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

[visionary]

There are more reports of Zawiya and Misrata being under opposition control (although that was first reported days ago anyway).

There are much more worrisome reports today however that tanks have been seen heading to both those cities from Tripoli.

I've now seen this morning McCain, Lieberman, and even Kevin Rudd of Australia (a staunch liberal and fairly anti-war former prime minister of Australia) call for the imposition of a no fly zone in Libya.

It's also interesting to note that some news networks, such as CNN now have reporters in Tripoli.

CNN's correspondent there is Nic Robertson (he was in Alexandria during the Egyptian protests)

some tweets I'm seeing from yesterday:

AJA: frmr Justice Mnstr Mustapha Abdal-Jalil: Temp. Gov't will represent all of LIbya. We are coordinating with ppl in west. #feb17 #Libya about 17 hours ago via web

AJA: frmr Justice Mnstr Mustapha Abdal-Jalil: Gaddafi must leave now. We refuse any negotiations. #feb17 #Libya about 17 hours ago via web

AJA: frmr Justice Mnstr Mustapha Abdal-Jalil: Temp gov't will be in charge for 3 months until a new one is elected. #feb17 #Libya about 17 hours ago via web

http://twitter.com/feb17voices#

A lot of news of Zawiya today:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/945589--libya-rebels-ready-to-repel-attack-by-pro-gadhafi-forces

ZAWIYA, LIBYA—Hundreds of armed anti-government forces backed by rebel troops who control the city closest to the capital Tripoli appeared to be readying Sunday to repel an expected offensive by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi who have surrounded Zawiya.

An Associated Press reporter who reached Zawiya, 50 kilometres west of Tripoli, confirmed the anti-government rebels are in control of the centre of the city of 200,000. They have army tanks and anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks deployed. But on the outskirts, they are surrounded by pro-Gadhafi forces.

There were at least six checkpoints controlled by troops loyal to Gadhafi on the road from Tripoli to Zawiya. Each checkpoint was reinforced by at least one tank, and the troops concealed their faces with scarves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/world/africa/28unrest.html?src=tptw

Proving how close opposition control has come to the capital, where Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi maintains tight control, the confidence of the demonstrators in Zawiya was remarkable, all the more so because it was witnessed as part of the official tour for international journalists that Col. Qaddafi’s government organized.

Instead, the tour, whose minders were forced to wait at the city’s outskirts, showed a nation where the uprising had reached the capital’s doorstep, underscoring a growing impression that the ring of rebel control around Tripoli was tightening.

More from the former justice minister:

“We want one country — there is no Islamic emirate or Al Qaeda anywhere,” he told Al Jazeera. “Our only goal is to liberate Libya from this regime and to allow the people to choose the government that they want.”

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201009115941907

Under the supervision of the Libyan government, Sky News has been allowed access into Tripoli.

We have been invited by Colonel Gaddafi along with a group of other international journalists to see, we were told, that he was still in control.

Military forces escorted us out of the capital and we were driven west to Zawiyah, which we were told had not fallen to protesters.

However, about five minutes outside the town, the soldiers would not take us any futher.

As we approached the centre of Zawiyah, we heard gunfire - which turned out to be celebrations by the town's people who said they had pushed back Colonel Gaddafi's forces Thursday.

Sky News saw evidence of captured army vehicles, military anti-aircraft guns sitting in the back of ordinary pick-up trucks and people shouting anti-Gaddafi slogans.

It was obvious Zawiyah has fallen to political demonstrators - and the military escort that abandoned us outside the town knew they would be unwelcomed there.

When we asked why we had been brought to the town, it was suggested to us that perhaps Colonel Gaddafi himself was not aware of the situation outside of Tripoli and that he had lost power of the country.

There was also speculation we had been delivered to Zawiyah to persuade us the people there were supporters of al Qaeda.

But from talking to the people there, they are not Islamists - they are residents of Zawiyah who are displeased with Colonel Gaddafi and they were defending their town.

[visionary]

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/27/rebels-take-control-of-city-closest-to-libyas-capital/?a_dgi=aolshare_twitter

"To us, Gadhafi is the Dracula of Libya," said Wael al-Oraibi, an army officer at Zawiya who joined the rebels. He said his decision to defect was prompted in large part by the Libyan leader's use of mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa against the people of Zawiya.

"We are all wanted," said one rebel at the square who did not want to give his name for fear of reprisals. "Zawiya in our hands is a direct threat to Tripoli."

Rebels from the town and army forces who defected from the regime to join them largely consolidated control of the town on Feb. 24, after an army unit that remained loyal to Gadhafi opened fire on a mosque where residents - some armed with hunting rifles for protection - had been holding a sit-in.

About 20 miles (30 Kilometers) west of Zawiya, some 3,000 pro-Gadhafi demonstrators gathered on the coastal highway, chanting slogans in support of the Libyan leader.

I'm seeing a lot of talk from Eastern Libya on twitter that they do not want foreign military forces to get involved (though they have asked for a no fly zone in many cases).

Those in the west, and specifically Tripoli have been more urgent and open to various international military options from what I've heard and seen on tv and online.

There's also a lot of reports going around that mercenaries in Tripoli have vanished.

Hopefully that means they've fled the country and not headed out in force towards nearby cities.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/27/us-libya-usa-clinton-opposition-idUSTRE71Q1MS20110227?WT.tsrc=Social%20Media&WT.z_smid=twtr-reuters_%20com&WT.z_smid_dest=Twitter

(Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday the United States was reaching out to Libyan opposition groups in the eastern part of the North African country.

[Vilandil Tasardur]

So maybe you guys can help me understand this.

It seems to me that Qadafi was being thwarted by the element of a mass revolt. People rising up against him. It's my theory that the longer this plays out, the more to Qadafi's advantage the whole thing is. He's being protected by mercenaries, armed and trained soldiers. They are fighting the nation's army in some cases, but random protesters in others. I personally feel like the longer this plays out, the more likely the people are to break. After all, mercenaries don't get squeamish at bloodshed the way civilians do.

This is my question. If Qadafi's forces hold off the the attack and suppress the rebellion, what happens? The UN imposed sanctions, will they just go back to recognizing him as leader of Libya? Do we all just turn around and go about business as usual? What happens if Qadafi wins the civil war? Everyone seems to be against him, but not willing to get in the middle of it. If the people lose, do we maintain the sanctions on Qadafi? Do We go back to normal? How does that work?

[visionary]

There are reports now that Misrata is being attacked through the air.

I saw mention earlier that helicopters were flying nearby there.

Also there have been lots of talk of troops coming west from the Gaddafi stronghold of Surt towards Misrata the past couple of hours.

http://twitter.com/ShababLibya

ShababLibya

BREAKING: The Broadcast station in Misrata providing information on behalf of the protesters is under attack from the air #Libya #Feb17 6 minutes ago via web

LibyanYouthMovement ShababLibya

BREAKING: an M35 Fighter jet in the vicinity over Mirsta more when we have it #Libya #Feb17 less than 10 seconds ago via web

Zawiyah today

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/2011227135040734394.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[FanboyOf91]

So maybe you guys can help me understand this.

It seems to me that Qadafi was being thwarted by the element of a mass revolt. People rising up against him. It's my theory that the longer this plays out, the more to Qadafi's advantage the whole thing is. He's being protected by mercenaries, armed and trained soldiers. They are fighting the nation's army in some cases, but random protesters in others. I personally feel like the longer this plays out, the more likely the people are to break. After all, mercenaries don't get squeamish at bloodshed the way civilians do.

This is my question. If Qadafi's forces hold off the the attack and suppress the rebellion, what happens? The UN imposed sanctions, will they just go back to recognizing him as leader of Libya? Do we all just turn around and go about business as usual? What happens if Qadafi wins the civil war? Everyone seems to be against him, but not willing to get in the middle of it. If the people lose, do we maintain the sanctions on Qadafi? Do We go back to normal? How does that work?

It gets very awkward. I think sanctions would stay up in the Western nations, while China, Russia, and the Latin Americans who supported him step back in for the oil, chanting "Western imperialism! Western imperialism!". Basically, the 1990s status quo all over again.

OTOH, I'm not sure having mercenaries is to Ghadafi's advantage since mercenaries don't have a stake in going down with the ship and are dependent on being paid from his dwindling financial resources (his overseas bank accounts are frozen, allegedly). If I'm in the opposition, I'm advising them to start offering amnesty and safe passage to Chad or wherever to any mercenaries that surrender if the opposition attempts to attack Tripoli. Anything to weaken Ghadafi's forces is a bonus for them.

[Vilandil Tasardur]

It gets very awkward. I think sanctions would stay up in the Western nations, while China, Russia, and the Latin Americans who supported him step back in for the oil, chanting "Western imperialism! Western imperialism!". Basically, the 1990s status quo all over again.

OTOH, I'm not sure having mercenaries is to Ghadafi's advantage since mercenaries don't have a stake in going down with the ship and are dependent on being paid from his dwindling financial resources (his overseas bank accounts are frozen, allegedly). If I'm in the opposition, I'm advising them to start offering amnesty and safe passage to Chad or wherever to any mercenaries that surrender if the opposition attempts to attack Tripoli. Anything to weaken Ghadafi's forces is a bonus for them.

Weird. We just pretend it didn't happen. Like we witnessed someone raped at a party but didn't want to bust the rest of the party up for underage drinking so we don't bother to call the cops. Lame.

I see your point about the mercenaries, but I just feel like there is an advantage to fighting with trained soldiers. If you and I lead a revolt against D.C, we're only going to last so long before enough of our numbers start getting scared and discouraged. At first, we have the advantage of numbers, shock, and hope. The longer it drags out the more civilians will say :**** it, my life was good enough to not be worth this." The paid soldiers aren't scared of a bunch of office workers and electricians with guns.

[visionary]

Some news from Zuwara, to the west of Zawiyah:

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/27/libya-fewer-police-abuses-zuwara-under-control-anti-government-forces

(Ras Ijdir, Tunisia) -There have been few, if any, abuses by the police in the city of Zuwara, 109 kilometers west of Tripoli, during and since its takeover by anti-government forces a week ago, Libyan citizens and foreign workers from the city told Human Rights Watch. They said the police had not tried to suppress a series of anti-government demonstrations, and that police from Zuwara sided with the protesters, while police not originally from Zuwara had left the city.

"The accounts from this western city suggest that the police did not terrorize the local population when it rose up in protest," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch. "Instead, they appear to have either fled or joined the opposition."

Three Libyans in Zuwara whom Human Rights Watch reached by telephone, and two other Libyans from Zuwara interviewed in Tunisia, said that the city was calm, with youth and community youth watch groups patrolling various neighborhoods, on scheduled shifts day and night.

One Libyan said that the demonstrations began led to the flight of the non-local police. A much bigger demonstration on February 25 encountered no police or military resistance.

"Everything is calm, traffic on the streets is busy, and people are returning to their normal lives," he said. "The local Zuwara police have joined us, and they have reopened the police station. Only the non-local police [from other parts of Libya] have left."

One of the Libyans who was crossing into Tunisia said that the demonstrators were calling for freedom and their rights and chanting, "We want freedom of speech," "We want freedom of opinion," "We want Amazigh [berber] cultural rights." Zuwara has a significant Amazigh, or Berber, population. The witness said that after the first demonstration, the protesters burned a police station and a center for police investigation.

Apparently the air attacks on Misrata haven't led to much, and there are no casualties.

There is however a growing number of reports that Zlitan slightly to the west of Misrata has been retaken by Gaddafi.

This person seems to have some interesting insights into what may be going on in western libya, although I'm not sure how reliable he is:

http://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi

Rumors that "schools have opened in #Tripoli" are regime propaganda. No one is crazy enough to let his children out. #Libya 3 minutes ago via web

As for Tajoura, popularly it has fallen, but Gaddafi units can still be seen there. They look dispersed and not very organized. #Libya 5 minutes ago via web

Mitiga airport, rumored to have fallen, is in fact a Gaddafi stronghold. He has infantry and tanks there. #Libya 6 minutes ago via web

Nasr street, which is between Fashloum and the Green Square, has snipers. #Libya 6 minutes ago via web

Gaddafi has a battalion at the town of Al-Mayah (also called Km 27) on the road between Azawiya and Tripoli. #Libya 9 minutes ago via web

Sorman still has Gaddafi units positioned there. Problematic coz they can attack Azawiya or move to block the road to Gharyan. #Libya 10 minutes ago via web

I have confirmation that Zlitan has been reoccupied by Gaddafi. It's unclear how many units he has there. #Libya 26 minutes ago via web

I wish Al Jazeera was reporting more on the current things going on today in Libya, they seem to be mostly doing overall talk about the revolution with very little new updates this afternoon.

-----------------------

8:40pm

A defected army officer teaches the use of an anti-aircraft gun to civilians who have volunteered to join the rebel army in Benghazi February 27, 2011. The rebel army is preparing to fight Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Tripoli if necessary, an official in the rebel army said. Via Reuters.

[FanboyOf91]

Weird. We just pretend it didn't happen. Like we witnessed someone raped at a party but didn't want to bust the rest of the party up for underage drinking so we don't bother to call the cops. Lame.

Yeah, the response would be lame, but that's what the world basically did when it looked away from the Tiananmen Square massacre. There's only so much a country can do for its neighbor, and nobody wants to pay the cost of rebuilding Libya.

I see your point about the mercenaries, but I just feel like there is an advantage to fighting with trained soldiers. If you and I lead a revolt against D.C, we're only going to last so long before enough of our numbers start getting scared and discouraged. At first, we have the advantage of numbers, shock, and hope. The longer it drags out the more civilians will say :**** it, my life was good enough to not be worth this." The paid soldiers aren't scared of a bunch of office workers and electricians with guns.

True, but the Libyan rebels aren't office workers and don't have much to lose. They know that failure brings certain terrible retribution. Plus, they have army and police defectors on their side, so it's not completely unequal.

[Vilandil Tasardur]

Yeah, the response would be lame, but that's what the world basically did when it looked away from the Tiananmen Square massacre. There's only so much a country can do for its neighbor, and nobody wants to pay the cost of rebuilding Libya.

True, but the Libyan rebels aren't office workers and don't have much to lose. They know that failure brings certain terrible retribution. Plus, they have army and police defectors on their side, so it's not completely unequal.

I won't keep arguing...mostly because I hope you're right :fingersx:

It's just weird thinking about this in terms of our own revolution. What would the french had done if Britain had beaten us and we had remained a colony? In history class, we learn that there are hundreds of rebellions, we only bother studying the ones that make a difference. It's strange to think that if the chips don't fall into place this whole thing may be a little blip in our memories fifteen years from now.

[visionary]

http://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi

I have exciting news about Ghadamis, it seems that it's finally flying the independence flag! #Libya 33 minutes ago via TweetDeck

http://twitter.com/ShababLibya

CONFIRMED: Ghadamis today lifted the flag of independence and is now under the control of the protesters #Libya #Feb17 #gaddaficrimes about 1 hour ago via web

Ghadamis is a Libyan city known for tourism on the border of Tunisia and Algeria, on the Western side of the country #Libya #Feb17 about 1 hour ago via web

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=bAn&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=ghadames+libya+%2Bgoogle+map&bav=on.1,or.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Gadamis,+Libya&gl=us&ei=fKZqTcr_BYK78ga_lYnWCw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ8gEwAA

BREAKING: Jalu is confirmed %100 free as there are officers from the army who joined the protesters controlling oil etc #Libya #Feb17 about 2 hours ago via web

Jalu is situated in the Eastern Sahara and is vital as it has a few oil fields, now in control of the Revolutionaries #Libya #Feb17 about 2 hours ago via web

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghadames

another city I've seen a lot of mention about today

generally as a Gaddafi stronghold in the south:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabha_%28city%29

http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=2928

Al Kufra rejects regime plane loaded with bribe money and weapons

And we state regarding what Saif Al Islam said, and he is the sword of Satan and not the sword of Islam. He spoke yesterday to Al Arabiya news channel and said that the city of Kufrah is under their control when in fact it is free from their fascist regime.

Yesterday, the regime sent a plane carrying weapons, 18 million Libyan Dinars and 2000 Kalashnikov rifles. We have full control of the airport, we the revolutionaries of 17th February. The airplane landed and under our security, we found 2000 rifles and 18 million dinars. The money was spread amongst the banks so they can give people their salaries, while the 2000 rifles were distributed amongst the revolutionary youth and God Willing it will be pointed back towards their chests, by the will of God.

God is Greater! God is Greater!

http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=2930

BREAKING: Soldier kills security battalion commander!

Posted on February 27, 2011 by admin

Almanara Media has just published the following news item which we have translated for you:

News has reached us via email that a security battalion commander in az Zawiya was killed by a soldier in the battalion. Soldiers refused orders to shoot and the commander was determined on the implementation of the orders of Khoweildy. One of the solders stepped forwards and rendered him dead with a bullet to the head. The soldier then said: It’s better that you die rather than the victims be tens of youth.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-feb-28

1:15am

Our correspondent in Benghazi - who also covered the Egyptian revolution for Al Jazeera - tells us of the generous hospitality being offered to journalists by Libyans.

Often they simply give you food and tea and coffee for free, no questions asked. Hotel rooms were free up until today, when the volunteer management - most of the employees have fled or just stopped showing up -decided they needed to start charging.

Everyone is excited to see foreign journalists around, and the atmosphere here is markedly less tense than Cairo, for instance. Men with AK-47s wave us through roadblocks instead of subjecting us to intense checks.

1:28am

With Gaddafi continuing to hold power, thoughts among Benghazi's revolutionaries are reportedly turning to the march on Tripoli. And some are already heading in that direction - circumventing the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte by travelling hundreds of kilometres in a large arc to the south, our correspondent reports. Citizens were today queuing up to join the local militia - which has been named The Liberation Army Of The Free Libya.

3:32am

Gadaffi appeared ditched by yet another close confidant on Sunday - the Ukrainian nurse thought to have a close relationship with him.

Halyna Kolotnytska, 38, arrived in Kiev on a plane that evacuated 122 Ukrainians and 68 foreign nationals from the violence-torn North African country.

4:34am

This video has emerged online in the past few hours. It shows Saif Gaddafi beating the drums of war - something of a contrast to his calm approach to his recent TV interviews.

HHJz56syenY

Much of the audio can't be distinguished clearly, but here's a translation of the bits we could make out:

Saif says:

We are busy but still wanted to come here. I am here to raise your morale. Let me say something....listen brothers: They, the enemy forces, are spreading rumours that our police and security forces are joining the hooligans. It's not true. Today we will show them that the police is siding with Libya.

I am bringing you reinforcements, resources, food, weapons, everything you need. We are doing well. Today I have brought you meat and rice. This is your country. We have all the resources we need, but your country needs you ...

I have come today to you with weapons. Tonight we will [inaudible] in Tripoli.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-feb-28

6:48am

We're getting reports that the country's second most important military airport, not far from Benghazi, has fallen to the protesters.

Private jets and civilian aircraft at the Al Banin airport were seen grounded. Military personnel say they have joined the people's revolution.

If true, the takeover would mark another blow to Gaddafi's regime.

12:20pm

The Reuters news agency reports opponents of the Libyan leader have held off an attack by pro-government forces and shot down a military aircraft near the town of Misurata.

An aircraft was shot down this morning while it was firing on the local radio station. Protesters captured its crew," Reuters reported, citing a witness, Mohamed.

"Fighting to control the military air base (near Misurata) started last night and is still going on. Gaddafi's forces control only a small part of the base. Protesters control a large part of this base where there is ammunition."

"Misurata is still under the control of the protesters," he said.

12:56pm

France has announced it is sending two planes with humanitarian aid to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

Francois Fillon, the French prime minister, said the planes would leave "in a few hours" for Benghazi with doctors, nurses, medicines and medical equipment.

"It will be the beginning of a massive operation of humanitarian support for the populations of liberated territories," he told RTL radio.

5:16pm

Speaking to Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, Abdul-Fatah Younis, the former head of Libyan Special Forces who renounced his post last week, said he was not ruling out calling in an Arab air force, a European air force or the United States Air Force for air support, in that order of preference.

He defined air support as: protecting troops, attacking targets and protecting civilian aircraft and population centres.

He asserted that he was not considering the possibility of foreign troops on Libyan soil.

[ixcuincle]

http://twitter.com/jaketapper/statuses/42283782040076288

tonight on @ABCWorldNews - @CAmanpour's US exclusive w/Col. Gadhafi -- defiance and denial

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-feb-28

5:12pm Ahmed Swaihey, the son of opposition leader Abdulrahman Swaihey, has told Al Jazeera that his father was kidnapped from their home in Tripoli early this morning. He said that his brothers had earlier been kidnapped, and that witnesses said that their home was full of "mercenaries and troops" this morning, and his father was missing.

Ahmed Swaihey said his father had warned him during a phone call last night that he would likely be picked up by security forces some time soon.

5:54pm

David Cameron, the British prime minister, says that his country is not ruling out the use of military force in Libya.

In a statement before parliament, he said:

We do not in any way rule out the use of military assets.

We must not tolerate this regime using military force against its own people. In that context I have asked the ministry of defence and the chief of the defence staff to work with our allies on plans for a military no-fly zone."

6:12pm

The US military says that is repositioning its forces in the area around Libya in order to be able to provide "flexibility [and] options", Reuters news agency has reported.

6:23pm

The Libyan government on Friday announced that it would be disbursing 500 Libyan dinars (about $400) to all families. The move was part of efforts to offset public anger at rising prices and unemployment. This picture, taken today, shows people waiting to collect their handouts at a Tripoli bank.

6:27pm

Libyan oil production is down by about 50 per cent, but it is now "safe" for foreign oil workers to return the country, Shukri Ghanem, the head of the state-run National Oil Company and Libya's de facto oil minister, has said. He has rejected remarks by the EU's energy commissioner that protesters now control the country's main oil and gas fields.

7:34pm Reuters reports that a unit of Libya's state-owned National Oil Company that operates in the country's east has decided to operate separately of its parent company unless Muammar Gaddafi steps down.

Hassan Bulifa, a member of the management board at Agoco, told Reuters in Benghazi that the loading of crude oil onto a tanker operating by Sinopec, a Chinese firm, would be completed by about midnight tonight, and that a second tanker for the OMV shipping company would be loaded immediately after.

8:33pm This picture was taken during a guided government tour by a Reuters photographer. Gaddafi's supporters chanted slogans at a Roman amphitheatre in the town of Sabratha, 75km west of the capital Tripoli. The supporters had apparently followed the convoy of journalists, who was being taken on the tour today, from the Sabratha city centre.

6:52pm Asked whether a repositioning of US naval assets in the Mediterranean indicates that a military response is imminent, Secretary Clinton responds in the negative. She says the military assets were in place for humanitarian and evacuation support, including possible rescue missions

http://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi

It seems those captured in Azawiya were young boys forced to fight for #Gaddafi. #Libya 38 minutes ago via TweetDeck

#Gaddafi earlier kidnapped boys from the east and took them to the west, forcing them to fight, to create strife between tribes. #Libya 37 minutes ago via TweetDeck

@libyanexpat I think the title "Khamis brigade" is used to scare people. But I do wonder where real Khamis brigade is and what it's up to. 35 minutes ago via web in reply to libyanexpat

Reports that the air strike on Ajdabia/Benghazi today completely failed to hit its target. Arms depot not hit. More soon. #Libya 28 minutes ago via TweetDeck

About the airstrike on the east, pilots were either incompetent, or more likely did not want to hit. Big hole in the desert. #Libya 24 minutes ago via web

@ArmchairArab @EnoughGaddafi My source for this is a foreign photographer in Benghazi. He's safe & in secure territory. 5 minutes ago via web in reply to ArmchairArab

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-feb-28

9:31pm Fathi Abidy, a member of a security council set up by the temporary administration in Benghazi, says two military aircraft circled around the city Adjabiya earlier today, but did not carry out an airstrike (as had earlier been reported by several agencies).

Al Jazeera's online producer Evan Hill, who was in the area, said that initial investigations had revealed no evidence of an airstrike, though people at a checkpoint he passed through did fire off several anti-aircraft rounds into the air, apparently for his and other journalists' benefit.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-feb-28

10:32pm

Libyans are happy to see the international condemnations of Gaddafi's actions coming in from all over the world, bu they want more concrete action as well, reports Al Jazeera's correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid from Benghazi.

While they do not want to see foreign soldiers on the ground, she said, they certainly want to see the imposition of a no-fly zone, which would impede any attempts at aerial bombardment of the protesters, and would also stop the government from flying in mercenaries from other countries.

She said that amongst protesters there is a feeling that Gaddafi's control is now limited to Sabha, Tripoli and Sirte, but there is also a feeling that he is not going to give up easily, without a fight.

On Al Jazeera tv they were talking to an Italian foreign ministry spokesman and he seemed pretty certain that while Italian bases are available for no fly zone type operations, that the international community and Nato was still far away from deciding to go forward with something like that.

Both Britain and the US have talked a lot about the possibility of a No Fly Zone though today.

10:51pm The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says that it suspects that Libya received a shipment of military equipment from Belarus as the government began a violent crackdown on protesters.

SIPRI says an Ilyushin-76 aircraft left a military base near the Belarusian city of Baranovichi and landed at the Libyan airport of Sebha in mid-February.

"The aircraft came from a dedicated military base that only handles stockpiled weaponry and military equipment," Hugh Griffiths, an arms trafficking expert at SIPRI, said.

He added that the Sebha airport where the plane landed was a key military logistics base in Libya's south.

Griffiths said a Libyan government plane has made two trips to Belarus in the past week, although it is unclear who or what cargo was on board.

10:58pm A witness has told the AFP news agency that two people were killed and one seriously wounded when pro-Gaddafi forces opened fire on passersby in the city of Misurata, east of Tripoli, today

11:12pm According to an eyewitness account from a doctor in Tripoli, pro-Gaddafi militia members are acting as security guards at the capital's hospitals, but, rather than protecting doctors, they are harrassing them, and have been "taking away" the bodies of those killed in violence, while also forbidding doctors from taking pictures of their wounds.

Alia (not her real name), a doctor in the capital, said a patient was brought into her hospital yesterday with a gunshot wound to his chest. He expired after ten minutes, and his body was taken away by armed men wearing the characteristic green armband of pro-Gaddafi supporters.

"When they die, they don't let people come near them, [because] they don't want people taking pictures/videos," Alia said.

The pro-Gaddafi militiamen also "come in with the patient into the resuscitation room, [making it] uncomfortable for doctors to work".

They arrest any doctors found trying to take pictures of the dead or wounded, though they do not stop them from treating patients.

Alia also alleged that the militiamen give 500 Libyan dinars to anyone who "snitches" on others, and said she was told on by a nurse recently. This prompted a man with a wearing a "green flag" to come into the room "with a firearm in his hand", wanting to confiscate her and another doctor's phones.

The two were only saved because the administrative staff of the hospital stood by them and insisted that there was nothing on the phones.

Alia also complained about doctors being too afraid to come to work. She mentioned at least four more casualties coming in on the night that the dead patient's body was taken away.

11:39pm Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of the tiny West Indian island of St Vincent, says there is no reason for his country return a $250,000 hurricane recovery grant from Libya or to sever ties with the country.

Saying that he was viewing developments in Libya with "great disquiet", he nevertheless reminded reporters that things are rarely "black-and-white" in international relations, and "there are greater subtleties and shades which have to be accomodated".

Opposition figures in St Vincent say the Libyan aid is "blood money" and want Gonsalves to return it.

1:40am Abdullah, a witness speaking to Al Jazeera from Misurata, about 200km east of Tripoli, says:

There’s now artillery shelling on the suburbs of Misurata and on the Air force college, south west of Misurata. There are also helicopters trying to bomb the local broadcast.

They are also using heavy weapons against the protestors ... also last night helicopters dropped leaflets and threats from the regime.

A plane fell in the sea and we arrested five of its crew ... we have weapons trying to use to defend ourselves but it is normal weapons that cannot be compared to the planes or tanks or armored vehicles or the heavy weapons they use to bomb us ... we are the defending righteous and freedom ... we want him [Gaddafi] to leave.

[visionary]

map of western Libya, and who controls the major towns there:

http://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-1#comment-158035837

5:25am Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez proposed an international mediation effort to seek a peaceful solution to the uprising against Gaddafi, his friend and political ally.

I hope we can create a commission that goes to Libya to talk with the government and the opposition leaders. We want a peaceful solution ... We support peace in the Arab world and in the whole world.

He's also said that he won't condemn Gaddafi.

He said that would be abandoning a friend.

Chavez has also stated that the US is preparing to invade Libya.

(that's getting a lot of repetition on twitter too)

A more fullscale map of Libya:

http://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi

http://yfrog.com/f/h7h8f0j/

[Destino]

Chavez fears this exact same scenario. Of course he wants it to be peacefully dealt with.

[DarrellsMyHero28]

This is such a cool story.

[DCBnG21]

Ha, I'll bet that Chavez is sweating bullets right about now. Will be interesting to see how it's received if we start enforcing a no-fly zone.

[visionary]

I'm seeing a lot of reports that Russia has ruled out a no fly zone completely.

France does not seem to have budged on issue that either, although they have sent two planes full of humanitarian aid and medical personal to Eastern Libya.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/20113195230586880.html

Government opponents in the Libyan city of Az Zawiyah have repulsed an attempt by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi to retake the city close to the capital, Tripoli, in six hours of fighting overnight, witnesses say.

Tuesday's claims follow reports that government forces attacked the city from the west and the east, and that fighter jets bombed an ammunition depot in the eastern city of Ajdabiya.

There was no word on casualties in Az Zawiyah, which is 50km west of Tripoli.

"We will not give up Az Zawiyah at any price,'' one witness said.

"We know it is significant strategically. They will fight to get it, but we will not give up. We managed to defeat them because our spirits are high and their spirits are zero."

The rebels, who include army forces who defected from the government, are armed with tanks, machine guns and anti-aircraft guns.

They fought back pro-Gaddafi troops who attacked from six directions using the same weapons.

A resident of Az Zawiyah told the Associated Press news agency by telephone on Monday that fighting started in the evening and intensified after dusk when troops loyal to Gaddafi attacked the city.

"We were able to repulse the attack. We damaged a tank with an RPG. The mercenaries fled after that," said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.

He said Gaddafi called the city's influential tribal leader, Mohammed al-Maktouf, and warned him that if the rebels did not leave the main square by early Tuesday, they would be hit by fighter jets.

"We are expecting a major battle," the resident said,adding that the rebels killed eight soldiers and mercenaries on Monday.

Another resident of Az Zawiyah said he heard gunfire well into the night on the outskirts of town.

AP said its reporter saw a large, pro-Gaddafi force massed on the western edge of Az Zawiyah.

There were also about a dozen armoured vehicles along with tanks and jeeps mounted with anti-aircraft guns.

The US, meanwhile, said it was moving warships and air forces closer to Libya and France said it would fly aid to the opposition-controlled eastern half of the country.

But Abdel Fattah Younes, Libya's former interior minister who has defected to the opposition, told Al Jazeera that welcoming "foreign troops" was "out of the question" although "touching down in Libya is acceptable only in the case of emergency".

"For example if any pilot was forced to eject, he will be hosted and protected by us," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110301/ap_on_re_af/af_libya

The witnesses in Zawiya said youths from the city were stationed on the rooftops of high-rise buildings in the city to monitor the movements of the pro-Gadhafi forces and sound the warning if they though an attack was imminent. They also spoke about generous offers of cash by the regime for the rebels to hand control of the city back to authorities.

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

4:13pm

France has urged humanitarian aid to take priority over installing a no-fly zone. In a radio interview, European Affairs Minister Laurent Wauquiez said:

Libya is twice the size of France. So is it even possible to set up a no-fly zone quickly, and would it be effective? The main risk is that [Gaddafi] uses his money to pay an army of mercenaries.

Paris is in favour of the European Union going a step further on that point. The Libyan state owns stakes in European companies. The aim would be to ensure that it can not sell its stakes.

4:24pm

We mentioned earlier that Gaddafi's troops were gathering outside Nalut. Here's what one resident of the city just told Al Jazeera:

Last night, before sunset, about 25 armed cars tried to enter the vicinity of Nalut town and controlled one of the entrances. We had to to pull back, and took guard of [another] entrance to the town, helping journalists and medical aid as well as food supplies into the town.

We heard that the news about tanks and other armed vehicles was not true at the time. It was not a very large-sized force.

5:25pm Hillary Clinton says the US is sending two "specialist humanitarian teams" to Egypt and Tunisia to help deal with the developing refugee crisis -and is moving "military assets" - warships - to support them.

It's worth noting that UN Security Council resolution 1970, passed on Saturday, did authorise member states to " adopt 'all measures necessary' to secure the prompt and safe delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need" in Libya.

Clinton says the US must use "diplomacy, development and defence to promote and protect American interests".

http://twitter.com/HalaGorani

French Defense Minister Alain Juppe says no military intervention in #Libya (incl no-fly zones) without clear UN mandate. 6 minutes ago via web

[visionary]

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

6:06pm Gaddafi troop commander General al-Mahdi al-Arabi has told protesters staging a sit-in in a square in Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, that Gaddafi has threatened an airstike against them if they did not disperse, reports Al Jazeera Arabic.

6:25pm Libyan state TV has been showing soldiers inspecing weapons they say were handed in by opposition forces in Az Zawiyah.

They say the men "felt guilty for what they had done after listening to lies on foreign media". They also said the surrender was peaceful and that the men were not arrested nor were their names taken...

http://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi

Also confirmed that Gaddafi forces have retaken Ras Lanouf, and all the coast up to at least Bishr. #Libya 8 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Not clear yet whether Marsa Barayqa is with Gaddafi or liberated. #Libya 5 minutes ago via TweetDeck

There are military preparations in Ajdabia, I can't reveal them. But there are real fears it is the next target for a ground assault. #Libya 7 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Fears are that Ajdabia is not as well defended as Benghazi. Defenders have very high morale but they also need guns and training. #Libya 5 minutes ago via TweetDeck

That being said, all attacks by Gaddafi on major cities to date have failed miserably. That's kinda comforting by itself. #Libya 4 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Quick report from Zawiya: Everyone's pissed off. The whole city is pissed off. Family was shot at a Gaddafi checkpoint earlier. #Libya half a minute ago via TweetDeck

Eyewitness went from Tripoli towards Azawiya and described the military build up by Gaddafi forces... #Libya 15 minutes ago via TweetDeck

He's gone beyond tanks & infantry, he's brought in Grad rocket launchers. #Libya 12 minutes ago via TweetDeck

There are over 20 checkpoints between Swanni and Azzarah and the forces are concentrated in Azzarah. #Libya 14 minutes ago via TweetDeck

That being said, Azawiya people are alert and ready for an attack. They know it's coming and their morale is sky high. #Libya 11 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# At the same time, Gaddafi's troops despite all the build up are in low spirits. Very low. #Libya 10 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Tajoura is very tense. There were small demonstrations. Regime had removed grafitti/signs, but last night people put them back. #Libya 6 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Regime has control of Tajoura in the morning. At night it's pretty much a liberated neighborhood. #Libya 5 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Confirmed heavy mercenary activity in Sabha. The city is pretty much surrounded. They're flying them into Tripoli. #Libya 4 minutes ago via TweetDeck

BTW got news that people in Benghazi renamed "Chavez Stadium" to "Feb17 Martyrs Stadium" due to the former's support of Gaddafi. #Libya 2 minutes ago via TweetDeck

[twa]

I do wonder how long it will be before rockets are employed....and what the response will be.

How many Kur...I mean Libyans will die from HE rockets or gas/bio before outside intervention is justified?

10K...100K...what's your preference?

[visionary]

Wow, Carney is pissing me off with his bragging and exaggerating of how great a job the administration has done.

Why does every official in the administration who comments on the situation have to beat their chest and go to outlandish lengths to talk up what a great job 's been done?

(it was bad enough watching Susan Rice jubilantly congratulating herself and the UN after the resolution was passed the other day)

Anyway, enough of that.

Here's some more details of the battles of Zawiya:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/01/pro-gaddafi-forces-zawiyah

Although details are sketchy and have been impossible for reporters in Tripoli to confirm at first hand, both sides appear to agree that fighting began after several military vehicles carrying government soldiers attempted to enter the town on Monday.

Both opposition and pro-regime sources confirmed that up to 10 soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire.

Despite reports of fighting in the town, it appeared calm when the Guardian drove through it, with some shops open and people and traffic in the street.

The opposition forces in the town, who seized its centre but not all of its outlying suburbs and villages last week, are using seized military equipment – mostly old – including a tank, several armoured personnel carriers and a couple of pick-up trucks mounted with operational anti-aircraft guns.

The fighters themselves are armed with a mixture of assault rifles, shotguns and other rifles.

Ranged against them is a formidable force from the Khamis Brigade, led by one of Gaddafi's sons, which on Monday afternoon had moved around a dozen modern tanks close to Zawiyah as well as six BM-21 truck-mounted "Grad" rocket launchers within range of the town. US diplomats have said the brigade is the best-equipped force in Libya.

It is not clear whether either tanks or rockets were used in the government assault.

On Al Jazeera tv they just said that Germany has apparently come out in favor of a no fly zone.

---------- Post added March-1st-2011 at 01:28 PM ----------

I do wonder how long it will be before rockets are employed....and what the response will be.

How many Kur...I mean Libyans will die from HE rockets or gas/bio before outside intervention is justified?

10K...100K...what's your preference?

I'm wondering too, although I'm not certain that ground troops are needed unless major towns start falling.

I think there's still a good chance that the opposition can win without some sort of extreme intervention.

I do think weapons, aid, logistical and strategic support could be useful right now though, in some places.

There does seem to be a lot of anti-US/'western' intervention paranoia however at least towards troops being sent in.

[visionary]

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

8:50pm This video was sent to Al Jazeera via our YourMedia link. We haven't yet been able to get a full translation, or to confirm exactly where or when it was filmed. However, the sender tells us he filmed it using a mobile phone at the a field hospital set up in Benghazi.

Ali Khedr Mohamed Mohamed, a 65-year-old "simple Egyptian man" from the small village of Eliat Lamlom Maghagha near the city of Elmenia, says he came to Libya when he was 17 years old, in 1963 - before Gaddafi seized power.

He says that, "last Tuesday" he was kidnapped by armed pro-Gaddafi supporters, and taken to one of the military camps in the city of Sirte. He was offered 25,000 Libyan Dinars (US20,000), along with a luxury car and Libyan citizenship - in exchange for being recorded on video saying he was the leader of a group of Egyptian revolutionaries who came to Libya to overthrow Gaddafi.

After refusing, he says he thought he was going to be killed. It's not clear what injuries he suffered. But a soldier took Ali from his would-be killers, telling others he would execute the Egyptian personally. He says the Libyan soldier then hid him inside a car and drove him out of the Gaddafi stronghold, releasing him to his freedom.

8:58pm Libya's deputy ambassador the UN, Ibrahim Dabasshi, has told Al Jazeera that Gaddafi is trying to replace both Ambassador Mohamed Shalgam and himself.

Yesterday, Libya said they were replacing the ambassador to the US as well.

Does that mean more possible defections if they're sent to the US? lol

Also I wonder if Gaddafi will appoint someone who is already banned.

Russia and France still seem against a no fly zone, although France appears to be moving towards it.

http://english.aljazeera.net//video/africa/2011/03/20113115576219900.html

Top powers split over Libya options

"It's not acceptable that Colonel Gaddafi can be murdering his own people, using aeroplanes and helicopters gunships ... and we have to plan now to make sure that if it happens we can do something to stop that," he said.

"If he starts taking that sort of action we might need to have a no-fly zone in place very quickly."

His comments come as Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief meets Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato secretary-general in Brussels, the Belgian capital, over the situation in Libya.

Cameron said he had asked the ministry of defence to work with its allies over plans for a no-fly zone over Libya, a move that would see fighter jets used to patrol and shoot down Libyan aircraft ordered to attack protesters.

He added that the government would consider arming opposition groups fighting in Libya.

"If helping the opposition would somehow bring that about it is certainly something we should be considering," he said.

However, a senior US military official has warned that establishing a no-fly zone in Libya would be a "challenging" military operation.

"My military opinion is that it would be challenging," General James Mattis, commander of US Central Command, told a Senate hearing. "You would have to remove air defence capabilty in order to establish a no-fly zone, so no illusions here. It would be a military operations - it wouldn't be just telling people not to fly airplanes."

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's NATO ambassador, cautioned against moving militarily against Gadhafi without UN authorization.

"If someone in Washington is seeking a blitzkrieg in Libya, it is a serious mistake because any use of military force outside the NATO responsibility zone will be considered a violation of international law," Rogozin told Russia's Interfax news agency in Brussels.

"A ban on the national air force or civil aviation to fly over their own territory is still a serious interference into the domestic affairs of another country, and at any rate it requires a resolution of the UN Security Council," Rogozin said.

However France has said military intervention in Libya could only go ahead with a clear United Nations mandate.

"At the moment I speak, no military intervention is planned," Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister said.

"Different options can be assessed, notably a no-fly zone. But let me put it clearly here - no intervention will happen without a clear UN Security council mandate".

UN council members have not considered imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, and no UN-sanctioned military action was planned. NATO says any intervention in Libya would have to be UN-authorised.

------------------------------

Wow! And remember that Tunisia just had a lot of people fleeing the country to Italy.

Chaos at Libyan-Tunisian border

Border guards struggling to control crowds as the UN says 140,000 people have fled the revolt aimed at toppling Gaddafi.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201131173333877886.html

Aid workers warned on Tuesday that the situation at the border with Tunisia has reached a crisis point, as border guards were firing into the air, trying to control crowds pressing to get through the Ras Jdir crossing.

Immigration officers were struggling to keep up with the mass exodus as people were pressed up against a concrete wall dividing the no man's land between the Libyan and Tunisian border posts. At intervals, Tunisian border guards would open a blue metal gate to let a small group through.

But some threw their bags over the wall and tried to climb over, prompting border guards first to hit them with sticks and then to fire repeatedly into the air.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from the Tunisian side of the border, described the situation as "really chaotic"

"Things are now at breaking point," he said. The crowds on the Libyan side have been growing and the situation for them has been getting much worse. We've seen people being taken from the crowd, people who collapsed, fainted, suffering from dehydration and stress."

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

10:08pm Robert Gates, US defence secretary, says 400 Marines are aboard the amphibious USS Kearsarge - currently headed toward Libya. But he also said the UN SC resolution passed on Saturday did not authorise the use of force - and that NATO members are spilt on whether to take military action.

[visionary]

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

2:06amMore pictures of anti-government protesters receiving weapons training in Benghazi. [All photos from Reuters]