition jets air strike Gaddafi forces near Brega. Revolutionaries follow with Grad missile strikes #Libya http://bit.ly/gcfWwc 20 minutes ago via web

I haven't seen any confirmation yet of new airstrikes today, since they blew up the ammo vehicle in Brega. So I'm not sure if this is accurate.

Amongst Misratah's casualties yesterday were a father and his daughter killed when a tank shelled their car - #Libya - http://bit.ly/gcfWwc 12 minutes ago via web

http://twitter.com/LibyanDictator

Continued aggressive shelling on #Misrata's residential areas. 3 confirmed dead many more injured, all civilians. #Libya #Feb17 22 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

BREAKING: #Misrata fighters force brigades to retreat after violent attempts to enter further into city. Shelling continues. #Libya #Feb17 18 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

4:52pm The Associated Press reports that a US military plane has crashed, and the pilot has been injured, according to German police. It remains unclear what the circumstance around the crash are, and whether or not the plane was involved in operations in the Mediterranean theatre.

A reporter in Benghazi says that the opposition is only allowing experienced fighters through Ajdabiya now.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

5:00pm The French tricolour has joined the pre-Gaddafi Libyan flag as a popular item being sold by street vendors in Benghazi. Flags are going for about five dinars (about $3), and French flags adorn many buildings and cars.

---------- Post added April-1st-2011 at 11:30 AM ----------

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1517: Spain says it will create and fund two humanitarian "land corridors" to send aid to the rebel-stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya. Secretary of State for Co-operation Soraya Rodriguez says Madrid has struck a deal with the Arab Medical Association, based in Cairo, which will convey humanitarian supplies.

#1524: Hiefa, who has contacts in Misrata tells the BBC: "Now there is a battle between the rebels and Gaddafi's force in Misrata in the heavy transport road. Gaddafi's forces have been able to access the main warehouses of goods supply.

They are bombing the fuel and water stores. At the same time, Gaddafi's forces are bombing the city centre heavily and randomly. If Gaddafi succeeds in trying to control these areas, he will destroy Misrata in a couple of hours.

The situation there [is] very serious. People in Misrata wondering why the coalition force has not stopped Gaddafi's force until now? "

#1531: Nato says sandstorms have been hampering its ability to identify air strike targets in Libya, although the weather was said to be improving on Friday.

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12776418

#1606: Following on from Spain's announcement that it will fund "humanitarian corridors" to Benghazi, the EU now says it will mount a military operation to support humanitarian assistance - if asked to by the UN - called EUFOR Libya.

#1631: Back now to Libya: Gunfire has been heard near Col Gaddafi's fortified compound in Tripoli, Reuters reports. Resident said they saw snipers on rooftops and pools of blood on the streets. The reports cannot be verified.

(don't forget to check bottom part of the previous post for updates you may have missed.)

[No Excuses]

Visionary, just wanna thank you for all the time you've put into this thread. It would have been impossible to keep up without your updates.

[visionary]

http://twitter.com/libyanexpat

My father is meeting now with freedom fighters fresh from zintan battlefield, many with horrific injuries but much hope #heroes #Libya 42 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone

@LibyaInMe no, he's in djerba tunis helping out Libyans with food /shelter etc. Many there escaped Gadaffi brutality but have nothing #Libya 35 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to LibyaInMe

@LibyaInMe said that the guys he's with are heading back to zintan tmrw inshallah to continue the struggle #Libya 37 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to LibyaInMe

@LibyaInMe alhamdulilah many expat-Libyans provided generous donations to help with shelter and food for the Libyans there with nothing. 32 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to LibyaInMe

@LibyaInMe I know it's unbelievable, he said thy had just arrived from zintan last night thru secret border crossings+ were headed back tmrw 31 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to LibyaInMe

@LibyaInMe he's having dinner with 6 of them right now, #wishiwastherehelpingthecause #Libya 29 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to LibyaInMe

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

6:37pm The Jamestown Foundation, a US-based think tank, says that Khalifa Hefta, a military commander with the opposition played a key role in the 1969 coup that initially brought Gaddafi to power.

Hefta broke with Gaddafi in 1987, however, according to the think tank, and he has lived in exile for the last 20 years and may be "the best liaison for the UNited States and allied NATO forces in dealing with Libya's unruly rebels".

7:16pm Catheron Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, says (through a spokesman) that the bloc will launch a military operation with boots on the ground to support humanitarian assistance in Libya, but only if asked to do so by the UN.

According to an EU statement, the headquarters for EUFOR Libya would be in Rome, under Rear Admiral Claudio Gaudiosi of Italy.

It would last four months at most, and cost $13.86 million.

7:40pm Some pictures taken today by Reuters photographers of the frontlines near Brega.

XvMtCp8cgtE

---------- Post added April-1st-2011 at 02:27 PM ----------

Visionary, just wanna thank you for all the time you've put into this thread. It would have been impossible to keep up without your updates.

Thanks! I appreciate it! I'm just glad people are keeping informed however they can.

[visionary]

Ugh...Zintan and the mountain area sounds to be in a bad way.

Those guys in Tunisia might get killed trying to go back.

http://twitter.com/feb17voices

LPC #Zintan: Gaddafi forces currently bombarding neighboring town #Rujban with Grad rockets #libya #feb17 18 minutes ago via web

LPC #Zintan: Gaddafi forces have surrounded town named Kikla, about 55 km away, Kikla being hit from north and south #libya #feb17 16 minutes ago via web

LPC #Zintan: Gaddafi forces have surrounded the entire western mountain region #libya #feb17 16 minutes ago via web

LPC #Zintan: Gaddafi forces have begun attacking towns that until now they have not attacked in the western mountain region #feb17 #libya 15 minutes ago via web

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

8:19pm It appears that the Libyan opposition's National Council has decided to form a unified military body under the command of Abdel Fattah Yunis, the former interior minister who resigned to join the opposition.

8:37pm Ibrahim Dabbashi, the former Libyan deputy ambassador to the UN who stepped down to join the opposition, has just been speaking with Al Jazeera.

Certainly to defeat the Gaddafi forces there are many conditions but one of them is the well organised leadership of the forces of the opposition. Without good military commanders ... certainly there will be no success. But this is one of the first conditions.

"Arming the opposition is very important and I think it is within the context of the [uN SC] resolution 1973 which indicates that all necessary measures should be taken to protect the civilians on the ground ... there is no alternative but to arm the opposition forces because, well, there should be also aerial attacks on the moving forces of Gaddafi that are aiming at citizens but I think there should be some forces on the ground to protect the civilians."

Asked if arming the opposition would lead to an even more civil war-esque situation, Dabbashi said:

In Libya it is completely different, there is a consensus among the Libyan people that they don't accept Gaddafi anymore, once he steps down I think all these arms will be gathered by the concerned security and we saw it now, in the eastern part of Libya, as soon as the Gaddafi forces withdrew from the eastern part, all those who had arms went to the army and gave in their arms."

Dabbashi said the ceasefire is more for Gaddafi to observe, as the opposition was "only defending themselves".

8:47pm Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid has been on the road with Libya's opposition today, and filed this report from the western gate of Ajdabiya, where opposition fighters have prevented journalists from venturing any further.

9nraw5lvq1M

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

9:12pm In this short audio message posted to the Voices of Feb 17 Audioboo page, a resident of Az Zintan says the western part of the city is being hit by Grad rockets fired by pro-Gaddafi forces. He says government troops have surrounded the town of Kikla (about 60km east of Zintan), and are also attack Aquila.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-1

9:41pm Musa Ibrahim, the government spokesman in question, says "some mad and criminal prime ministers and presidents of Europe are leading a crusade against an Arab Muslim nation".

When using the term "crime against humanity", he was referring to the coalition airstrike on a pro-Gaddafi vehicle which resulted in the deaths of at least six civilians in a village near Ajdabiya.

"You cannot get more civilian that this [village]," he said.

9:43pm The Libyan government has rejected the opposition's conditions for a ceasefire, saying that government troops will not be leaving Libyan cities, Reuters reports.

9:56pm Musa Ibrahim, the government's spokesman, on rejecting the ceasefire conditions set by the opposition:

They are asking us to withdraw from our own cities. .... If this is not mad then I don't know what this is. We will not leave our cities."

10:24pm The Associated Press reports that the US will "soon" stop firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, in addition to pulling attack aircraft out of operations, in the Mediterranean theatre.

http://twitter.com/LibyaFeb17_com

DIRECT from Misratah: Gaddafi military convoy trying to enter city & heading to port bombed by coalition jets - #Libya http://bit.ly/gcfWwc about 3 hours ago via web

Coalition fighter jets bombed a radar base in Qasr Alhaaj area (outskirts of Rajbaan) today - #Libya - http://bit.ly/gcfWwc about 2 hours ago via web

Direct from Misratah: The city is now very quiet after coalition jets destroyed Gaddafi military convoy - #Libya - http://bit.ly/gcfWwc about 1 hour ago via web

Photo: Misratah tonight shortly after Gaddafi military convoy was destroyed - #libya #feb17 - http://t.co/FlT42kv about 1 hour ago via Tweet Button

BREAKING: Misratah VIDEO shows wreckage of Gaddafi's military convoy after coalition air strikes today - #libya #feb17 - http://t.co/WuVkpxe less than 5 seconds ago via Tweet Button

http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/04/april-1st-updates/

21:35 Almanara Media Coalition forces bombed a radar base in Qasr Alhaj area on the outskirts of the town of Rajbaan. The news source also confirmed that no air strikes were performed on Gaddafi’s forces which are stationed on the outskirts of Zintan and Gelaa.

20:29 DIRECT from Misratah Wefaq Media have confirmed that a convoy of Gaddafi forces that was trying to enter the city via the heavy goods entrance towards the city’s port and Brega warehouse has been bombed by coalition air forces. The convoy was composed of 1 tank and a number of military trucks

http://twitter.com/bencnn

Signs today that opposition finally getting its military act together. The front is no longer free for all for anyone with a gun. #Libya about 2 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

Orders from the "Libyan national army" [the opposition] instruct fighters not to advance unless they are part of an organised unit. #Libya about 2 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

[visionary]

There's some crazy reports coming out of from Tripoli right now.

Here's some of them:

http://twitter.com/libi4ever

unconfiremed: Col Abd Alrahman Alsaid the head of Supply& logistic in Qadfi's army has defected& besieging Bab Al Aziza #libya about 1 hour ago via web

unconfirmed: heavy firing at Bab Al Aziza right now, I couldnt reach my friends at Tripoli 2 confirm #libya #17feb 38 minutes ago via web

more news about Col Abd Al Rahman Alsaid has defected & besieging Bab Al Aziza now, the source from Benghazi #libya #17feb 39 minutes ago via web

it seems something is happening in Tripoli right now, number of sources confirm gun shooting &heavy firing #libya #17feb 18 minutes ago via web

http://twitter.com/ShababLibya

According to #Libya Alyowm excaped prisoners from #BabAlAziziya shooting in the compound after seizing guards' weapons http://bit.ly/eFruMh 5 minutes ago via web

http://twitter.com/LibyaInMe

Reports that Tripoli youth are attacking #Gaddafi's brigade who are surrounding Tajoura #libya #feb17 13 minutes ago via web

http://twitter.com/LibyaFeb17_com

Wife of defecting Foreign Minister Moussa Kousa captured by Gaddafi forces - #libya #feb17 - http://t.co/LrZP9Ef 27 minutes ago via Tweet Button

http://twitter.com/ChangeInLibya

BREAKING: I don't know what's going on in Tripoli but I'm inundated with reports of shots and fighting all over the city on FB #libya #feb17 25 minutes ago via web

BREAKING: Gunshots in FASHLOOM, DAHRA, TAJOURA and MOST IMPORTANTLY Bab Al-Aziziya Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli #libya #feb17 21 minutes ago via web

Breaking: Gaddafi thugs in Misrata block the main sewage channels in the city of 600,000 so that homes start flooding.. #libya #feb17 about 1 hour ago via web

I haven't seen any confirmation of much of this from CNN or other international media though.

I'm also seeing reports that NATO killed 13 opposition soldiers near Ajdabiya.

Although it's unclear if it was NATO or a Gaddafi grad rocket.

And it was reported by Al Arabiya....

More reports:

http://twitter.com/ChangeInLibya

Reports that hundreds (or thousands) of prisoners escaped from Tripoli's largest prison and stole some weapons too #libya #feb17 7 minutes ago via web

Note: Abu Sleem prison is housing the thousands of kidnapped LIBYAN YOUTH - these are not murderers or anything. #libya #feb17 2 minutes ago via web

http://twitter.com/LibyanDictator

UNCONFIRMED reports of Sayd brigade turning on Gaddafi and shelling Bab Alaziziya. #Libya #Feb17 10 minutes ago via web

---------- Post added April-1st-2011 at 07:52 PM ----------

News from Misrata:

http://twitter.com/LibyanDictator

Coalition air strikes hit Gaddafi forces near coastal road trying to enter #Misrata, remaining troops try to cover up losses . #Libya #Feb17 about 3 hours ago via web

@UN should create protected passageway to allow victims in #Misrata to be treated elsewhere (Tunis, Egypt, Malta?) #Libya #Feb17 about 3 hours ago via web

#Misrata: Gaddafi brigade surrounded in Amaan beach resort, still shelling and using mortars from inside. #Libya #Feb17 26 minutes ago via web

#Misrata: Several attempt to topple Insurance tower, but strong foundations. Fire reaches 5th floor, then stops. #Libya #Feb17 25 minutes ago via web

@ArmchairArab By fighters. Artillery not strong enough, they'd very much appreciate an air strike on that building. 20 minutes ago via web in reply to ArmchairArab

[visionary]

Not sure why so little has been done to help Zintan.

Honestly, it's somewhat ridiculous.

I have a feeling the mountain areas will be wiped out soon for resisting for so long.

Gaddafi seems to have a lots of forces there still.

I think he got some reinforcements to that area recently also.

Slightly older news from Zintan:

(don't forget this comes from a Swiss journalist there)

http://twitter.com/gaetanvannay

#Zintan G's troupes closer to the city, in Qaser Alhaj village (contacts). And building up forces west & east 12:36 PM Mar 31st via Echofon

#Zintan G's troupes mounting their forces in the town of Alrayaynah,12 km east of Zintan (contacts) about 19 hours ago via Echofon

#Zintan question to coalition at a press conference: why not striking G's positions around Zintan (and western mountains)?? Answer next about 19 hours ago via Echofon

#Zintan answer: The population has to ask for it .... Zintan has been asking, crying for it since the very first day coalition exists about 18 hours ago via Echofon

More recent news:

#Zintan Galah and Keklah (east of Zintan) besieged and shelled. Yefern besieged. More G's forces spread around all that area. (contacts) 4 minutes ago via Echofon

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-april-2

3:15am Fighting in north Libya continues through the night, with reports of explosions in Homs and ongoing shelling in Misurata.

A resident of Homs, 120km east of Tripoli, told the AFP news agency he heard explosions coming from a local naval base, which had earier been targeted by NATO forces.

Libyan State TV, however, reported the air strikes had hit residential neighbourhoods, saying:

Military and civilian areas in the Al Khums [Homs] and Al Rojban regions were targeted in raids by the Western assailants, crusaders and colonialists.

3:19am A spokesman for the anti-Gaddafi fighters in Misurata told AFP that 28 people had died in the city in the past three days of fighting. He denounced the "disproportionate use of force", saying:

The criminal's [Gaddafi's] forces fired at the city with all kinds of shells, rockets and bombs.

Today they tried to reach the port, destroying everything on their path.

The Libyan foreign ministry said Monday that an anti-rebel offensive in Misrata had been stopped after security was restored.