TOBRUK, Libya (AP) - Moammar Gadhafi's forces overwhelmed rebels in the strategic eastern city of Ajdabiya, hammering them with airstrikes, missiles, tanks and artillery Tuesday in an assault that sent residents fleeing and appeared to open the way for an all-out government offensive on the opposition's main stronghold in the east, Benghazi.
In desperation, rebels sent up two antiquated warplanes that struck a government ship bombarding Ajdabiya from the Mediterranean. But as tanks rolled into the city from two directions and rockets relentlessly pounded houses and shops, the ragtag opposition fighters' defenses appeared to break down.
Only 10 days ago, the rebellion was poised to march on Tripoli, the capital, and had appeared capable of sweeping Gadhafi out after 41 years in power, but the regime's better armed and organized military has reversed the tide. Efforts led by France and Britain to create a no-fly zone to protect the rebels have gone nowhere, and some rebels lashed out at the West for failing to come to their aid.
"The world is sleeping," he said. "They (the West) drunk of Gadhafi's oil and now they won't stand against him. They didn't give us a no-fly zone."
Residents of the city of 140,000 streamed out, fleeing toward Benghazi, 140 miles (200 kilometers) northeast. But warplanes and artillery were striking roads in and out of Ajdabiya, several witnesses and fighters said. Some reported private cars had been hit, but the reports could not be independently confirmed. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from Gadhafi's regime.
Ajdabiya, 480 miles (800 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, is the gateway to the long stretch of eastern Libya that has been in the control of the opposition since early on in the month-long uprising. With its fall, regime forces would be able to bombard Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and the de facto capital of the opposition, by air, sea and land.
Europe and the United States, meanwhile, were tossing back and forth the question of whether to impose a no-fly zone that the opposition has pleaded for.
On Tuesday, top diplomats from some of the world's biggest powers deferred to the U.N. Security Council to take action against Libya, as France and Britain failed to win support for a no-fly zone in the face of German opposition and U.S. reluctance. France said the Group of Eight agreed that a new U.N. resolution should be adopted by week's end with measures to help Libyan rebels.
A U.N. resolution introduced Tuesday includes no-fly provisions. It also calls for increased enforcement of an arms embargo and freezing more Libyan assets, according to U.N. diplomats said who spoke on condition of anonymity because the text has not been released. One diplomat said the Security Council will be looking to see whether members of the Arab League, which is pressing for the no-fly zone, are ready to seriously participate in the establishment and operation of a zone.
Analysis: "Over the past week, Gadhafi has managed to swing the pendulum of momentum back in his favor. At the same time, the push by the international community for a military no-fly zone over Libya has slowed. Government forces have made significant gains in the meantime, taking back nearly all major cities in the western part of the country, while making significant advances towards Benghazi in the east. Rebel forces are high in numbers, but lack the arms, artillery, and air support to wage a long-term war against government forces. Unless the international community significantly steps up support for the rebels soon (openly or covertly), Gaddafi will continue gaining back populous areas. "
Read the Full Article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110315/ap_on_re_af/af_libya
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
US, Europe Tighten Noose around Libya's Government
(Washington Post) - The United States and its European allies tightened their noose around Libya's besieged government Monday, positioning military assets for possible action in the Mediterranean as they launched humanitarian efforts to assist refugees and rebel forces that have seized the eastern part of the country.
Britain and the European Union announced new sanctions against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, his family and his government. The U.S. Treasury announced that it has frozen $30 billion worth of Libyan assets in this country under an executive order President Obama issued Friday, the most ever blocked under such a program.
On the ground, rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi appeared at least temporarily to be at a standoff, with neither side taking more territory. Gaddafi's air force bombed weapons depots, apparently to prevent the rebels from gaining access to them.
In Geneva, U.S. and European leaders focused on sending aid to rebels and refugees. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that $10 million in relief funds have been set aside by the U.S. Agency for International Development, and two teams of experts are being dispatched immediately to Libya's borders to assess the refugee crisis and organize the delivery of aid.
Although the administration has repeatedly demanded legal accountability for Gaddafi, Clinton hinted that the United States might be willing to accept a deal in which the Libyan leader would voluntarily agree to exile in a third country. She raised the possibility at a news conference at which she was asked whether Gaddafi might be permitted to seek refuge with Zimbabwe's leader, Robert Mugabe.
Although Clinton and several European leaders said imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya was under active consideration, other senior U.S. and European officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, emphasized that there had not yet been any significant political discussions of such action. It would be unlikely, they said, unless Gaddafi turned his air force directly against the Libyan people.
Other than the bombing of arms depots, "I don't think we've seen . . . indications they're bombing people," the senior administration official said. But reports on the ground "are disturbing enough to merit contingency planning, and the nature of the threats does indicate a potential for escalation," the official said. "We want to have options in place."
For the moment, the United States and its European allies are counting on the harsh financial and travel restrictions in place, along with the threat of international human rights prosecution, to prompt Libyan military and government officials still loyal to Gaddafi to reconsider their position.
Movement of two aircraft carriers that are in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf area was within the "range of possibilities," the Pentagon official said, but still under discussion. This official and others said that U.S. and NATO forces had sufficient resources in Italy and elsewhere in the Mediterranean to take a number of actions if necessary.
A U.S. destroyer passed through the Suez Canal on Sunday and took up position in the southwestern Mediterranean, another U.S. military official said. An amphibious assault ship, the USS Kearsarge, with helicopters aboard, was in the Red Sea and headed toward the canal. The USS Ponce, another amphibious assault vessel, was also moving toward the area, the official said.
"What we're trying to do is leverage all the different contacts and channels that we can," the official said. "This is a new set of actors. We're exploring not just the people we have telephone numbers for, but the business community that has experience working in eastern Libya and other nongovernmental organizations who have people on the ground" in an effort to "get a better ground truth."
Analysis: "Gaddafi is under the international microscope at the moment. As long as he sticks to aerial bombings of weapons caches and other rebel resources, Libya will remain free from foreign intervention. If the Colonel decides to direct air strikes towards the Libyan people, expect the game to change in North Africa. The international community will be under great pressure to protect Libyans if this should happen."
Read the Full Article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/28/AR2011022806537_2.html?sid=ST2011022805422
Britain and the European Union announced new sanctions against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, his family and his government. The U.S. Treasury announced that it has frozen $30 billion worth of Libyan assets in this country under an executive order President Obama issued Friday, the most ever blocked under such a program.
On the ground, rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi appeared at least temporarily to be at a standoff, with neither side taking more territory. Gaddafi's air force bombed weapons depots, apparently to prevent the rebels from gaining access to them.
In Geneva, U.S. and European leaders focused on sending aid to rebels and refugees. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that $10 million in relief funds have been set aside by the U.S. Agency for International Development, and two teams of experts are being dispatched immediately to Libya's borders to assess the refugee crisis and organize the delivery of aid.
Although the administration has repeatedly demanded legal accountability for Gaddafi, Clinton hinted that the United States might be willing to accept a deal in which the Libyan leader would voluntarily agree to exile in a third country. She raised the possibility at a news conference at which she was asked whether Gaddafi might be permitted to seek refuge with Zimbabwe's leader, Robert Mugabe.
Although Clinton and several European leaders said imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya was under active consideration, other senior U.S. and European officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, emphasized that there had not yet been any significant political discussions of such action. It would be unlikely, they said, unless Gaddafi turned his air force directly against the Libyan people.
Other than the bombing of arms depots, "I don't think we've seen . . . indications they're bombing people," the senior administration official said. But reports on the ground "are disturbing enough to merit contingency planning, and the nature of the threats does indicate a potential for escalation," the official said. "We want to have options in place."
For the moment, the United States and its European allies are counting on the harsh financial and travel restrictions in place, along with the threat of international human rights prosecution, to prompt Libyan military and government officials still loyal to Gaddafi to reconsider their position.
Movement of two aircraft carriers that are in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf area was within the "range of possibilities," the Pentagon official said, but still under discussion. This official and others said that U.S. and NATO forces had sufficient resources in Italy and elsewhere in the Mediterranean to take a number of actions if necessary.
A U.S. destroyer passed through the Suez Canal on Sunday and took up position in the southwestern Mediterranean, another U.S. military official said. An amphibious assault ship, the USS Kearsarge, with helicopters aboard, was in the Red Sea and headed toward the canal. The USS Ponce, another amphibious assault vessel, was also moving toward the area, the official said.
"What we're trying to do is leverage all the different contacts and channels that we can," the official said. "This is a new set of actors. We're exploring not just the people we have telephone numbers for, but the business community that has experience working in eastern Libya and other nongovernmental organizations who have people on the ground" in an effort to "get a better ground truth."
Analysis: "Gaddafi is under the international microscope at the moment. As long as he sticks to aerial bombings of weapons caches and other rebel resources, Libya will remain free from foreign intervention. If the Colonel decides to direct air strikes towards the Libyan people, expect the game to change in North Africa. The international community will be under great pressure to protect Libyans if this should happen."
Read the Full Article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/28/AR2011022806537_2.html?sid=ST2011022805422
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Yemen On the Brink of a Showdown
SANA'A, Yemen (TIME) - What began as a simmer in the Arab World's poorest and most capricious state has suddenly started to come to a boil. In Yemen's mountain capital of Sana'a, the threat of civil war hangs like a bad taste in the dusty air. Motley marches of pro- and anti-government protesters block the streets, and tens of thousands of armed tribesmen wait in murky rooms around the country for orders from their chiefs. The mood in the capital is tense.
Yemen's opposition, a loose coalition of parties from Nasserites to socialists to Islamic clerics, now has the ability to rally large numbers. And late Monday night, it quashed a last-ditch attempt by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to form a unity government. Gangs on motorcycles streamed through the streets, draped in red, white and black Yemeni flags, demanding that the President leave. There were fears that pro- and anti-government protesters could face off around the capital; a solitary military helicopter flew low over the capital as the regime very publicly flexed its muscles.
With the situation looking more and more desperate, Saleh offered on Monday to form a unity government with the opposition. The pitch included the formation of a coalition, an end to all demonstrations, the release of prisoners held without trial and the start of corruption investigations. Saleh's plan backfired. After publicly rebuffing the proposal, opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Qubati said, "Saleh has only two options: either to be a former President or a deposed President."
Yemen's opposition, a loose coalition of parties from Nasserites to socialists to Islamic clerics, now has the ability to rally large numbers. And late Monday night, it quashed a last-ditch attempt by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to form a unity government. Gangs on motorcycles streamed through the streets, draped in red, white and black Yemeni flags, demanding that the President leave. There were fears that pro- and anti-government protesters could face off around the capital; a solitary military helicopter flew low over the capital as the regime very publicly flexed its muscles.
With the situation looking more and more desperate, Saleh offered on Monday to form a unity government with the opposition. The pitch included the formation of a coalition, an end to all demonstrations, the release of prisoners held without trial and the start of corruption investigations. Saleh's plan backfired. After publicly rebuffing the proposal, opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Qubati said, "Saleh has only two options: either to be a former President or a deposed President."
Libya Rebels Halt Gaddafi Attack
BREGA, Libya (BBC) - Rebel forces have fought off an attempt by soldiers loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi to retake the eastern oil town of Brega.
Earlier Col Gaddafi said on TV he would "fight until the last man and woman" and warned that thousands of Libyans would die if Western forces intervened. Our correspondent has been to Brega's seashore and university, where the heaviest fighting took place, and they appear entirely clear of pro-Gaddafi troops.
He says a senior rebel officer had suggested the Gaddafi troops might have run out of ammunition and been forced to withdraw. The excited rebels appeared very proud of what they had achieved, our correspondent says, and the feeling in the town is that Col Gaddafi's men do not necessarily have their hearts in the job.
A Libyan air force plane did recently drop one bomb nearby, he says, but the attempt by Col Gaddafi to move on the eastern rebel-held areas appears for now to have been repulsed and, although this is by no means a final victory, it is an important setback for the Libyan leader.
The government forces had taken an oil facility at Brega at dawn but rebels later said they had struck back. Rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani accused Col Gaddafi of "trying to create all kinds of psychological warfare to keep these cities on edge".
Medical sources in Brega told BBC Arabic that 14 people had been killed in the fighting.
Analysis: "Rebel forces are gaining momentum everyday in Libya. Every failed overnight raid emboldens, unifies, and solidifies opposition forces who now hold, or are defending most of Libya's major cities. Gaddafi's hold on power is slipping, leaving many analysts concerned over what actions the aging leader may take to keep his post. Tripoli will likely be the Colonel's last stand, but it remains unclear what state Libya's army will be in the future, as massive numbers of government soldiers are defecting."
Read the Full Article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12626496
Manama Gripped by Pro- and Anti-Regime Protests
MANAMA, Bahrain (AFP) - Large crowds of pro-government Bahrainis rallied Wednesday in Manama, shortly after anti-regime protesters staged a big gathering, on the 17th day of protests rocking the Gulf kingdom.
Supporters of the Sunni ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty gathered outside Al-Fateh mosque in Manama, waving Bahraini flags and pledging support to King Hamad. State television put their number at 300,000 demonstrators, a figure that could not be independently verified.
Earlier, thousands of anti-regime protesters massed outside the interior ministry, in the largest anti-government protest this week. Protesters of all ages then marched to Pearl Square, the epicentre of a sit-in demanding that the ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty step down, chanting: "Down, down Al-Khalifa" and "No dialogue with the killers."
Seven protesters were shot dead by security forces in protests last month, four in a deadly police raid in the early hours of February 17 on demonstrators camped in the square, which has since been dubbed "Martyrs' Roundabout."
Carrying banners that read "230 years enough -- Al-Khalifa leave" and "No dialogue," thousands of demonstrators in two gender-segregated processions stopped at a makeshift shrine along the King Faisal Highway dedicated to Abdulrida Buhamid, who was killed on February 17 by police gunfire. "How can we expect security when the army shoots and kills the innocent?" demanded one woman who stopped to pray at the shrine.
The wave of popular rallies in the tiny Gulf kingdom has brought to the surface simmering discontent among Bahrain's Shiites, who are calling for the fall of the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty which has ruled the majority Shiite country for 200 years.
A mass rally outside the government headquarters in Manama is scheduled for Friday.
Analysis: "Bahrain's ruling family is still firmly in power in Manama, despite ongoing protests from the opposition. In the absence of dramatic action by one side, I don't expect a serious threat to the crown."
Read the Full Article Here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jVnZgGfwSnqrvUHHiUq5kSREUAKQ?docId=CNG.4103fec93a330f1c195d92e86c2ce8c3.211
Supporters of the Sunni ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty gathered outside Al-Fateh mosque in Manama, waving Bahraini flags and pledging support to King Hamad. State television put their number at 300,000 demonstrators, a figure that could not be independently verified.
Earlier, thousands of anti-regime protesters massed outside the interior ministry, in the largest anti-government protest this week. Protesters of all ages then marched to Pearl Square, the epicentre of a sit-in demanding that the ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty step down, chanting: "Down, down Al-Khalifa" and "No dialogue with the killers."
Seven protesters were shot dead by security forces in protests last month, four in a deadly police raid in the early hours of February 17 on demonstrators camped in the square, which has since been dubbed "Martyrs' Roundabout."
Carrying banners that read "230 years enough -- Al-Khalifa leave" and "No dialogue," thousands of demonstrators in two gender-segregated processions stopped at a makeshift shrine along the King Faisal Highway dedicated to Abdulrida Buhamid, who was killed on February 17 by police gunfire. "How can we expect security when the army shoots and kills the innocent?" demanded one woman who stopped to pray at the shrine.
The wave of popular rallies in the tiny Gulf kingdom has brought to the surface simmering discontent among Bahrain's Shiites, who are calling for the fall of the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty which has ruled the majority Shiite country for 200 years.
A mass rally outside the government headquarters in Manama is scheduled for Friday.
Analysis: "Bahrain's ruling family is still firmly in power in Manama, despite ongoing protests from the opposition. In the absence of dramatic action by one side, I don't expect a serious threat to the crown."
Read the Full Article Here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jVnZgGfwSnqrvUHHiUq5kSREUAKQ?docId=CNG.4103fec93a330f1c195d92e86c2ce8c3.211
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