[THS] Libya - Stories

[The Harder Stuff in news and commentary]

Libyan Rebel Commander Admits his Fighters Have Al-Qaeda Links

By Praveen Swami, Nick Squires and Duncan Gardham

Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi, the Libyan rebel leader, has said jihadists who fought against
allied troops in Iraq are on the front lines of the battle against Muammar Gaddafi's
regime.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27768.htm


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Libyan "Revolutionaries" Aren't So Revolutionary..

By Against the Empire

I'm amazed at the police state that they have designed and who is in power in
Benghazi. It was no doubt a complete error on the part of so-called "progressives" to
take the side of these rebel forces (never mind those who hailed them as
"revolutionaries").
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27771.htm

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Coalition strikes kill 114 - Libya official:

Mr Omar said 104 people were killed in Tripoli and the suburbs between Sunday and
Wednesday, while 10 were killed in Sirte, the hometown of Libyan leader Muammar
Gaddafi, some 600 kilometres south of the capital.
http://bit.ly/fXcJuD


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Coalition airstrikes drive Khadafy troops from key city, bolster rebels:

 "Without the planes we couldn't have done this. Khadafy's weapons are at a
different level than ours," said Ahmed Faraj, 38, a rebel fighter from Ajdabiya. "With
the help of the planes we are going to push onward to Tripoli, God willing."
http://nyp.st/faqsBm


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Libyan rebels advance on Brega:

Rebels claim to have reached oil port just hours after taking Ajdabiya, but Misurata is
"besieged" by Gaddafi forces.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201132681812362552.html


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Al-Qaeda's Air Force:
NATO Considers Broader Role In Libya:

Whether NATO will assume the role of "protecting civilians" on the ground -- as
mandated by a U.N. Security Council resolution -- remains at issue. A decision on
what NATO officials are calling "no-fly plus" could come as early as Sunday after a
meeting of NATO ambassadors.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/25/libya.nato/?hpt=T2


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NATO Deal Leaves U.S. Still Commanding Libya Strikes:

A NATO decision to take charge of a no-fly zone over Libya does not include
conducting air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi's ground forces, a mission that will
remain in U.S. hands until a new command deal is reached, Vice Admiral Bill Gortney
said on Friday.
http://nyti.ms/hanO6Q


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UK Has 350 Special Forces In Lybia Assisting Rebels :

The Daily Mail can reveal there are an estimated 350 already mounting covert
operations. The troops in Libya were drawn from a squadron of SAS and SBS
personnel, some who have been in the country for a month and are being re-
supplied with water, food and ammunition via airdrops from Cyprus.
http://bit.ly/fqgRzk


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Rebels thank France but want 'outside forces' to quit Libya:

The insurgents have thanked Nicolas Sarkozy for his armed intervention in Libya,
saying "foreign forces" must go.
http://bit.ly/eYsjdv


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Delegation: Libya Govt Ready to Discuss 'Road Map' to Reform:

Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, the regime's former prime minister and head of state, was among
the members of the delegation, and said that the government was willing to
negotiate with anyone, and that they were "willing to discuss" the possibility of a free
election.
http://www.rasoulnews.com/news/Details.asp?index=14893


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African Union: Libya needs transition period, democratic elections:

A Libyan government delegation is meeting in Ethiopia with five African heads of
state who are developing a road map to encourage political reform in the North
African country.
http://www.kens5.com/news/world/118659299.html


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Libyan woman tells of abuse:

Government minders assault woman as she alleges to journalists that she has been
raped by Gaddafi troops.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/03/201132617491827374.html


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Libya's biggest tribe joins march of reconciliation to Benghazi:

"If the west leaves us alone we can solve Libya's problems," said Dagil. "I will march
peacefully. My own sister is in Benghazi. She has four children. I am not going to kill
her."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/23/libya-biggest-tribe-march-benghazi