Oorlog in Libië #97. Meer bescherming gewenst.

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 02:44 schreef svann het volgende:
Tripolitanian
2 all sensitive Western media networks, don't be intimidated by Libyan rebs w beards, they say they will shave them off when Gaddafi leaves
^{35 minutes ago via web}

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Op maandag 11 april 2011 16:41 schreef houda het volgende:
hallo allemaal,

Eindelijk kan ik weer op internet. Ergens in deeltje 41 kon ik niet meer op internet. Het is heel heftig geweest een paar dagen lang toen Khadaffi's troepen in Benghazi waren! Pfff wat waren wij bang. Op een dag sochtends om half 6 2 keiharde knallen.
Ik trok mijn kind uit bed en rende naar mijn man toe. (sliep in een andere kamer om het huis te bewaken tegen troepen en snipers die ons huis wilden hebben).
Het bleek dat een paar deuren verder een bom was gevallen op onze buren .
Het was echt vreselijk. Er zoijn veel dingen gebeurd maar na een paar dagen begonnen de Fransen te schieten. Daar zijn we heel dankbaar voor want we hebben de troepebn gezien die naar Benghazi onderweg waren en er al waren. We hebben een filmpje te pakken gekregen van een pro khadaffi man en die filmde met zijn telefoon een hele stoet met auto's tanks enz. En terwijl hij dat filmden waren andere troepen al in Benghazi, dus dan kan je je voorstellen hoe lang die stoet was!!

Het leek wel of ze een heel land gingen veroveren. En de order van /khadaffi was dan ook heel Benghazi plat te maken, alle mannen te vermoorden en met de vrouwen en kinderen doen wat je wilt!!!!!

Maar goed dat is gelukkig niet gebeurd. Internet lag plat en tja de rest van het verhaal is wel bekend zoals ik hier kan lezen zijn jullie zeer goed op de hoogte!

We zijn sinds gisteren naar Egypte gegaan met een paar familieleden. We hebben hier nu een appartementje gehuurd en gaan pas terug als hij weg is. Het ios voor kinderen zeer traumatisch allemaal en ze hebben veel nacht,merries. Vandaag lekker naar de zee geweest en eindelijk weer een keertje naar buiten met mijn zoopmntje zonder angst of knallen, bommen of wat dan ook.

Wel zag ik op het nieuws dat ze gisteren in Ajdabia waren, maar nu niet meer...
Pfff hoe lang gaat dit nog duren???? Hoop dat hij snel weg gaat met zijn familie!!

Ik wilde dit toch eventjes laten weten hier omdat ik zo opeens niks meer kon posten!!!

Groetjes Houda

quote:

Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 02:44 schreef svann het volgende:
Tripolitanian
2 all sensitive Western media networks, don't be intimidated by Libyan rebs w beards, they say they will shave them off when Gaddafi leaves
^{35 minutes ago via web}

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 10:20 schreef HiZ het volgende:

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Grappig, dit sluit een beetje aan bij wat ik net zat te denken. Een reportage over 'de jongens van Bengazi'. En dan zie je een afscheidsscene waarin volgens de vertaler twee keer God's naam wordt aangehaald. Dat klinkt zwaar religieus allemaal voor de argeloze kijker. Maar als je dan weet dat het gebruikte woord 'insallah' vaak meer de lading heeft van ' ik hoop' of 'ik wens' dan wordt het beeld veel minder eng religieus.

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Libya: Nato is 'not doing enough', say France and UK_{12 April 2011 Last updated at 09:42 GMT}

Nato is not doing enough to destroy heavy weaponry used by Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya, the French and British foreign ministers say.

Libyan civilians remain at risk, France's Alain Juppe said, despite the ongoing Nato-led bombing campaign.

The UK's William Hague urged Nato allies to intensify military operations against the Libyan regime and called on Col Gaddafi to step down.

Libyan rebels opposing Col Gaddafi have been pushed back despite the air raids.

"Nato must play its role fully. It wanted to take the lead in operations," Mr Juppe said, calling efforts so far "not enough".

Mr Hague later echoed Mr Juppe's comments, saying: "We must maintain and intensify our efforts in Nato.

"That is why the United Kingdom has in the last weeks supplied additional aircraft capable of striking ground targets threatening the civilian population... Of course it would be welcome if other countries also did the same," he said on arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

The US and other Western allies began air strikes on 19 March after UN Security Council Resolution 1973 authorised "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Col Gaddafi's forces.

After initial sorties were flown under US command, Nato has since taken over responsibility for the campaign from Washington.

Despite this, heavy weapons are still being used to bombard the rebel-held western Libyan city of Misrata, reports say.

Libyan government forces began a renewed attack on Misrata on Monday, hours after news emerged of an African Union ceasefire plan.

There are grave concerns for the humanitarian situation in Misrata and for the safety of civilians still inside the city.

"It [Nato] must play its role today which means preventing Gaddafi from using heavy weapons to shell [civilian] populations," Alain Juppe said on Tuesday.

Ceasefire plea

Mr Juppe and Mr Hague's remarks came after the African Union (AU) proposed a ceasefire plan that was rejected by rebel leaders in Benghazi.

The plan included a call for an immediate end to hostilities, unhindered humanitarian aid, protection of foreign nationals, dialogue between opposing sides and an end to Nato air strikes.

The AU said Col Gaddafi has accepted the plan, but the rebels said it was unfeasible as it did not include a provision for the Libyan leader to step down.

On Tuesday the AU urged the rebels to reconsider, blaming the Transitional National Council (TNC) - in effect the rebels' parallel government in Benghazi - for imposing preconditions.

The AU "makes an urgent call on the TNC to fully co-operate, for the sake of Libya's higher interests, and assist in the quest for and implementation of a fair and lasting political solution", AFP news agency reported.

In clashes reported on Tuesday, rebels near the town of Ajdabiya said three of their fighters were killed overnight amid battles with pro-Gaddafi forces, Reuters news agency reported.

'Failed state' warning

Moussa Koussa - a former head of Libyan intelligence - said he could not continue in Libya's government

In the UK, Former Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa has warned against the risks of civil war and the possibility of his country becoming "a new Somalia".

Mr Koussa, the highest-profile figure to defect from Col Gaddafi's Libya, told the BBC in a prepared statement that the unity of Libya was essential to any settlement.

"I ask everybody to avoid taking Libya into civil war," Mr Koussa said. "This would lead to so much blood and Libya would be a new Somalia."

"More than that, we refuse to divide Libya. The unity of Libya is essential to any solution and settlement for Libya."

In his statement on Monday he said he had been "devoted" to his work for 30 years under Col Gaddafi, and was confident that it was serving the Libyan people.

However, he said, after recent events "things changed and I couldn't continue".

"I know that what I did to resign will cause me problems, but I'm ready to make that sacrifice for the sake of my country," he said.

He added that the solution in Libya would come from the Libyans themselves, through discussion and democratic dialogue.

Libya's Minister for Social Affairs, Ibrahim Zarouk al-Sharif, said he could not comment on Mr Koussa's statement while the former foreign minister was "captured" in a hostile country.

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 12:11 schreef doeterniettoezegiktoch het volgende:

[..]

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 12:22 schreef Renaldo het volgende:
Iemand enig idee hoe het misrata ervoor staat? hoelang gaat het verzet nog standhouden tegen de troepen van ghaddafi?

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Libyan rebels trapped inside besieged city of Misurata
_{Ben Knight reported this story on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 18:28:00}

MARK COLVIN: The African Union's plan to halt Libya's civil war has collapsed. The rebels say any talk of a ceasefire is meaningless as Gaddafi troops continue their bloody siege of the city of Misurata.

Meanwhile, France's foreign minister Alain Juppe has criticised NATO for not doing enough to protect civilians in Libya. He says the alliance should focus on destroying more heavy weapons around the besieged city.

Our Middle East correspondent Ben Knight's been watching developments and joins me on the line.

Ben, there are different claims and counterclaims about Misurata. What do you think is going on there?

BEN KNIGHT: Well the same thing, Mark, that's been going on there for a matter of weeks, which is that you have rebels who are inside the city who are trying to hold onto what is the last rebel-held city in the west of the country and you have Gaddafi forces who are trying to capture it.

Now, every now and then we get some kind of eyewitness report of what's going on and on very rare occasions western and, or foreign journalists, have actually been allowed into the city to see for themselves what's going on.

What's very clear is that there is consistently fighting going on, often heavy fighting, often shelling. Consistently there are reports coming out of Misurata's hospitals and other areas that people are being killed and in fact UNICEF are now saying that in the past few weeks it's increasingly children who are being killed by shrapnel and other munitions.

I think what has surprised me is that the rebels have managed to hold on so long because although NATO have been there launching strikes to try and protect places exactly like Misurata and have been hitting some of the artillery and other hardware, it's in an urban environment and it's a difficult operation to undertake without hitting civilians which is of course something that NATO doesn't want to do.

But the rebels have held on. I think they're still saying that they control the port which is the only way that things are getting in and out of that city but they're surrounded on all other sides and the battle goes on.

MARK COLVIN: The Americans have those A-10 warthogs, so called tank killing aircraft, and they also have an absolutely lethal craft called an AC-130 which is a side-firing aircraft. It goes quite slowly but it fires machine guns at very, very rapid rate.

These things were supposed to be the thing that sort of tilted the balance, if you like. Are the Americans not really in there? Are they leaving it to the British and French?

BEN KNIGHT: I couldn't talk to you about that but what I can say is that I get the sense that there is an enormous disappointment that the rebels themselves have not been able to pick up the proverbial ball and run with it.

There was an expectation, I think, that once American or NATO forces went in there and started bombing the Gaddafi tanks that the rebels would then be able to take it for themselves; that you know that would tip the balance in their favour and it would all be over. And clearly that hasn't happened.

There's been a massive overestimation of the abilities of the rebel force and now day after day, week after week, we're seeing that they really have failed to get themselves organised or strategised in any meaningful way and that this is not going to be won on the battlefield.

MARK COLVIN: Which to get to Misurata they were going to have to go through Sirte, weren't they? I mean Misurata is actually not that far from Tripoli, so in a way it's even more surprising that the Gaddafi forces hadn't been able to take it.

BEN KNIGHT: But both sides have been unable to progress any further. I mean what we've seen over the past few days is that the Gaddafi forces have become a lot more like a modern professional army, well at least to the extent that they're using basic military tactics which just weren't in evidence in the early part of this fighting. The rebels aren't even close to doing that and of course they're still underpowered.

But as far as the Americans putting their hardware into this conflict, you'd see in the United States at the moment that president Obama is starting to come under real pressure, real scrutiny over having got himself into what is essentially a third war involving United States forces in a Muslim country.

MARK COLVIN: And one which doesn't seem to be coming to an end. Indeed, Ben Knight thank you very much indeed.

Ben Knight, our Middle-East correspondent.

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Mogelijk Nederlandse troepen naar Misurata
_{Uitgegeven: 11 april 2011 18:59
Laatst gewijzigd: 11 april 2011 21:31}

AMSTERDAM - Mogelijk gaat Nederland deelnemen aan een humanitair-militaire missie in Libië. Dat schrijft NRC Handelsblad maandag.
© AFP

Een woordvoerder van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken laat weten dat dit nog niet aan de orde is, omdat er nog geen verzoek ligt van de Verenigde Naties.

Als de VN de Europese Unie verzoekt om burgers in de zwaar belegerde stad in het westen van Libië te hulp te schieten, dan zou dit gedaan moeten worden door de Europese snelle interventiemacht.

Nederland geeft de eerste helft van dit jaar leiding aan een van de twee battlegroups waaruit die interventiemacht bestaat. Zo'n 1200 Nederlandse militairen zijn beschikbaar.

Ministers
De Europese ministers van buitenlandse zaken vergaderen dinsdag in Luxemburg over de missie in Libië.

Een humanitair-militaire missie houdt niet in dat grondtroepen zich in het conflict gaan mengen. Wel moet het kabinet voordat Nederland kan meedoen een zogeheten artikel 100-brief naar de Kamer sturen.

Kaddafi
Troepen van Muammar Kaddafi hebben maandag met zware artillerie woonwijken in het centrum van Misurata onder vuur genomen.

Dit berichtten ooggetuigen uit de belegerde stad, 200 kilometer ten oosten van de hoofdstad Tripoli. Het regime heeft ondertussen gewaarschuwd dat er verzet zal worden geboden tegen buitenlands ingrijpen.

Opstand
Half februari is in het noordoosten een opstand uitgebroken tegen het bewind van 'Gids van de Revolutie' Kaddafi, die sinds 1969 regeert. De opstand in de regio Cyrenaica breidde zich uit naar het westen van het land.

Het regime herstelde zich in maart en vecht zich een weg terug naar het oosten. Misurata is een belegerde havenstad in de noordwestelijke regio Tripolitania.

De Libische tv meldde maandagavond westerse luchtaanvallen op de oasis al-Jufrah, 475 kilometer ten zuidoosten van Tripoli.

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 12:50 schreef Hans_van_Baalen het volgende:

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Denk dat het ook te maken heeft met bar slechte onderlinge communicatie NATO <-> oppositie. Blijkt maar weer toen ze die rebellentank kapotschoten, en door dat rebellen niet weten dat het onverstandig is om met luchtafweer vreugdeschoten te lossen

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(AJE) 1:44pm

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid with the latest on the battle for Misurata:

Misurata civilians under siege

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(AJE)
1:25pm
Rebels are defending the western gates of Ajdabiya as forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi continue to attack their positions.

Explosions could be seen less than 1.5km from the western gates as Gadhafi's forces shelled rebel lines. Rebels believe Gadhafi's forces could attack the western entrance to Ajdabiya from Brega, currently in government hands.

2:02pm
Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi bombarded the western entrance to the rebel-held town of Ajdabiyah in eastern Libya, a Reuters witness reported. The witness reported about eight blasts, apparently from artillery, around the western entrance. Ajdabiyah, which sits on a junction of routes that lead into the rebel-held east, has been a focus of fierce battles in the past two months

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 15:15 schreef svann het volgende:

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Deze website geeft de beste informatie over Misrata en andere bedreigde steden in west Libië.
Overall trouwens erg goed geïnformeerd.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 13:02 schreef doeterniettoezegiktoch het volgende:

[..]

sorry krijg nergens iets gevonden over hoe het nu in Misrata eraan toe gaat , las wel dat gisteren Gadaffi weer flink heeft lopen bombarderen daar .. ( http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/(...)ijken-Misurata.dhtml )

verder kom ik alleen ff dit tegen

[..]

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 12:18 schreef doeterniettoezegiktoch het volgende:
Libya crisis mapped 11 april

[ afbeelding ]

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 15:15 schreef svann het volgende:

[..]

Deze website geeft de beste informatie over Misrata en andere bedreigde steden in west Libië.
Overall trouwens erg goed geïnformeerd.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 17:56 schreef Renaldo het volgende:

[..]

thanks, staat in de favorieten. Mainstream media bericht steeds minder en minder terwijl het een full on burgeroorlog is. Dit topic levert meer info, bedankt iedereen die hier aan bij draagt.

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 15:12 schreef doeterniettoezegiktoch het volgende:
en Ajdabiya ;

[..]

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Op dinsdag 12 april 2011 11:20 schreef Hans_van_Baalen het volgende:
Is er al duidelijkheid over inzet van grondtroepen

en in hemelsnaam, waarom

De NAVO zijn pussies die niet op zogenaamde burgers durven te schieten; burgers die zich willens en wetens aan kant scharen van de gewapende onderdrukkers. Per direct afknallen zeg ik je, zolang G's mensen, de zogenaamde burgers, in een cordon om een tank of artilleriestelling gaan staan om die te beschermen. Die mensen moet je sowieso uitroeien, inclusief de hele familie van G, wil je de steun aan zo'n regime breken en in de toekomst onmogelijk maken om terug te keren.

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AJE 6:05pm

More on that last line: Ali Al Isawi, of Libya's National Transitional Council, tells reporters at an EU meeting in Luxembourg:

We have now about 10,000 killed by Gaddafi soldiers, we have about 20,000 persons missing and about 30,000 injured - 7,000 of them seriously injured with their lives endangered.

We want more efforts regarding protection of civilians against this aggression.

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5:35pm

Moussa Koussa, Gaddafi's former foreign minister and spy chief, is on his way to Qatar to meet officials from the Libyan Transitional National Council ahead of an international summit in Doha tomorrow.

He is not expected to participate in the meeting of the Libyan Contact Group, but will hol meetings on the sidelines, it is understood.

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