tagged w/ Lybia
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Our government has failed to honor this most basic of American rights by their oppressive, violent and hypocritical crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street movement. While our political leaders speak up for the rights of Libyans, Egyptians and Syrians to peacefully protest in their own countries, those same leaders and officials in America have turned a deaf hear to the cries of the 99%.
http://veracitystew.com/2011/12/05/i-am-not-moving-americas-hypocrisy-with-occupy-video/Our government has failed to honor this most basic of American rights by their... more
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A face with graffiti of the Libyan dictator photographed on a wall in Benghazi
The tent in which he has always loved living helped to spread an image of himself at odds with that of a
businessman in a suit and tie. Yet, after his death, it turns out that Muammar Gaddafi had exported a lot of money and may have been even richer than the dictator of the planet by adding the value of current accounts, real estate, corporate and investment reserves of gold scattered around the world .
According to wrote the Los Angeles Times , which uses anonymous sources Libyan administration, in fact, the treasure stolen by Colonel abroad during 42 years at the helm of Libya, between 1969 and 2011, could be equal to monstrous figure of $ 200 billion , equal to about 144 billion euros ..... see more on http://www.thivest.com/?page=1A face with graffiti of the Libyan dictator photographed on a wall in Benghazi
The... more
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My twitter feed has delivered this entry:
ChangeInLibya Mhalwes
Egypt BREAKING: Ahmed Gaddaf-El-Dam (Gaddafi) has been put under house arrest and had his assets frozen #libya #feb17 via Brnieq
47 minutes ago
I asked for confirmation and noticed that several others have done the same.
@Ishtar57 Aimee Kligman
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Unconfirmed report that Qaddafi placed under house arrest - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/unconfimred-report-that-qaddafi-placed-under-house-arrest#ixzz1LsIGsfHYMy twitter feed has delivered this entry:
ChangeInLibya Mhalwes
Egypt BREAKING:... more
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The objective of the war against Libya is not just its oil reserves (now estimated at 60 billion barrels), which are the greatest in Africa and whose extraction costs are among the lowest in the world, nor the natural gas reserves of which are estimated at about 1,500 billion cubic meters. In the crosshairs of "willing" of the operation “Unified Protector” there are sovereign wealth funds, capital that the Libyan state has invested abroad.
The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) manages sovereign wealth funds estimated at about $70 billion U.S., rising to more than $150 billion if you include foreign investments of the Central Bank and other bodies. But it might be more. Even if they are lower than those of Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, Libyan sovereign wealth funds have been characterized by their rapid growth. When LIA was established in 2006, it had $40 billion at its disposal. In just five years, LIA has invested over one hundred companies in North Africa, Asia, Europe, the U.S. and South America: holding, banking, real estate, industries, oil companies and others.
In Italy, the main Libyan investments are those in UniCredit Bank (of which LIA and the Libyan Central Bank hold 7.5 percent), Finmeccanica (2 percent) and ENI (1 percent), these and other investments (including 7.5 percent of the Juventus Football Club) have a significance not as much economically (they amount to some $5.4 billion) as politically.
Libya, after Washington removed it from the blacklist of “rogue states,” has sought to carve out a space at the international level focusing on "diplomacy of sovereign wealth funds." Once the U.S. and the EU lifted the embargo in 2004 and the big oil companies returned to the country, Tripoli was able to maintain a trade surplus of about $30 billion per year which was used largely to make foreign investments. The management of sovereign funds has however created a new mechanism of power and corruption in the hands of ministers and senior officials, which probably in part escaped the control of the Gadhafi himself: This is confirmed by the fact that, in 2009, he proposed that the 30 billion in oil revenues go "directly to the Libyan people." This aggravated the fractures within the Libyan government.
U.S. and European ruling circles focused on these funds, so that before carrying out a military attack on Libya to get their hands on its energy wealth, they took over the Libyan sovereign wealth funds. Facilitating this operation is the representative of the Libyan Investment Authority, Mohamed Layas himself: as revealed in a cable published by WikiLeaks. On January 20 Layas informed the U.S. ambassador in Tripoli that LIA had deposited $32 billion in U.S. banks. Five weeks later, on February 28, the U.S. Treasury “froze” these accounts. According to official statements, this is "the largest sum ever blocked in the United States," which Washington held "in trust for the future of Libya." It will in fact serve as an injection of capital into the U.S. economy, which is more and more in debt. A few days later, the EU "froze" around 45 billion Euros of Libyan funds.
The assault on the Libyan sovereign wealth funds will have a particularly strong impact in Africa. There, the Libyan Arab African Investment Company had invested in over 25 countries, 22 of them in sub-Saharan Africa, and was planning to increase the investments over the next five years, especially in mining, manufacturing, tourism and telecommunications. The Libyan investments have been crucial in the implementation of the first telecommunications satellite Rascom (Regional African Satellite Communications Organization), which entered into orbit in August 2010, allowing African countries to begin to become independent from the U.S. and European satellite networks, with an annual savings of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even more important were the Libyan investment in the implementation of three financial institutions launched by the African Union: the African Investment Bank, based in Tripoli, the African Monetary Fund, based in Yaoundé (Cameroon), the African Central Bank, with Based in Abuja (Nigeria). The development of these bodies would enable African countries to escape the control of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, tools of neo-colonial domination, and would mark the end of the CFA franc, the currency that 14 former French colonies are forced to use. Freezing Libyan funds deals a strong blow to the entire project. The weapons used by "the willing" are not only those in the military action called “Unified Protector.”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24479The objective of the war against Libya is not just its oil reserves (now estimated at... more
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There was no independent confirmation but earlier reports spoke of rocket explosions and automatic gunfire.
Government forces had reportedly been ordered to halt fighting to give tribal leaders a chance to negotiate with the rebels.
Meanwhile, a ship carrying evacuees from Misrata reached Benghazi.
Misrata, Libya's third largest city and the only town of any size held by the rebels in the west, has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the conflict.
Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed, and Saturday was one of the bloodiest days yet, with at least 24 people killed and 100 wounded.
US Senator John McCain has urged America to step up involvement in air strikes on government forces Libya, warning that a prolonged conflict could draw in al-Qaeda.
He was speaking on a visit to Cairo shortly after Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US military's joint chiefs of staff, announced that coalition air strikes had "degraded" between 30 and 40% of Colonel Gaddafi's ground forces, and the conflict was "certainly moving towards a stalemate".
The popular revolt against Col Gaddafi - inspired by similar uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia - began in February.
'Dozens of rockets'
An injured evacuee from Misrata is taken from a ship in Benghazi during an operation organised by the International Organization for Migration, 24 April More injured evacuees from Misrata arrived by ship in Benghazi on Sunday
A rebel spokesman, named as Abdelsalam, told Reuters news agency by telephone from Misrata that pro-Gaddafi forces had begun a "random bombardment" in the early hours of Sunday.
Three residential areas and the city centre, including strategically important Tripoli Street, were under fire, he said. Another rebel spokesman, Ahmed Hassan, said at least one person had been killed and 12 wounded.
A resident who spoke to the Associated Press (AP) said "dozens of rockets" had been fired at the city.
According to the same source, rebel fighters had pushed government forces to the edge of city, taking control of the main hospital where government troops had been holed up. The report could not be verified independently.
On Saturday, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said tribes around Misrata had given the army an ultimatum that if it could not defeat rebels in Misrata, their fighters would.
He said tribal leaders were angry that fighting had brought life and trade in the city to a standstill.
Troops had stopped fighting, he said, but had not withdrawn from the port city.
A ship has docked in Benghazi, the rebels' stronghold in eastern Libya, bringing 900 evacuees, most of them from Misrata. They include 19 injured people.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 people are still in Misrata's port area, awaiting evacuation, according to International Committee of the Red Cross official Francisco Javier Cepero.
One evacuee, Osama Miftah Misraty, spoke to AP: "We just could not remain in our home, missiles every day, and Grad missiles, and tank shells, and the children would cry and say 'Father, we're afraid, we're going to die'."
He said he was bringing his children to Benghazi after which he would return to Misrata for the rest of his relatives.
Tripoli hit
Nato aircraft carried out more air strikes on targets around the capital Tripoli on Saturday.
The French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. 23 April Nato planes, like these French jets in the Mediterranean, are running regular sorties over Libya
Foreign journalists reported seeing jets and hearing three strong explosions late in the evening.
Earlier in the day, the US confirmed the first strike by one of its unmanned drone aircraft over Libya, destroying a government rocket launcher near Misrata.
Nato said it had carried out more than 3,000 sorties since assuming control of the UN-backed mission to protect civilians late last month.
"We have struck a broad range of targets across the country - tanks and rocket launchers, armoured vehicles and ammunition stores, command and control sites," it said.
Speaking to US broadcaster NBC, Senator McCain said he welcomed the use of the drone but more had to be done.
"I believe that with sufficient and efficient use of power we can bring Gaddafi to his knees," the former US presidential candidate said.There was no independent confirmation but earlier reports spoke of rocket explosions... more
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MISRATA, Libya — A spokesman for Libyan rebels said the city of Misrata was freed from Moammar Gadhafi's forces on Saturday after a siege of Libya's third-largest city lasting nearly two months.
There was no independent confirmation, but Libyan troops captured by rebels in Misrata said the army had been ordered to retreat and the Libyan government said earlier that local tribes would take over the battle from the army.
"Misrata is free, the rebels have won. Of Gadhafi's forces, some are killed and others are running away," rebel spokesman Gemal Salem told Reuters by telephone from the city.
Salem said that although Gadhafi's forces had pulled out of Misrata, they remained outside and would be in a position to bombard it.MISRATA, Libya — A spokesman for Libyan rebels said the city of Misrata was... more
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The most senior US soldier, Adm Mike Mullen, has said the war in Libya is "moving towards stalemate", even though US and Nato air strikes have destroyed 30-40% of Libya's ground forces.
The US has authorised the use of armed, unmanned Predator drones over Libya to give "precision capabilities".
Libyan rebels have been battling Col Gaddafi's troops since February but have recently made little headway.
Adm Mullen also said there was no sign of al-Qaeda in the Libyan opposition.
Speaking to US troops in Iraq, he said radical groups might try to take advantage of the Libyan uprising, but added: "We're watchful of it, mindful of it and I just haven't seen much of it at all. In fact, I've seen no al-Qaeda representation there at all."
Last month, a Nato commander said US intelligence had picked up "flickers" of al-Qaeda activity among the rebels.
Urban targets
A fourth evacuation ship chartered by the International Organisation for Migration is on its way to rescue stranded migrant workers and wounded civilians from the besieged city of Misrata.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Jeremy Bowen Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor, Tripoli
Here in Tripoli, Nato jets have been circling high in the sky. Explosions thudded around the city in the early hours of the morning. They sounded distant but were still powerful enough to rattle the windows.
The chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, estimates that Nato has destroyed 30-40% of Libya's main ground forces. Even so, he says the war is moving towards a stalemate.
That's because neither the Libyan army nor the rebels can land knockout blows. The American decision to deploy armed, unmanned predator drones will not win the war for the rebels. But the drones give Nato another option, and at a time when the air campaign seems to be in trouble, they represent American political support as well as more American firepower.
Col Gaddafi's forces have been pounding the city - the main rebel-held area in western Libya - for weeks.
Medics say more than 1,000 people have died since the fighting began, many falling victim to snipers.
The BBC has seen evidence that cluster bombs are being used by pro-Gaddafi forces in Misrata, a charge they have so far denied.
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim has warned the international community to stay out of Misrata, saying the government will "unleash hell" if foreign troops enter the city.
The US hopes the low-flying pilotless drones will be able to accurately target pro-Gaddafi units on the ground in built-up areas like Misrata, where there is a high risk of civilian casualties.
Unmanned US drones are already used to target militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said two Predator drones were being made available for Nato use, but insisted there were still no plans to send in US ground troops.
The Pentagon said the first drone mission took place on Thursday but turned back because of bad weather.
Libya's deputy foreign minister warned that the drones would increase civilian casualties and would not change the outcome of the conflict.
"They [drones] will kill more civilians and this is very sad," Khaled Khaim told the BBC. "It's for the Libyans to choose their destiny - not by sending more weapons or more air strikes, or more money and weapons to the rebels."
"I think what they are doing is undemocratic, illegitimate. I do hope that they will reverse their decision."
'Morale boost'
Meanwhile, US Senator John McCain has arrived on a visit to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
Republican Senator John McCain in rebel-held Benghazi, Libya (22 April 2011) Senator John McCain is the highest-ranking US official to visit rebel-held eastern Libya since the uprising began in February
A crowd of about 50 people greeted him at the courthouse in Benghazi, chanting, "The nasty Gaddafi has left and McCain came", the AFP news agency reports.
Senator McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, is the highest-ranking US official to visit the rebel-held east of the country since the uprising began two months ago.
Mr McCain said the rebels needed "a lot of help" and wanted the world to follow France and Italy in formally recognising them as Libya's leaders.
"I just came from the hospital where I saw a number of people who are badly wounded and dying," he said.
Continue reading the main story
US Predator drone (file image)
Military fact file: Drones
"That frankly puts a face on it that argues maybe we should be doing everything we can to help these people, and maybe we're not and they're dying."
The BBC's Peter Biles in Benghazi says the rebels are looking for every ounce of support they can get, so Mr McCain's visit will have been a huge morale boost.
On Thursday, Libyan rebels were reported to have seized control of a border post on the Tunisian border in a rare advance in the west.
Reports say about 100 government soldiers handed themselves in in Tunisia after intense fighting in the Western Mountains region.
Restrictions on journalists in remote areas of Libya mean it is hard to independently verify such reports.
The UN's refugee agency says more than 14,000 people have fled the Western Mountains into Tunisia in the past two weeks.The most senior US soldier, Adm Mike Mullen, has said the war in Libya is "moving... more
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TRIPOLI, Libya — The Obama administration plans to give the Libyan opposition $25 million in non-lethal assistance in the first direct U.S. aid to the rebels after weeks of assessing their capabilities and intentions, officials said Wednesday.TRIPOLI, Libya — The Obama administration plans to give the Libyan opposition... more
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TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A distraught Libyan woman stormed into a Tripoli hotel Saturday to tell foreign reporters that government troops raped her, setting off a brawl when hotel staff and government minders tried to detained her.
Iman al-Obeidi was tackled by waitresses and government minders as she sat telling her story to journalists after she rushed into the restaurant at the Rixos hotel where a number of foreign journalists were eating breakfast.
She claimed loudly that troops had detained her a checkpoint, tied her up, abused her, then led her away to be gang raped.
Her story could not be independently verified, but the dramatic scene provided a rare firsthand glimpse of the brutal crackdown on public dissent by Moammar Gadhafi's regime as the Libyan leader fights a rebellion against his rule that began last month.
The regime has been keeping up a drumbeat of propaganda in the Tripoli-centered west of the country under its control even as it faces a weeklong international air campaign against the Libyan military.
At a hastily arranged press conference after the incident, government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said investigators had told him the woman was drunk and possibly mentally challenged.
Before she was dragged out of the hotel, al-Obeidi managed to tell journalists that she was detained by a number of troops at a Tripoli checkpoint on Wednesday. She said they were drinking whiskey and handcuffed her. She said 15 men later raped her.
"They tied me up ... they even defecated and urinated on me," she said, her face streaming with tears. "The Gadhafi militiamen violated my honor."
The woman, who appeared in her 30's, wore a black robe and a floral scarf around her neck and identified herself. She had scratches on her face and she pulled up her black robe to reveal a bloodied thigh. She said neighbors in the area where she was detained helped her escape.
The Associated Press only identifies rape victims who volunteer their names.
As al-Obeidi spoke, a hotel waitress brandished a butter knife, a government minder reached for his handgun and another waitress pulled a jacket tightly over her head.
Al-Obeidi said she was targeted by the troops because she's from the eastern city of Benghazi, a rebel stronghold.
The waiters called her a traitor and told her to shut up. She retorted: "Easterners — we're all Libyan brothers, we are supposed to be treated the same, but this is what the Gadhafi militiamen did to me, they violated my honor."
It soon turned into a scene of chaos with journalists attempting to protect the woman from government minders who physically attacked and intimidated her.
Journalists who tried to intervene were pushed out of the way by the minders. A British television reporter was punched, and CNN's camera was smashed on the ground and ripped to pieces by the government minders.
Eventually the minders overpowered the woman and led her outside, shoving her into a car that sped away. Al-Obeidi kept crying that she was certain she would be thrown in jail. She begged photographers to take her picture, raising her robe to show them her bruised body. A minder tried to cover her mouth with his hand to keep her from talking.
"Look at what happens — Gadhafi's militiamen kidnap women at gunpoint, and rape them ... they rape them," al-Obeidi screamed.
She said she wanted to be taken to see the leader himself.
"I want to see Moammar Gadhafi. Didn't he say that every victim will have justice? I want my rights," she said.
The government spokesman said the woman was under investigation.
"The investigators did phone me and told me the lady is drunk and that she seems to be suffering mentally," Ibrahim said. "They are checking on her health condition, her mental condition, whether she was really abused or if these were fantasies."
Gadhafi's crackdown has been the region's most violent against the wave of anti-government protests sweeping the Middle East. Tensions have been rising between foreign reporters in the Libyan capital and the government minders who have sought to tightly control what they see and whom they talk to. Most of the international press corps is being housed at the Rixos hotel.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hFFmOUI9PwWwpGXaJCcTx5xl8L0w?docId=6bb9459f5fd34ba49ae874ed53a91123TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A distraught Libyan woman stormed into a Tripoli hotel... more
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* Tensions with Britain as Gates rebukes UK government over suggestion Gaddafi could be assassinated
* French propose a new political 'committee' to oversee operations
* Germany pulls equipment out of NATO coalition over disagreement over campaign's direction
* Italians accuse French of backing NATO in exchange for oil contracts
* No-fly zone called into question after first wave of strikes 'neutralises' Libyan military machine
* U.K. ministers say war could last '30 years'
* Italy to 'take back control' of bases used by allies unless NATO leadership put in charge of the mission
* Russians tell U.S. to stop bombing in order to protect civilians - calls bombing a 'crusade'
Deep divisions between allied forces currently bombing Libya worsened today as the German military announced it was pulling forces out of NATO over continued disagreement on who will lead the campaign.
A German military spokesman said it was recalling two frigates and AWACS surveillance plane crews from the Mediterranean, after fears they would be drawn into the conflict if NATO takes over control from the U.S.
The infighting comes as a heated meeting of NATO ambassadors yesterday failed to resolve whether the 28-nation alliance should run the operation to enforce a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone, diplomats said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368693/Libya-war-Germans-pull-forces-NATO-Libyan-coalition-falls-apart.html#ixzz1HTKJhp7w* Tensions with Britain as Gates rebukes UK government over suggestion Gaddafi could... more
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Italy warned Monday that it was facing a refugee and humanitarian emergency, with some 15,000 Tunisians having arrived in recent weeks and fears that the start of U.S. and European airstrikes on Libya could unleash even more migrants.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni told a news conference that some 200 Libyans from the eastern part of the country had arrived overnight in Catania, Sicily, marking the first major influx from Libya to Italy since the revolt began over a month ago.
But it appeared Maroni's information was incorrect: Officials from Catania's port, police, carabinieri and financial police all refused to confirm initial reports on the ANSA news agency that 191 Libyans had arrived.
These officials spoke instead of Egyptians, with Egyptian passports and currency, and subsequent news reports indicated that the Egyptians had told officials they were Libyan so they could obtain refugee status.
Italy has been sending back the vast majority of Tunisians and Egyptians who have arrived in recent weeks, saying they don't qualify for asylum or refugee status since there are no wars or humanitarian crises in their countries.
Italy has demanded Europe as a whole share the burden of coping with the immigration flows, saying it shouldn't be expected to cope with alone. As it is, the number of Tunisians on the tiny island of Lampedusa -- 4,800 as of Monday -- was almost the size of the 5,000-strong population itself.
Lampedusa's residents are getting increasingly angry over the government's failure to help ease their burden. They have refused plans to set up a tent camp on the island, saying the migrants should be taken elsewhere.
Maroni said several measures would be taken in the coming days to try to stem the flow and ease the burden on Lampedusa: He planned to visit Tunis on Wednesday to press for a resumption of treaty agreements and border controls to stem the tide of migrants.
He also said an Italy navy ship would be sent to Lampedusa to transport migrants off the island to holding centers elsewhere in Italy. And he announced compensation measures for the island, whose economy is driven by tourism. Fears are mounting that the approaching high tourist season will be irreparably harmed by the immigration crisis.
In Geneva, the U.N. refugee agency said Monday that the number of civilians fleeing Libya has decreased since the start of the allied air strikes as people take a "wait and see" approach to the rapidly changing situation on the ground.
Almost 318,000 people have fled to neighboring Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Niger since the start of the unrest in February, said a spokeswoman at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Late last week, as rebel towns were being pounded by government troops, the stream of civilians crossing into Egypt alone reached 3,000 a day.Italy warned Monday that it was facing a refugee and humanitarian emergency, with some... more
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President Obama and his national security team worked behind the scenes Sunday to try to shore up support within the Arab world for the military mission in Libya, with top White House aides reaching out to officials of the Arab League to insist the bombing does not exceed the scope of a U.N. mandate, according to senior administration officials.
The senior officials described the Obama team's phone calls as making clear to the Arab League that bombing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's air defenses falls within the U.N. Security Council resolution's scope of imposing a no-fly zone and taking "all necessary measures" to stop the dictator from attacking civilians in his own country.
"We don't believe this goes beyond the resolution," said one senior administration official in describing the White House's message to the Arab League.
The lobbying came after Arab League officials complained earlier Sunday that airstrikes by the U.S. military and other allies inside Libya exceeded the scope of merely instituting a no-fly zone.
The senior officials noted that Obama also personally called King Abdullah of Jordan as part of the effort to keep key Arab allies on board with the mission.
The Obama phone call was in addition to calls made by Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday to leaders in Algeria and Kuwait.
Meanwhile, senior officials say they believe the allied campaign is hitting Gadhafi's military hard.
"We've essentially made substantial progress in wiping out his air defenses," one official said.
The official added that the White House is still confident that the administration will be able to hand off "later this week" much of the mission to allies, who will actually enforce the no-fly zone after the initial U.S. bombing clears the way for it.President Obama and his national security team worked behind the scenes Sunday to try... more
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The Libyan military on Sunday called for an immediate cease-fire, a day after U.S., British and French forces began to enforce a United Nations-mandated no-fly zone, an army spokesman said.
Earlier, heavy anti-aircraft fire could be seen being fired into the skies of Tripoli, though no allied fighter jets appeared to be approaching or attacking.
"The armed forces issued command to all military units to safeguard immediate cease-fire everywhere," Libyan spokesman Milad al Fuqhi said in a televised address.
Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi had called the allied nations bombing his country "terrorists."
There was violence across the country Sunday, with Gadhafi apparently shelling rebels in the west while allied airstrikes destroyed one of Gadhafi's convoys in the east, according to rebels. There were no immediate reports of whether the call for ceasefire had any quick effect.
As of Sunday night local time, the United States had fired a total of 124 Tomahawk missiles at Libya's air defense sites, Africa Command spokesman Vince Crawley told CNN.
Gadhafi had said the strikes were a confrontation between the Libyan people and "the new Nazis," and promised "a long-drawn war."
"You have proven to the world that you are not civilized, that you are terrorists -- animals attacking a safe nation that did nothing against you," Gadhafi had said in an earlier televised speech.
Gadhafi did not appear on screen during his address, leading CNN's Nic Robertson in Tripoli to speculate that the Libyan leader did not want to give the allies clues about his location.
Throughout the address, an image of a golden fist crushing a model plane that said "USA" filled the screen -- a monument in Tripoli to the 1986 American bombing of Libya, in which one U.S. plane was downed.The Libyan military on Sunday called for an immediate cease-fire, a day after U.S.,... more
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Updates: Added a new video and a secondary article.
The heart of Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli lay in shambles Monday following bombing by the United States and its allies, prompting a debate about whether the allies were trying to kill the Libyan leader.
A coalition military official insisted neither Gadhafi nor his residence were intended targets of the bombing late Sunday. The official -- who was not being identified because of the sensitivity of the information -- said the compound was targeted because it contained command-and-control facilities for Libyan forces.
U.S. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney concurred. "We are not going after Gadhafi," he said at a Pentagon press briefing. Asked about reports of smoke rising from the area of Gadhafi's palace, Gortney said, "We are not targeting his residence."
Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Alec Fraser suggested that Gadhafi might end up being a casualty even if he was not the intended target, but indicated he would not blame the coalition if that happened.
"If he happens to be someplace that they're striking, that's his problem," he said on CNN's "American Morning" Monday.
The British called off a second bombing run targeting the compound for fear of hitting civilians, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told CNN Monday, declining to be named in line with British tradition.
The ministry said earlier that Royal Air Force GR4 Tornados were told not to launch weapons after "information came to light that identified a number of civilians within the intended target area." At the time it did not identify the target of the aborted mission.
Gadhafi's whereabouts -- and his plans after promising a "long-drawn war" -- remained unknown Monday.
The U.S. military mission in Libya may already have peaked, spokesman Vince Crowley said Monday.
"We are moving from the action phase to a patrolling phase," said Crowley, a spokesman for the military's Africa Command. "Our aircraft participation has... plateaued, if not reduced somewhat."
A witness in the Libyan city of Misrata reported "absolute destruction and carnage" by Gadhafi forces on Monday -- despite the regime's recent call for a cease-fire.
"Misrata is being flattened and razed to the ground as we speak," said the man, whom CNN is not naming to protect his safety. "He (Gadhafi) is using tanks and snipers to terrorize the city."
He added, "They are shooting people in the main street and on the back street."
The Libyan military announced the cease-fire after an attack near Benghazi -- the heart of the Libyan opposition forces. Coalition forces pounded a Libyan military convoy there Sunday. At least 70 vehicles -- including armored personnel carriers and tanks -- were destroyed.
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Why Libya 2011 is not Iraq 2003
A critique of the U.S. involvement in the military intervention in Libya that will no doubt be common in coming days is that the Obama administration is making a large error by embarking on a war with a third Muslim country, as if reversing Moammar Gadhafi's momentum against the rebels will be a rerun of the debacle of the war against Saddam Hussein.
A further element of this view is that -- whatever the outcome of the Libyan intervention -- the United States' standing in the Islamic world will once again be severely damaged by an attack on a Muslim nation.
There are, of course, some real similarities between Hussein and Gadhafi -- both ruthless and erratic dictators of oil-rich regimes who fought bloody wars with their neighbors, brutalized their own populations, sought weapons of mass destruction, and sired some equally unattractive sons and heirs.
The déjà vu quality of the Libyan situation may help account for recent polls taken before the intervention which found that while Americans were either split or slightly in favor of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, most were opposed to stronger U.S. military action.
PS: Im just going to make new articles, so make sure to follow me if you want the most recent update on this issue.Updates: Added a new video and a secondary article.
The heart of Moammar... more
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Libya has declared a ceasefire in the country to comply with a United Nations resolution passed overnight. Moussa Koussa, the Libya foreign minister, announced that the ceasefire would be "immediate" and would result in "an immediate stop to all military operations".
"(Libya) takes great interest in protecting civilians," he said, adding that the country would also protect all foreigners and foreign assets in Libya.
The announcement came as David Cameron said RAF warplanes would be in places in the "coming hours".
Military action follows a United Nations Security Resolution, backed by Britain, France and the US. The Arab League has also called for a no-fly zone, and Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are expected to contribute forces to any military operation.
Mr Cameron's statement came amid reports that Western forces could launch bombing raids against the Libyan regime within hours after the UN backed international military action.
Read more here..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390550/Libya-ceasefire-declared-in-wake-of-UN-resolution.htmlLibya has declared a ceasefire in the country to comply with a United Nations... more
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The Obama administration stands ready to offer "any type of assistance" to Libyans seeking to oust Muammar Qaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, adding a warning to other African nations not to let mercenaries go to the aid of the long-time dictator.
Clinton echoed President Barack Obama's demand for Qaddafi to relinquish power.
"We want him to leave," she told reporters traveling with her Sunday to a U.N. meeting on Libya planned for Monday. "We want him to end his regime and call off the mercenaries and forces loyal to him.
"How he manages that is up to him."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/27/501364/main20036975.shtmlThe Obama administration stands ready to offer "any type of assistance" to... more
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By David Jackson, USA TODAY
President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking about Libya this week.
CAPTION
By Alex Wong, Getty Images
President Obama told German Chancellor Angela Merkel today that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi should surrender power immediately because of the attacks he has made on his own people.
"The President stated that when a leader's only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now," said a White House readout of the Merkel call.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton echoed Obama's demand in a statement saying that Gadhafi's government would he held "accountable for its violation of human rights"
"Moammar Gadhafi has lost the confidence of his people and he should go without further bloodshed and violence," Clinton said in her statement.
Obama spoke with Merkel a day after the U.S. placed unilateral economic sanctions on Libya, and as the U.S. works with allies like Germany on a set of international sanctions.
The White House readout of the Merkel call:
The President spoke today with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, as he has done with many of his international counterparts this week, to discuss the situation in Libya and coordinate our urgent efforts to respond to developments and ensure appropriate accountability.
The President and the Chancellor shared deep concerns about the Libyan government's continued violation of human rights and brutalization of its people.
The President stated that when a leader's only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now.
The leaders reaffirmed their support for the Libyan people's demand for universal rights and a government that is responsive to their aspirations, and agreed that Gadhafi's government must be held accountable.
They discussed appropriate and effective ways for the international community to respond. The President welcomed ongoing efforts by our allies and partners, including at the United Nations and by the European Union, to develop and implement strong measures.
The President and the Chancellor also discussed the global economic recovery and the need for effective tools to promote economic stability in the Eurozone.
Here is Clinton's statement:
The United States strongly condemns the ongoing violence and human rights violations committed by the government of Libya against its own people. As President Obama said, these actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency. They must stop.
We are moving quickly on a series of steps to hold the Libyan government accountable for its violation of human rights and to mobilize a strong response from the international community.
Last night the United States took action to limit the ability of senior officials of the Gadhafi regime to travel. As Secretary of State, I signed an order directing the Department to revoke U.S. visas held by these officials, others responsible for human rights violations in Libya, and their immediate family members. As a matter of policy, new visa applications will be denied.
This step followed President Obama's Executive Order freezing assets and imposing financial sanctions on members of the regime responsible for abuses against their own people and the suspension of the very limited defense trade we have had with Libya, including pending sales of spare military parts and other licenses allowing private companies to sell military equipment there.
MORE - http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/02/obama-gadhafi-should-leave-libya-now/1By David Jackson, USA TODAY
President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham... more
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