Oorlog in Libië #79: Tanks in Misurata

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:31 schreef SemperSenseo het volgende:

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Wat een sukkel, als hij zich echt in had verdiept dan had hij kunnen weten dat coca cola en pepsi cola al heel lang geen Kolanoot meer bevat. Trouwens ook geen Cocaplant meer

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:28 schreef ChristianLebaneseFront het volgende:

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Waarom zeurt ie alleen over Amerika?

Het waren vooral de Britten en Fransen die graag wilden ingrijpen.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:33 schreef Eenskijken het volgende:
Update (15:26) Zwaar bombardement in Misurata. Burgers vrezen dat Gaddafi de stad wil verpletteren. (Al Jazeera)

De coalitie moet dit toch kunnen voorkomen?

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The barrage begins

THE FIRST stage of the multiphase Operation Odyssey Dawn may already be over. At 19.00 GMT on Saturday evening, American and British naval vessels launched a co-ordinated

Tomahawk cruise missile attack on Libyan air-defence systems. At least 110 missiles struck at 20 command and control sites that had been targeted earlier in the week by satellites and aerial-surveillance missions conducted by American and British aircraft. There were also unconfirmed reports of American B-2 stealth bombers hitting a major Libyan airfield.

According to allied military sources, the strikes severely disabled the Libyan regimes ability both to see coalition aircraft entering Libyan airspace and maintain effective command and control over the countrys integrated air defence systems, which include nearly 100 Mig-25s and 15 Mirage F-1s and a huge arsenal of Russian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). A bomb-damage assessment is now underway to determine whether more attacks are needed to degrade Muammar Qaddafis air defences further before enforcement of the UN-mandated no-fly zone can begin in relative safety. A second phase is likely to begin later on Sunday with coalition aircraft (including 16 British GR4 Tornados, Rafales from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle at Toulon and F-18s from the USS Enterprise in the Red Sea) launching attacks with anti-radiation missiles that lock on to and destroy enemy radar systems.

Just over two hours before the main assault began, French Rafale (pictured) and Mirage 2000 fighters went into action over Benghazi. As international leaders met in Paris to agree the outline of the UN-backed military campaign, anxiety had grown over the threat to Libyas second-biggest city. The ceasefire declared by the Qaddafi regime on Friday had been exposed as a ruse, as loyalist forces sped towards the rebels stronghold, beginning a major tank and artillery bombardment early on Saturday, while infiltrating snipers into central areas of the city.

The French mission, which deployed 20 aircraft including aerial refuelling tankers and airborne command and control planes, was an attempt (a little belated according to some military observers) to prevent Colonel Qaddafi establishing a fait accompli in Benghazi before the allies had got their act together. By preventing the regime from using its airpower effectively and suppressing for a time the artillery bombardment, the French brought some relief to the beleaguered city, but by not striking earlier, the allies have made things more difficult both for themselves and the civilian population they are trying to protect. Unless the Qaddafi forces withdraw, hitting them rather than the rebels resisting them will be difficult, while the risks of collateral damage if the fighting spreads within Benghazi will be high.

The pattern seems set for the next two or three days. As more allied forces arrive in the theatre of operationsDanish and Canadian jets have landed at the American airbase at Sigonella in Sicily or are on their way and fighter aircraft from Spain, Qatar and the UAE have been promisedand as the tricky technical job of co-ordinating the participating air forces progresses, the no-fly zone will become increasingly effective. A naval blockade will also come into force. Ground attacks on the Libyan regimes armour, artillery, rocket launchers and mechanised infantry in both the east and west of the country seem certain to intensify if Colonel Qaddafi insists on carrying on the fight. A major uncertainty is whether his forces will continue to obey his orders if they start to believe the game is up. The 20,000 well-trained tribal paramilitary forces that the Colonel most relies on may feel they have no alternative. But the mercenaries he employs may think differently: they are paid to fight, but not to the death.

Although the Americans appear to be reluctantly leading the operation at the moment through Admiral Samuel Locklear, the commander of the Allied Joint Force based in Naples, there is talk of mission leadership being handed over to either Britain or France once the first phases are over. Some tricky issues are coming up fast.

The UN resolution appears to exclude the use of foreign ground forces in Libya, but if strikes on the regime's ground forces are to be fully effective (and less likely to hit the wrong targets), air forces will need specialised ground spotters to guide them. Relying on intelligence from the rebels will not give allied pilots the kind of real-time situational awareness that they will want. Secondly, the coalition does not yet have a declared policy on what it will do to support rebel counter-attacks. Regime change is a hope, rather than an aim of the operation. But at some stage, the distinction is likely to become blurred between protecting civilians from Colonel Qaddafi and effectively fighting for (and perhaps arming) one side in a Libyan civil war.

Photo credit: EPA
The limpet's legions
woensdag 2 maart 2011 17:27

THE comforting idea that Muammar Qaddafi might go relatively gently into that good night like his more conventional autocratic neighbours has been dashed. Instead the Libyan dictator seems determined to follow the poets advice by burning, raving and raging against the dying of the light. It would be bad enough if Mr Qaddafi were merely determined to kill as many of his fellow citizens as possible before quickly succumbing to his own end. But the prospect is for something even worse: either a stalemate that allows Mr Qaddafi the time he needs to re-establish his authority in the east of the country; or a bloody civil war with an uncertain outcome and the possibility of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Which is why after much pious rhetoric in Western capitals about Mr Qaddafis growing illegitimacy, there is now urgent discussion of what kind of practical assistance could be extended to the rebels. However, after a flurry of excitement on February 28th when the British prime minister, David Cameron, told parliament that he had asked the chief of the defence staff to work with our allies on plans for a military no-fly zone, the following day, Robert Gates, the American defence secretary, warned about the dangers of military intervention in another Muslim country. Mr Gates announced he was sending two naval vessels towards Libya, an amphibious assault ship, USS Kearsarge, and an amphibious dry dock, USS Ponce, but with the aim of providing humanitarian assistance.

At this point there are many objections to the use of force by outsiders to remove Mr Qaddafi. Foreign intervention would not be popular with Libya's opposition. There is so little intelligence about what is happening on the ground that it would be hard to distinguish friends from foes. America has both theoretical and practical objections to using force: it does not want to divert resources from Afghanistan and is in no rush to resume toppling Arab dictators.

Nevertheless, the option of creating a no-fly zone may yet gain ground. Mr Qaddafis 18,000-strong air force with its 13 bases is a critical element in his bid to hold on to power. The regimes use of ground attack jets against its enemies may have been exaggeratedthey are hardly the weapon of choice for street-fighting.

But of much greater use to him are his 30 or so attack helicopters (Russian Mi-25s and Mi-35s) and his substantial aerial transport capacity. These comprise seven squadrons equipped with Russian 23 An-26s, 25 IL-76s and 15 C-130s. He also has a heavy transport helicopter squadron with four Boeing Chinooks and a medium transport squadron with Soviet-era 35 Mi-8s and Mi-17s which can also be used as gun-ships. According to the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the transport squadrons are by some measure the most effective part of the Libyan air force.

Mr Qaddafis ability to move reinforcements rapidly around the vast country has already proved important. According to intelligence estimates, far from being the delusional loon he affects to

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:34 schreef Bartholomaeus het volgende:

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Frankrijk etc. maken zich nu waarschijnlijk alweer klaar om direct in te grijpen als dat gebeurd.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:37 schreef doeterniettoezegiktoch het volgende:

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ik vraag me wel af hoe lang ze daar weer mee wachten , laatste uren meerdere berichten over dat Misurata word geterroriseerd door tanks etc. ; mogen ze opschieten voordat het te laat is ...

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:37 schreef SemperSenseo het volgende:
Arab League: "we want protection of civilians, no bombing"

Ik zeg het je, meteen alle westerse landen terugtrekken en een dikke vinger naar die Arab League. Laten zij het maar lekker oplossen. Wat ze natuurlijk niet doen, maar dat is hun probleem.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:38 schreef yavanna het volgende:
Niet positief wanneer de arabische liga haar support zou intrekken.

BBC

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, in comments on Egypt's official state news agency, wants an emergency meeting of the organisation. "What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," he said.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:38 schreef yavanna het volgende:
Niet positief wanneer de arabische liga haar support zou intrekken.

BBC

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, in comments on Egypt's official state news agency, wants an emergency meeting of the organisation. "What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," he said.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:26 schreef doeterniettoezegiktoch het volgende:

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is dat dan de reden dat Italië nu toch "vliegtuigen ' ter beschikking stelt ?

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:39 schreef Halcon het volgende:

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Ook een beetje hypocriet. Wel eerst meedoen en als het dan gaat beginnen, heel laf je steun intrekken.

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Arab League criticizes allied airstrikes on Libya

(AP) 28 minutes ago

CAIRO (AP) The head of the Arab League has criticized international strikes on Libya, saying they caused civilian deaths.

The Arab League's support for a no-fly zone last week helped overcome reluctance in the West for action in Libya. The U.N. authorized not only a no-fly zone but also "all necessary measures" to protect civilians.

Amr Moussa says the military operations have gone beyond what the Arab League backed.

Moussa has told reporters Sunday that "what happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives." He says "what we want is civilians' protection not shelling more civilians."

U.S. and European strikes overnight targeted mainly air defenses, the U.S. military said. Libya says 48 people were killed, including civilians.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:41 schreef Averroes het volgende:

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Niet alleen hypocriet ook gewoon stupide. Ze weten zelf toch ook dondersgoed dat er bij militair ingrijpen burgerslachtoffers vallen. Daarnaast levert niet ingrijpen waarschijnlijk meer burgerslachtoffers op.

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Op zondag 20 maart 2011 15:38 schreef yavanna het volgende:
Niet positief wanneer de arabische liga haar support zou intrekken.

BBC

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, in comments on Egypt's official state news agency, wants an emergency meeting of the organisation. "What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," he said.