Category Archives: Libya
US NATO Commander Admits Al-Qaeda Linked To Libyan Rebels
US says it is still considering arming Gaddafi opposition (rebels)
Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
March 29, 2011
A top ranking NATO Commander has admitted that intelligence has uncovered elements of “al qaeda” amongst Libyan rebel fighters currently receiving tactical military support from US and European led operations inside the country.
The admission serves as yet more confirmation that radical Islamic fundamentalists are part of the opposition groups attempting to oust the nationalist dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi, with the help of the US and its NATO allies.
“We are examining very closely the content, composition, the personalities, who are the leaders of these opposition forces,” Admiral James Stavridis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and also the commander of U.S. European Command, said during testimony at the U.S. Senate.
“…we have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential al Qaeda, Hezbollah, we’ve seen different things.” Stavridis said, while adding that the rebels leadership appeared to be comprised also of “responsible men and women”.
Below the speaker it reads: “Al Qaeda in Libyan opposition”
Russia, China: The West Is Making Libya Crisis Worse
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
By Patrick Goodenough
(CNSNews.com) – Having chosen neither to endorse nor block the Security Council resolution authorizing military intervention in Libya, Russia and China are continuing to snipe from the sidelines, voicing growing frustration over a mission they say has overstepped its mandate.
With NATO having assumed command of both enforcing the no-fly zone and the additional “civilian protection mission” – attacking Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on the ground – the operation is threatening a new rift between NATO and Moscow, which has long viewed the transatlantic alliance with suspicion.
Russia and NATO members were to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss Libya and, according to Russia’s envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, “to confirm the limits that the U.N. Security Council placed on the participants of the conflict.”
Security Council resolution 1973 authorized a no-fly zone and “all necessary measures” short of foreign occupation to protect civilians under threat of attack by the Libyan regime. Russia and China did not veto the measure when it came to a vote on March 17, but joined non-permanent members India, Germany and Brazil in abstaining.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared Monday that the operation has gone beyond the mandate of the resolution whose sole purpose, he said, was “to ensure the protection of the civilian population.”
“We believe that the coalition’s intervention in the civil war has not, essentially, been sanctioned by the UN Security Council resolution,” the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying during a press conference with his Kyrgyz counterpart.
He pointed to reports that coalition planes were attacking Gaddafi’s forces on the ground, in support of the rebels.
Lavrov also called for an immediate ceasefire, echoing calls made in Beijing over the past week.
Criticism from the Chinese government and state-run media outlets have cited – without questioning – reports on civilian fatalities released by the Gaddafi regime.
Liberals Willing to Trade Blood and Treasure for Oil Company Profits Under Obama
Eric Blair
Prisonplanet.com
March 28, 2011
It’s perplexing to see a high level of support for the unprovoked bombing of Libya on so-called “progressive” websites.
There has been an endless stream of humanitarian propaganda flowing from these sites trying to convince average liberals that the “human thing to do” is to rain down tomahawk missiles with depleted uranium to bring freedom and democracy to an oppressed people.
Huffington Post ran a piece by Ed Schultz titled Why I Support President Obama’s Decision to Invade Libya where he described his reasoning as follows:
…President Obama explained this won’t be a long-term operation.
Matter of days, not a matter of weeks. Not even months.
…He’s (Obama) trying to give the rebels, those who want democracy, a fighting chance at just that and trying to stop Gaddafi — this is the human thing to do — from slaughtering his own people.
By the very use of the word “invade” in the title, Schultz would seem to understand that the continued military support is likely to last for quite some time. Indeed, this was confirmed on Sunday morning when Defense Secretary Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted that the operation could indeed last for months, which seems to debunk Schultz’s main argument that it’s only a days-long conflict. This justification is reminiscent of Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld falsely stating that the Iraq war would be quick and easy — only cost a couple of a billion dollars that would be paid for by Iraqi oil.
Additionally, Schultz and others making the “humanitarian” argument that we needed to prevent Gaddafi from slaughtering his own people is convoluted at best, if not a blatant hypocritical contradiction. It has become clear that the United States and their imperial partners, Britain and France, are picking and choosing which civil uprisings and which dictators to support with no genuine concern for democracy or civil rights.
Everyone with an objective view knows by now that this intervention is about protecting oil resources and making sure Israel survives these revolutionary times in the Arab world. Whether it’s control over Egypt’s Suez Canal, Libya’s sweet crude, or propping up the tyrannical Saudi regime in the face of protesters there, this selective military action in Libya seems to be exactly what liberals screamed about during Bush’s preemptive oil wars.
US, NATO promoting ‘New World Order’
Libya says that mainly civilians have been killed in the recent US-led airstrikes against the country and as the bombing continues, Western leaders struggle with the decision as to which country will lead the war effort.
Press TV interviewed political commentator, James Morris, regarding NATO and the United States’ involvement in Libya.
Press TV: We are hearing of disagreements between NATO members about who is taking over the command of military operations. It started with France getting involved and then the US and Britain. Turkey has been one of the main countries that have disagreed while Italy is saying that it wants NATO to take over. Tell us what you think are the sources of the disagreements. Why is there resistance for NATO to take over?
Morris: It was sold as a no-fly zone with no casualties, or very few casualties as if it would be a very quick in and out. What we are seeing now, which was actually pushed for by the French and the British. Surprisingly Obama bought it but he even had to be pressured. You had Hillary Clinton, Samantha Power and also Susan Rice push him to do it. I can understand why he wanted to do it because he was worried about Benghazi and the political ramifications of let’s say 100,000 people being slaughtered there by Gaddafi.
I’m no fan of Gaddafi and I think he should go too, but I don’t think America should get involved with an Arab tribal civil war as Congressman Ron Paul has said about the no-fly zone. I think the countries that are resisting are seeing the effects of what’s been happening for the past several days. People are being killed. A no-fly zone is an attack on Libya, which is an act of war, as Robert Gates said, the Secretary of Defense, and the neo-conservatives were going after him for that because they never see a war that they don’t like.
They want to set up intervention in Iran by having us not only have a no-fly zone over Libya but they are now calling for ground troops as well. I saw neo-con Kristol on Fox news, which is a neo-con propaganda channel in America that airs in England and around the world on satellite. He is actually calling for ground troops now. I think that is where we are leading. I heard something on the news earlier tonight (I think CNN) and they were saying outside Misratah you’ve got pro-Gaddafi regime tanks that are firing on the city and they are dug in.
How killing Libyans became a moral imperative
(Selection from Patrick Buchanan’s article below)
Until the modern era, the idea of sending armed forces across oceans to kill and die for moral or humanitarian causes would have been seen as an insult to the Founding Fathers, an abandonment of a vital American tradition and ruinous to the national interest.
Why are we in Libya? Why are U.S. pilotsbombingand killing Libyan soldiers who have done nothing to us?
These soldiers are simply doing their sworn duty to protect their country from attack and defend the only government they have known from what they are told is an insurgency backed by al-Qaida and supported by Western powers after their country’s oil.
Why did Obama launch this unconstitutional war?
Moral, humanitarian and ideological reasons. ThoughRobert Gatesand the Pentagon had thrown ice water on the idea of intervening in a third war in the Islamic world – in asandboxon the northern coast of Africa – Obama somersaulted and ordered the attack, for three reasons
(Read more)
Forget Civilians, Coalition forces paving way to oil
RIA Novosti
March 26, 2011
The international coalition enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya is bombing both military and civilians targets to pave the rebels’ way to oil facilities, a military source told the Jana national news agency on Saturday.
The source said the coalition’s raids “have nothing to do with the protection of civilians.”
“The coalition forces are methodically paving the way to Al-Qaeda’s gangs so that they seize as many oil fields and facilities and territories as possible and then blackmail the authorities,” the source added.
Russians: Ground Invasion of Libya May Start in April
RIA Novosti
March 26, 2011
The international coalition force is planning a ground operation in Libya that could start in late April, a high-ranking Russian intelligence service source said on Friday.
“Information coming via different channels shows that NATO countries, with the active participation of Britain and the United States, are developing a plan for a ground operation on Libyan territory,” he said.
“From all indications, a ground operation will be launched if the alliance fails to force the Gaddafi regime to capitulate with air strikes and missile attacks.”
If the events in Libya follow this scenario, the ground operation could start “in late April-early May,” he added.
350 British special forces already deep inside Libya… and more are ready to be deployed
UK Daily Mail
March 25, 2011
- – Squadron of SAS and SBS troops have been in country for a month
- – British Tornado aircraft launch fresh wave of attacks on Gaddafi’s forces
- – Bombing raids target military bases on outskirts of Tripoli
- – MOD has already spent nearly £30m on air operations and missile strikes
Hundreds of British troops have been deployed deep inside Libya targeting Colonel Gaddafi’s forces – and more are on standby.
While Chancellor George Osborne repeated that UK ground troops would not be involved, the Daily Mail can reveal there are an estimated 350 already mounting covert operations.
In total it is understood that just under 250 UK special forces soldiers and their support have been in Libya since before the launch of air strikes to enforce the no-fly zone against Gaddafi’s forces.
The revelation came as the Ministry of Defence confirmed this morning that British Tornado aircraft undertook missile strikes last night against Gadaffi’s forces.
Time to impeach Obama, pull his Nobel Prize, and elect a non-interventionist
RT.com/USA
21 March, 2011, 17:55
Obama’s attack in Libya is as ill advised and mismanaged as his Afghanistan Surge or his domestic stimulus-spending circus.Without the approval of the US Congress, President Obama sent 110 Tomahawk Missiles into Libya. President Obama’s claimed political goals were to force Qaddafi out of power. His words mean little, because almost everyone in the military world knows we cannot overthrow a government without troops on the ground.
In response to the Obama, Admiral Mike Mullen said, “Were only protecting civilians, and letting Libyans handle their own politics. This is a short mission”.In other words, the hawkish Democrats in Washington are at odds with the military commanders.
Hawkish leftovers from the Bush era like George Will, Rep. Jane Harmon, and the Council of Foreign Relations Chair Richard Hass claimed unanimously, “Bombing Libya is a dumb decision”.Yet, Obama continues to march on with one decision after another that is destroying the American republic.
What does Libya mean in the endgame? Stephen Walt asks “If we do go into Libya, and it ends up being harder than we think, and then something serious happens somewhere else (North Korea, the South China Sea, Sudan, the Horn of Africa, Mexico, etc.), what do we do then”?
No one has the answer for this very relevant question.
The only solution rests in our constitution. It is time to impeach Obama. The US legislature and judiciary branch should conduct hearings on the strikes in Libya, and his secret renditions in Yemen and Pakistan and bring back a constitutional convention.
Congress drafts bill to defund Libya war
Members of the US congress are looking into the possibility of pulling the US out of Libya by preventing US President Barack Obama from spending any money on the operation.
The lawmakers behind the bill argue Obama failed to receive congressional authorization and is essentially waging an unconstitutional war.
Leading the call to defund the mission is Republican Congressman Tim Johnson, who opposes intervening in Libya – even with congressional approval.
“I think this, combined with our presence in Afghanistan and Iraq … just elevates hatred toward America and western democracies, throughout the Middle East. This is just one more nail in the coffin, so to speak,” Johnson told The Huffington Post.
He argued there is no threat from Libya to the national security of the US and called Obama a “war-mongering president who’s belied everything he stands for and everything we thought we stood for.”
Obama tarnishes Nobel Peace Prize with “indiscriminate” military action in Libya
RT.com
20 March, 2011, 18:22
Moscow harshly condemns an international military operation against forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, while Washington downplays its role in the hostilities.
It has taken US President Barack Obama just over one year – and less than that if we consider that he earlier agreed to keep open the Guantanamo Bay detention facility – to damage his Nobel Peace Prize, awarded in Oslo, Norway in October 2009.
On Saturday, US warships unleashed a massive sea-based missile salvo against targets inside of Libya, where Col. Muammar Gaddafi has been engaged in a desperate showdown against anti-government forces. The battle is largely centered on the city of Benghazi, where oppositional forces have announced an “interim Libyan government.”
US warships and submarines fired more than 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libyan territory to disable air-defense systems, allowing French and British fighter jets to more easily enforce a no-fly zone. The attack on Libya marks the third Muslim country that the United States is now engaged in military operations with.
You Tube Admits To Freezing View Count On Biden Impeachment Video
By both Biden’s and Obama’s own admissions, they should be removed from office
Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
March 23, 2011
Youtube has admitted to freezing the viewcount on a viral video of Vice President Joe Biden that highlights the hypocrisy of the Obama administration as it engages in military aggression against Libya.
The video (below) dates from 2007 and shows Biden, then preparing for a presidential run, appearing on the Chris Matthews show on MSNBC.
In the video Biden is asked if he sticks by comments that bombing Iranian interests without Congressional approval would be an impeachable offense, to which he replies he absolutely does.
The video was posted at the top of The Drudge Report earlier today, a website that conservatively receives 36 million visits per day, making it the most highly ranked news website on the web.
Under the headline Could Obama be Impeached over Libya? Let’s ask Biden, the video has been drawing thousands of hits as viewers have drawn the comparison to the subversion of Congressional authority by Biden and Obama via US involvement in UN sanctioned attacks on pro-Gaddafi forces and buildings.
While such activity would normally send the video to the top of searches and to the front pages of Youtube.com, where many millions more would see it, the viewcount on the video is stuck firmly at just 301 views.
(SEE FULL ARTICLE) >>> YouTube releases statement to CNS News on view counts
Protecting Libyan Civilians? U.S. Chopper Shoots 6 Libyan Civilians
UK Daily Mail
March 23, 2011
Six Libyan villagers are recovering in hospital after being shot by American soldiers coming in to rescue the U.S. pilots whose plane crash-landed in a field.
The helicopter strafed the ground as it landed in a field outside Benghazi beside the downed U.S. Air Force F-15E Eagle which ran into trouble during bombing raid last night.
And a handful of locals who had come to greet the pilots were hit – among them a young boy who may have to have a leg amputated because of injuries caused by a bullet wound.
The first confirmed casualties of the allied operation, the Channel Four’s International Editor Lindsey Hilsum confirmed the civilian casualties.
The crew of the fighter plane had enjoyed a miraculous escape after suffering suspected mechanical failure during the third night of air strikes on Colonel Gaddafi’s military positions.
As one crew member was surrounded by locals, he held his arms out, calling ‘okay, okay’, according to the Evening Standard – but the grateful Libyans queued to thank him and give him juice.
LLRepublic.com 