GADDIFI TOPPLED!!!!!TRIPOLI CELEBRATING!!!!!!!!

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Libyan rebels push towards Az Zawiyah
Fighting intensifies in western Libya as hundreds of opposition fighters capture the strategic town of Bir Ghanem.
Last Modified: 06 Aug 2011 21:18

Libyan opposition fighters have captured a strategic town in western Libya, as they intensify a push towards the coastal city of Az Zawiyah.

Hundreds of rebels fought Muammar Gaddafi's forces in the battle for Bir Ghanem, 85km from the capital, Tripoli, on Saturday.

"Bir Ghanem is fully under revolutionary control. They are now combing the area for Gaddafi loyalists and landmines," Abdulrahman, a rebel spokesman said by telephone from Zlitan.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr said at least 14 opposition fighters were killed and 17 were wounded in the battle which lasted only a few hours.

"It was really fierce fighting," she said. "Since early morning we heard heavy exchange of rocket fire from both sides."

The offensive was part of the rebels' attempt to get closer to Tripoli. The rebels said earlier this week they hoped to reach the capital before the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

"The most important thing for them now is to reach Az Zawiyah," our correspondent said.

"They know that they can get support from inside that city, that rebels there are ready to rise up against the Gaddafi regime but they need help from outside."

Az Zawiyah was the scene of a major uprising by protesters early on in the conflict, which began in February. The protesters took over the city and drove out Gaddafi's supporters, but were then brutally crushed in a long, bloody siege.

In their push towards Az Zawiyah, fighters have started an offensive against government troops near Surman in the Western Mountain area.

Libyan state television reported that NATO air strikes hit civilian and military targets in Tripoli early on Sunday morning.

Planes could be heard overhead following a series of blasts from 2am local time.

Town under siege

Elsewhere in the west, residents of al-Qusbat, a small town 100km from Tripoli, were said to be under siege.

A representative from al-Qusbat's rebel military committee told the AFP news agency that the town was surrounded by Gaddafi's forces and fears were growing of an imminent bloodbath.

"All roads going to al-Qusbat are blocked by Gaddafi's forces. They cut electricity and communications since yesterday," Khamis Nuri el-Kasseh said from Benghazi after contacting the town by satellite phone.

"Gaddafi's forces are not yet in control of the town, but we expect it will be bloody today," he said, adding there had already been a series of arrests in suburbs.

Al-Qusbat is cut off from other rebel positions in the west of Libya, with 70km separating it from the nearest positions at Zlitan to the east.

The rebels also launched a push to capture the coastal oil town of Brega, but were advancing slowly because Gaddafi's forces had sown minefields across its approaches.

"There's a big movement on all fronts around Brega, we are attacking from three sides," Mohammad Zawawi, a rebel spokesman said.

Fighting on the eastern front of the civil war, which has ebbed backwards and forwards for the past months, has bogged down for weeks on the fringes of Brega, south of the rebel capital Benghazi on the eastern side of the Gulf of Sirte.

Zawawi said rebel forces were in sight of a residential area of Brega and believed they could take the town, some 750 kilometres east of Tripoli.

"It could be very soon, but we don't want to lose anybody so we're moving slowly but surely," he said.

Good evening! Sorry there haven't been posts on here today but I have been out.

Al Jazeera:

Fighting rages on several Libyan fronts
Opposition under attack near Zlitan in north, while Gaddafi fighters launch operation to retake Bir al-Ghanam in west.
Last Modified: 07 Aug 2011 18:25

At least three Libyan opposition fighters have been killed in clashes near the northern town of Zlitan, just 160km from Tripoli, the capital, as government troops fought rebel forces for control of the town.

Several other opposition forces were injured in the fighting on Sunday, Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reported, as troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi continued an assault against anti-government fighters.

Opposition forces were also under attack in the newly captured town of Bir al-Ghanam, a strategic location in western Libya 85km from Tripoli, where Gaddafi forces launched an offensive to regain control of the town.

The opposition forces are attempting to get closer to Tripoli, and they expressed hope earlier this week that they would reach the capital before the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Opposition 'better trained'

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Bir al-Ghanam just after rockets began falling on the frontline, said that there was a sense that the opposition fighters were better organised and better trained than earlier in their campaign to topple Gaddafi.

"There is a sense that they know what they lack," she said.

"Volunteers from all over the country are joining the fight. Not just people from the western mountains, rebels from Az Zawiyah and rebels from Tripoli.

"Bir Ghanem is such a strategic town that when they take that town they [will] have access to the main highway that reaches to Az Zawiyah, which is just west of Tripoli."

'Holding the offensive'

Khodr said the greatest challenge for the opposition forces in Bir Ghanem was "holding the offensive". "The most important thing for them now is to reach Az Zawiyah," our correspondent said.

She said that an offensive was not only made in Bir Ghanem by opposition forces on Saturday but that an offensive, which is holding, was also made along the road that led to the city of Surman.

"Rebels advanced some 30km and are only 50km from the city of Surman.

"If they manage to take that town they will be able to cut off Gaddafi's main supply line in the west," she said. "They know that they can get support from inside that city, that rebels there are ready to rise up against the Gaddafi regime but they need help from outside."

Az Zawiyah was the scene of a major uprising by protesters early on in the conflict, which began in February. The protesters took over the city and drove out Gaddafi's supporters, but were then brutally crushed in a long, bloody siege.

However, our correspondent said opposition forces told Al Jazeera that they do not plan to advance further, "especially those at the front leading to Surman. Not until they are able to clear the territory and hold it".

"They know when they reach the big cities it's going to be a whole different fight."

Advance near Zlitan

Meanwhile, near the city of Zlitan, Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons said the opposition was still in "defensive mode" against Gaddafi's forces.

"Unlike the western mountains, this is staying static. It's a critical position." our correspondent said.

More than 30 vehicles moving at speed had attempted to outflank opposition forces during an intense firefight on Sunday, he said.

But Gaddafi's forces withdrew after realising they were facing the most fierce of the opposition units, the Shaheed unit.

"They withdrew leaving about five vehicles behind. They took a lot of casualties as well apparently but no one knows how many [are] dead."

"Three opposition forces were killed and [they suffered] several casualties. Opposition forces pulled back and we saw a lot of rounds coming in."

However, our correspondent said opposition forces told Al Jazeera that they do not plan to advance further, "especially those at the front leading to Surman. Not until they are able to clear the territory and hold it".

Sounds as if they have learned tactics, LL.

bb1 wrote:
However, our correspondent said opposition forces told Al Jazeera that they do not plan to advance further, "especially those at the front leading to Surman. Not until they are able to clear the territory and hold it".

Sounds as if they have learned tactics, LL.

Indeed, as the reporter said,

" .... there was a sense that the opposition fighters were better organised and better trained than earlier in their campaign to topple Gaddafi.
"There is a sense that they know what they lack .... "

And this

Gaddafi's forces withdrew after realising they were facing the most fierce of the opposition units, the Shaheed unit.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Libyan rebels reshuffle leadership
National Transitional Council fires executive board and asks chairman to pick new one, as fighters push towards Tripoli.
Last Modified: 08 Aug 2011 22:24

Libya's opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) has dissolved its executive board and asked Mahmoud Jibril, its chairman, to elect a new one.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from the opposition stronghold city of Benghazi, said the news on Monday came unexpectedly.

"This came completely out of the blue. There's a lot of speculation now that there is some sort of inner fallout following the murder of Abdel Fattah Younes, the commander of the opposition forces, more than a week ago."

Birtley said there had been complaints over the handling of Younes' death by the NTC and the disbanding of the executive board could be related.

Abdul Jalil, the head of the Libyan opposition, in an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday said: "Administrative mistakes have been noted in the NTC bureau performance in the recent period, prompting the NTC to take the decision to dissolve the bureau.

"A newly formed bureau would be entrusted with reviewing the 'conspiracy' that involved the assassination of General Younes."

He said, "The members of the executive bureau did not dispose with the assassination issue in a proper manner."

Asked whether they were accusing anyone, Abdul Jalil said, "No member of the opposition fighters would behave that way with the commander of the national army and his colleagues, unless there is a conspiracy."

Speaking about whether the decision had something to do with recently noted conflicts and disputes among the NTC members, Jalil said the decision has nothing to do with subsidiary issues.

He said Jibril, the outgoing chairman of the NTC executive board, would be entrusted with forming the new bureau and would submit the new panel to the NTC for endorsement.

Push to Tripoli

Our correspondent said it was doubtful that the political moves would affect the opposition's push towards Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold, Tripoli.

"Even the men who were said to be loyal to General Younes are said to be fighting in the frontline," said Birtley.

Libya's opposition fighters had announced earlier on Monday that they would begin their push towards the capital but expected a tough fight, after capturing the town of Bir al-Ghanam on Sunday.

The capture of Bir al-Ghanam was the biggest rebel breakthrough in weeks of largely static fighting on three fronts across Libya.

Libya's prime minister told reporters in Tripoli on Sunday that government forces were in control of Bir al-Ghanam after fighting off a rebel attack.

But in the town early on Monday, the only sign of government forces was the weaponry they had left behind when they fled, the Reuters news agency reported.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Bir al-Ghanam, said that an offensive was not only made in that town by opposition forces on Saturday but that an offensive, which is holding, was also made along the road that led to the city of Surman.

"Rebels advanced some 30km and are only 50km from the city of Surman," she said.

"If they manage to take that town they will be able to cut off Gaddafi's main supply line in the west," she said. "They know that they can get support from inside that city, that rebels there are ready to rise up against the Gaddafi regime but they need help from outside."

Al Jazeera Live Blog:

22 hours 2 min ago - Libya
The Times has reportedly acquired a leaked, 70-page document that details opposition plans for a post-Gaddafi Libya. The document was written by the rebel National Transitional Council in Benghazi with significant British help, the Times reported.

It contains plans to immediately enlist 5,000 members of the current police force to guard Tripoli after Gaddafi is killed or deposed, claims that more than 3,000 members of the regime army belong to clandestine rebel groups, and suggests that rebels might be willing to negotiate with Gaddafi's sons.

The document was reportedly meant to draw on lessons from failures to plan adequately for Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and it states that it is highly unlikely rebel forces will seize Tripoli. More likely is that soldiers will defect en masse, or residents will rise up against Gaddafi, it says.



Feb 17 News:

7:16am: The Libyan Embassy in London will reopen today under the control of the rebel National Transitional Council, which is fighting to oust Muammar Qaddafi from power.

U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said on June 27 he was expelling the remaining staff from the embassy and inviting the NTC to appoint an envoy. The new charge d’affaires, Mahmud Nacua, will lead a ceremony to reopen the mission at 3 p.m.

“The reopening of the embassy symbolizes how far we have come,” Nacua said in an e-mailed statement. “The embassy represents the legitimate government of Libya and in line with this will serve all the Libyan community irrespective of their political allegiances.”

A significant step, i.e. The Embassy.

Sabot wrote:
A significant step, i.e. The Embassy.

Oh, yes, the more legitimacy and recognition they can get, the more tenuous and unstable becomes the dictator's regime. It is very difficult to run a country that is in turmoil and where the more influential members of the world community refuse to deal with you. You need the backing of other hardline dictators and so far as I can see at present Gadaffi has only Chavez of Venezuala, Mugabe and a couple of others who are also out in the cold to support him. LL

A belated good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Libyan TV shows footage of 'Khamis Gaddafi'

Man bearing resemblance to Khamis shown chatting to people wounded in NATO strike that government says killed 85 people.
Last Modified: 10 Aug 2011 02:22

If genuine, Tuesday's footage would be the first visual proof that Khamis was still alive.

Libyan state television has showed what it said was footage of Muammar Gaddafi's son Khamis visiting people wounded in an air attack east of Tripoli.

Rebels had said last week that Khamis had been killed. The government had denied rebel claims that Khamis, commander of one of Gaddafi's most loyal and best-equipped units, had been killed by a NATO air strike near Zlitan.

Libyan TV said the footage was recorded on Tuesday. If genuine, it would be the first visual proof that Khamis was still alive.

Wearing a military uniform and an orange beret and bearing a striking resemblance to Khamis, a man was heard chatting to people the network said were wounded earlier on Tuesday in a NATO air strike on farmhouses near Zlitan.

The government said 85 civilians were killed in the attack. NATO said it hit a legitimate military target and was investigating the incident.

"They bombed the house. You mean you did not expect to be bombed," Khamis could be heard asking a woman lying in a hospital bed.

Earlier, state television showed the charred bodies of at least three children who were allegedly killed by a NATO strike on Monday night in the village of Majar, about 150km east of the capital, Tripoli.

Majar is near Zlitan, where NATO forces have been mounting attacks on troops loyal to Gaddafi.

It also showed wounded women and children being treated in a hospital.

The Libyan government announced three days of mourning for the victims, according to state television.

Mussa Ibrahim, the Libyan government spokesman, said: "After the first three bombs dropped at around 21:00 GMT on Monday, many residents of the area ran to the bombed houses to try to save their loved ones."

"Three more bombs struck. Thirty-three children, 32 women and 20 men from 12 families were killed in the massacre," Mussa told reporters on an organised visit.

NATO rejects claims

NATO said overnight air strikes near Zlitan in western Libya were "legitimate" and that it had no evidence that the bombs killed 85 villagers.

"We do not have evidence of civilian casualties at this stage," Colonel Roland Lavoie, the NATO spokesman for the alliance's Libya campaign, said at a video conference held at its Naples headquarters.

The military alliance has also rejected growing international criticism of its air strike on Libyan television last month, saying it had no evidence the attack caused any casualties.

Spokeswoman Carmen Romero said the alliance had not deliberately targeted journalists. She said the alliance "targeted equipment that had been used to incite attacks against civilians".

Libyan officials said the strike on the eve of the Muslim fasting month, Ramadan, on the state television's satellite transmitters killed three journalists and injured 15 others.

International journalists' groups condemned the strikes, saying they violated a UN resolution banning attacks on the media.

On Monday, the UN cultural and educational body also denounced the strike, saying it violated the Geneva Conventions.

Meanwhile, NATO warplanes bombed a Libyan warship docked in Tripoli harbour after reportedly observing that weapons were being taken from it.

NATO said it destroyed several Libyan naval vessels in air strikes in May. Warships hit at that time included a Koni-class frigate and a Combattante class fast-attack ship.

NTC reshuffled

Meanwhile, in the opposition capital of Benghazi in eastern Libya, the National Transitional Council (NTC) sought to display a show of unity a day after dissolving its executive board and asking Mahmoud Jibril, its chairman, to elect a new one.

NTC officials said the head of the council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, dismissed several top ministers - including those responsible for finance, defence and information - while calling for root and branch reform.

Chairman of Libya's opposition has called for unity among members of the NTC .
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, said on Tuersday the reshuffling came not only as suprise but as a direct result of the murder of Abdel Fattah Younes, the commander of the opposition forces, more than a week ago.

Our correspondent said this is a crucial time for the NTC.

"We are starting to see cracks both politically and militarily and the sacking of the executive committee is a direct consequence of Abdel Fattah Younes' death.

"There has been considerable pressure brought to bear by Younes’ tribe - with 4,000 well armed fighters the Obeidis are one of the largest in the east - and they wanted resignations.

"The 16-man executive committees have been pushed to one side and they will not return in any shape or form.

"There are cracks developing but the NTC is taking steps to show that it is in control and in command and is taking the necessary measures to show they have the strength and the unity to continue the fight against Muammar Gaddafi," Birtley said.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday Abdul Jalil said: "Administrative mistakes have been noted in the NTC bureau performance in recent period, prompting the NTC to take the decision to dissolve the bureau.

"A newly formed bureau would be entrusted with reviewing the 'conspiracy' that involved the assassination of General Younes. The members of the executive bureau did not dispose with the assassination issue in a proper manner," he said.

Asked whether they were accusing anyone, Abdul Jalil said, "No member of the opposition fighters would behave that way with the commander of the national army and his colleagues, unless there is a conspiracy."

Link to report as it shows pic of Khamis and also a video re the NTC. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/08/20118100215709820.html

Bugger Gadaffi. Sort out London. A couple of Air Strikes there are looking like a good idea.

Good morning!

Fuel shortage slows Libyan rebels' advance
Al Jazeera English 10 Aug 2011

Libyan opposition fighters have moved several kilometres out of their mountain stronghold in the west, edging ever closer to Tripoli.

But a shortage of fuel is threatening their advance, and also making life difficult for civilians.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khoder reports.

Al Jazeera Live Blog:

1 hour 17 min ago

Intense fighting coupled with the desert heat and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan seems to be taking a toll on Libya's opposition fighters.

Commander Fawzi BoKatif acknowledged to AP news agency that his forces were facing ver "very exhausting conditions". He said: "A lot of the rebels have tried to fast, but we have tried to convince most of them to eat and break their fast because of the intensive fighting and the heat and high temperature since it's a semi-desert like area, even if the food supplies are available and continuously under their grasp, but because of the severe conditions so we convince them to eat and not fast."

11 hours 13 min ago

NATO and Libyan officials both refuted damaging claims Wednesday in the 6-month old civil war, with NATO insisting its airstrike killed soldiers and mercenaries, not 85 civilians as state-run TV claimed.

NATO spokesman Col. Roland Lavoie said the Libyan claim of civilian casualties in an airstrike near the western front-line town of Zlitan "was not corroborated by available factual information at the site."

NATO aircraft hit a staging base and military accommodation 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Zlitan, Lavoie said from the operational command in Naples, Italy. Four buildings and nine vehicles within the compound were struck with precision-guided munitions, he said.

"With our surveillance capabilities, we monitored this military compound very carefully before striking it," Lavoie said. "A number of military or mercenary casualties were expected due to the nature of the activity we monitored."

"Our assessment, based on the level of destruction of the buildings, confirms the likelihood of military and mercenary casualties," he said. - Associated Press

13 hours 57 min ago

Tunisia has intercepted five truckloads of fuel set to be smuggled into neighbouring Libya, an official said on Wednesday, in a move to curb an illegal trade which is helping to keep Muammar Gaddafi in power.

International sanctions and the effects of Libya's civil war have disrupted normal supplies of motor fuel to parts of the country under Gaddafi's control, but huge volumes of gasoline are instead being smuggled across the Libyan-Tunisian border.

A spokesman for Tunisia's Interior Ministry said the trucks were seized at the weekend in the town of Msaken, in the Sousse region about 160 km (100 miles) south of the Tunisian capital.

"The police seized five trucks of gasoline (destined) for the pro-Gaddafi side," said the spokesman. "They were heading for Libya but the police stopped the trucks."

The seizure was confirmed by a source in western Libya, near the border with Tunisia, who is working with anti-Gaddafi rebels.

"Container trucks with gasoline were trying to go from Tunisia to Libya and were blocked from entry. They were heading for the (Libyan) government," said the source, who did not want to be identified.

Western governments trying to bring an end to Gaddafi's 41-year rule believe that fuel supplies are crucial to his ability to hold onto power.

A NATO naval blockade and sanctions that prevent fuel traders from doing business with a list of Libyan companies and individuals have made it extremely difficult for Gaddafi's administration to bring in fuel by legal means. However, smuggling networks help make up the shortfall.

17 hours 47 min ago

The European Union on Wednesday slapped new sanctions on Gaddafi's regime, targeting two "economic entities" linked to human rights abuse, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

An asset freeze and visa ban were extended to "two further entities closely linked to the perpetrators of the serious human rights abuses in Libya, given the gravity of the situation," Ashton said in a statement.

She gave no further details but a French foreign ministry spokeswoman said the previous day that the restrictions would target Al-Sharara, which operates in the oil sector, and an administrative organisation linked to Gaddafi.

The new targets will be listed in Thursday's EU Official Journal.

To date, six port authorities, 49 entities and 39 people are now subject to a freeze of their funds and financial resources in the EU, Ashton said. In addition, the same 39 persons, which include Gaddafi and several family members, are banned from entering the EU. - AFP

1 day 36 min ago

A 31-year-old American man who went missing in Libya in March is being held by Muammar Gaddafi's regime, a congressman from the man's home district said on Tuesday.

Gaddafi's government "will now be held accountable for his welfare and whereabouts," said a statement from C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a member of the House of Representatives from Maryland.

Matthew VanDyke, who studied political science as an undergraduate and has a master's degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, was apparently working in Libya as a freelance journalist.

Good morning.

Al Jazeera:.

Libyan rebels capture parts of Brega

Rebels say they have taken several residential districts of strategic oil port, as other forces press towards Zawiyah.
Last Modified: 11 Aug 2011 20:24

Libyan rebels plan on advancing toward Zawiyah, which would put them within striking distance of Tripoli.

Libyan rebels have reportedly captured several residential districts of Brega, a strategic city for Muammar Gaddafi's government.

Speaking on Thursday, Mossa Mahmoud al-Mograbi, a spokesman for the rebel forces, said: "It is liberated. It is under our control now."

Sources told Al Jazeera that the rebels had suffered 40 casualties, including seven dead. They also said that 12 Gaddafi soldiers had surrendered.

Brega's western half, where its oil facilities are located, remains in the control of Gaddafi's forces.

Rebels hope that if they are able to take complete control of the city its oil terminal and sea port will allow them to resume oil exports.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Misrata, called the rebel advances "very important and very significant".

Simmons said "it's definitely a move forward", but whether or not these gains remain is "subject to securing areas" and if "there's going to be a counter-offensive".

An area south of Brega was also captured by the rebels on Thursday, though clashes are ongoing.

"We are sure we will defeat them," said Mograbi.

The gains in Brega come as Libyan rebels continue their push north toward the town of Zawiyah.

Their aim is get within striking distance of Tripoli, the nation's capital and headquarters of Gaddafi.

The embattled leader has clung to power despite five months of NATO air strikes, suffocating economic sanctions and an expanding war with opposition forces.

Al Jazeera:

Protesters overrun Libyan embassy in Sweden
Police storm Stockholm embassy after a group of men overtook the building in apparent protest against Muammar Gaddafi.
Last Modified: 11 Aug 2011 18:08

Police have stormed the Libyan embassy in Stockholm and arrested seven men who had broken in and threatened to kill themselves or set fire to the building if their demands were not met.

The intruders hung a flag of the Libyan revolution on the embassy's door and threw pictures of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi out of its windows.

One poster hung outside of the embassy read: "We will kill ourselves if you try to come in."

None of the protesters demands were made clear.

Police said they suspected the demonstrators had carried flammable liquids in with them.

Police spokesman Ulf Goeranzon told the AFP news agency: "We tried to negotiate with these people, but came to realise that the negotiations would not succeed, and since there was a real danger that human lives could be lost and of serious material damage, we went in.

"We arrested seven people. They have been removed from the building and they are now being interrogated at a police station."

'Complete chaos'

About 15 police patrols, as well as a number of fire engines and ambulances, were dispatched to the scene.

Activist Helmi Alnadori, who witnessed the events unfold, described the scene as "complete chaos".

According to Swedish media reports, a small group of demonstrators gathered in front of the embassy and chanted "Libya" when police broke the siege.

Many were also waving the flag of the monarchy that ruled Libya before Gaddafi.

It was not clear if those arrested were Swedish nationals or residents.

Alnadori told the Reuters news agency that two of the intruders contacted him and said that they were all asylum seekers whose applications to remain in Sweden had been denied.

With the exception of a single guard, the Libyan embassy was vacant at the time of the break-in. No one was hurt in the police assault.

Good morning!

Libya rebels eye Brega oil installations
Opposition fighters control some residential areas outside of oil port city, as rebels capture western town of Tawurgha.
Last Modified: 13 Aug 2011 03:55

Libya's opposition fighters are continuing their push to capture a strategic oil terminal in Brega, which is still in control of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

The rebels took over the residential zone of New Brega, located about 15km from the central oil terminal and port area, on Thursday.

Mohammed Zawawi, the opposition spokesman, told the Reuters news agency on Friday it was still not safe to go into the city.

"Now we are trying to clear that area. There are some Gaddafi troops still there," Zawawi said.

Troops loyal to Gaddafi are holding on to the oil facilities and firing rockets at rebel positions. At least eight rebel fighters have been killed and another 25 wounded in the latest fighting.

"There's close fighting in the oil terminal area this morning, but maybe we can finish it off today," Mohammad Muftah, a rebel soldier, said.

In Brussels, a NATO operations report said that, among other targets in the country, air strikes had hit an armed vehicle, a multiple rocket launcher and an artillery piece in the vicinity of Brega on Thursday.

The two sides have been battling for months for control of the port, 750km east of Tripoli.

Rebels hope that by taking complete control of the city, its oil terminal and sea port will allow them to resume oil exports.

Capture of Tawurgha

On the western front, opposition commanders said they had control of the town of Tawurgha as they pushed to cut supply routes to forces loyal to Gaddafi.

In a symbolic show of victory, fighters tore down green flags that had been hoisted atop buildings by Gaddafi supporters who had occupied the area.

"Gaddafi is finished!" shouted a jubilant 31-year-old fighter named Mohammed. "There is no way back. We have taken Tawurgha!"

The rebels encountered heavy fighting and sizable pockets of resistance among a maze of buildings and date palms.

Rebel commanders said there were still some snipers inside the town and bombardments were now coming from a village south of the town.

Further south along the main road, truck after truck of rebel fighters pressed forward to new positions, as heavy fighting continued.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Tawurgha, said it was a heavily co-ordinated operation with NATO, with six tanks involved.

"Fighting is going on in the old quarter of the town where Gaddafi forces are still putting up some resistance," he said.

"Opposition fighters have been searching houses one after the other with green flags.

"Many, many Gaddafi forces have been arrested in areas surrounding the town to try to secure the area to stop Grad missiles from being fired on Misrata from here.

"Their other objective is to try to cut the supply line to Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte."

The citizens of Misrata have blamed forces in Tawurgha for many of the attacks on their hometown.

Meanwhile, a captured Gaddafi intelligence officer has said that the Libyan leader has reinforced Zawiyah, which also has a coastal oil refinery, with about 1,000 conscripts.

Brigadier-General Al-Hadi al-Ujaili predicted the rebels would face a hard fight to capture the town.

He said Gaddafi still enjoys strong support in Tripoli and among Libya's main tribes, which he said was crucial.

The embattled Libyan leader has clung to power despite five months of NATO air strikes, suffocating economic sanctions and an expanding war with opposition forc

The battles around Brega have been going on for a long time now, LL, I feel so sorry for civilians trying to go about their normal lives - though maybe no-one can really be a 'civilian' any more, because of what Gaddafi will do if he is not finally toppled?

Send in the SEALS And The SAS and get them to shoot the barsteward.
It is costing us a fortune to keep our guys there. Just shoot the murdering Prat..

Rather my feelings, Tony. It's going to end that way anyway, and in the meanwhile, civilians are dying needlessly.

Al Jazeera: Link for videos not yet on you tube:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/08/2011813913965166.html

Libyan opposition launches new offensive
Attacks in Western Libya are aimed at cutting off the coastal route that Gaddafi uses for supplies.
Last Modified: 13 Aug 2011 14:11

Opposition forces have launched a two-pronged offensive in Western Libya, increasing pressure to isolate Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold of Tripoli.

Opposition fighters advanced toward the towns of Gharyan and Az-Zawiyah on Saturday, attempting to cut off the southern coastal route from Tunisia that Gaddafi uses for supplies.

Reports said that rebel fighters reached Az-Zawiyah's main square, but Gaddafi's forces remained in control.

Government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters: "Az-Zawiyah is completely under our control. A very small group of rebels tried to enter from the south of Az-Zawiyah but they were stopped easily by our armed forces."

Az-Zawiyah resident Abdel-Basset Abu Riyak told Associated Press news agency a different story.

He said some rebels have pushed into the city's center and that residents are now joining up with the rebels' assualt. He claimed "95 percent of Az-Zawiyah's people are with the revolution".

Most of the fighting for Az-Zawiyah's has taken place along the coastal highway and at the gates of the city.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, who is on the ground, explained "it's not going to be an easy fight".

"They are trying also to advance further south to be able to take control of the town of Gharyan," she said. "The Gaddafi army, they have a major military base there. If the opposition takes control of that highway, they'll be able to cut the supply line to the capital."

"There's still another front where rebels are trying to advance north, and that is to the coastal city of Az-Zawiyah. They're hoping to take control of that city because then they will be able to cut off the government supply line from the west."

Rebel forces launched the ground attacks after NATO planes hit targets in these areas.

Battle for Brega

The push to capture the strategic oil terminal in Brega, which is still in control of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, continued on Saturday.

The rebels took over a residential zone of Brega, located about 15km from the central oil terminal and port area, on Thursday.

Mohammed Zawawi, the opposition spokesman, told the Reuters news agency on Friday it was still not safe to go into the city.

"Now we are trying to clear that area. There are some Gaddafi troops still there," Zawawi said.

Troops loyal to Gaddafi are holding on to the oil facilities and firing rockets at rebel positions. At least eight rebel fighters have been killed and another 25 wounded in the latest fighting.

"There's close fighting in the oil terminal area this morning, but maybe we can finish it off today," Mohammad Muftah, a rebel soldier, said.

In Brussels, a NATO operations report said that, among other targets in the country, air strikes had hit an armed vehicle, a multiple rocket launcher and an artillery piece in the vicinity of Brega on Thursday.

Opposition forces hope that by taking complete control of the city, its oil terminal and sea port will allow them to resume oil exports.

Capture of Tawurgha

On the western front, opposition commanders said they had control of the town of Tawurgha as they pushed to cut supply routes to forces loyal to Gaddafi.

In a symbolic show of victory, fighters tore down green flags that had been hoisted atop buildings by Gaddafi supporters who had occupied the area.

"Gaddafi is finished!" shouted a jubilant 31-year-old fighter named Mohammed. "There is no way back. We have taken Tawurgha!"

The rebels encountered heavy fighting and sizable pockets of resistance among a maze of buildings and date palms.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Tawurgha, said it was a heavily co-ordinated operation with NATO, with six tanks involved.

"Fighting is going on in the old quarter of the town where Gaddafi forces are still putting up some resistance," he said.

"Opposition fighters have been searching houses one after the other with green flags.

"Many, many Gaddafi forces have been arrested in areas surrounding the town to try to secure the area to stop Grad missiles from being fired on Misrata from here.

"Their other objective is to try to cut the supply line to Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte."

The citizens of Misrata have blamed forces in Tawurgha for many of the attacks on their hometown.

The embattled Libyan leader has clung to power despite five months of NATO air strikes, suffocating economic sanctions and an expanding war with opposition forces.

Al Jazeera English on 14 Aug 2011
Libyan rebels fought their way into the strategic city of Az-Zawiyah west of Tripoli on Saturday, in their most significant advance in months.

They battled snipers on rooftops and heavy shelling from Muammar Gaddafi's forces holding the city.

Az-Zawiyah, 50 kilometres from the capital, is a key target for rebels waging a new offensive launched from the mountains in the far west of Libya, an attempt to break the deadlock in fighting between the two sides that has held for months in the centre and east of the country.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Libya, says the opposition fighters were "able to fight their way into Az-Zawiyah but they have still not been able to secure it."

Link, unable to embed. LL

Associated Press:

August 13, 2011

A rebel force of about 200 fighters advancing from the south reached a bridge on Az-Zawiyah’s southwestern outskirts, and some rebels pushed farther into the city’s central main square.

They tore down the green flag of Gaddafi’s regime from a mosque minaret and put up two rebel flags. An Associated Press reporter traveling with the rebels saw hundreds of residents rush into the streets, greeting the fighters with chants of “God is great.”

Gaddafi’s forces then counterattacked, unleashing rounds of heavy shelling and gunfire could be heard as rebels and government troops battled.

Regime snipers were firing down from rooftops on the rebels, said one resident, Abdel-Basset Abu Riyak, who joined to fight alongside the rebels when they entered the city. He said Gaddafi’s forces were holed up in several pockets in the city and that there were reports of reinforcements coming from Tripoli, though there was no sign of them yet.

Speaking to the AP by telephone, Abu Riyak said residents were now joining up with the rebels’ assault, saying, “95 percent of Az-Zawiyah’s people are with the revolution.”

“There is shooting from all sides,” said another rebel, 23-year-old Ibrahim Akram. “The people joined us. Fierce clashes are still ongoing, but thank God our numbers are great.”

Oh Lord. I hope it is over quickly.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Gaddafi defiant as rebels claim gains in west

Libyan leader urges loyalists to pick up weapons as opposition forces launch western campaign to isolate Tripoli.
Last Modified: 15 Aug 2011 05:29

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has urged his supporters to fight for the country "inch by inch" as opposition forces launched a two-pronged offensive in western Libya that threatens to isolate the capital of Tripoli.

Facing the sternest challenge of his decades-long rule, Gaddafi on Monday called on Libyans to arm themselves to liberate the country from "traitors and from NATO" in a broadcast on state television.

The speech, which was broadcast in audio only with no images, was the first time Gaddafi had spoken in public since rebel fighters launched their biggest offensive in months.

"The Libyan people will remain and the Fateh revolution (which brought Gaddafi to power in 1969) will remain. Move forward, challenge, pick up your weapons, go to the fight for liberating Libya inch by inch from the traitors and from NATO," Gaddafi said.
"Get ready for the fight ... The blood of martyrs is fuel for the battlefield," he added.

Opposition fighters fought for control of the towns of Gharyan and Az-Zawiyah on Sunday, attempting to cut off the southern coastal route from Tunisia that Gaddafi uses for supplies.

Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Az-Zawiyah, reported that the rebels had taken control of a bridge along which the highway from Tripoli to Tunisia runs, but that central areas of the city remained contested, with Gaddafi forces employing snipers and mortar fire. The battle also raged near the gates of the city.

'Many casualties'

Al Jazeera's Khodr said opposition fighters claimed to have taken 70 per cent of the town, despite the threat of snipers.

Bashir Ahmed Ali, the rebels' battalion commander in Az-Zawiyah, said that his forces had suffered "many casualties" due to sniper fire. He also told the AFP news agency that a tank and four fighters had been lost in a "friendly fire" air strike during the operation to take Az-Zawiyah.

The gains were possible "because the Gaddafi forces' defences were weak and fighters received help from inside the city. As they expected, residents took up arms and fought alongside them when they arrived," Khodr reported.

"The town had previously risen up against Gaddafi, but government forces quelled that uprising. "Today's victory would be the opposition's most significant in months because they were just 50 km from Tripoli, a mere half an hour's drive, if they could hold the territory and stave off a Gaddafi counter offensive," our correspondent said.

Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim rejected the claims: "Az-Zawiyah is completely under our control. A very small group of rebels tried to enter from the south of Az-Zawiyah but they were stopped easily by our armed forces."

Early on Sunday, rebel fighters claimed victory in Gharyan after Gaddafi's soldiers withdrew. Government forces returned several hours later, however, and clashes continued.

The rebels also claimed to have taken control of the western town of Surman.

Rebel forces launched ground attacks after NATO planes hit targets in these areas.

Rebels also said they gained ground on Saturday in the government-held oil town of Brega. The rebels' claims of taking over Brega was denied by government officials.

Opposition forces hope that by taking complete control of the city, its oil terminal and sea port will allow them to resume oil exports.

Capture of Tawurgha

On the western front, opposition commanders said they had control of the town of Tawurgha as they pushed to cut supply routes to forces loyal to Gaddafi.

In a symbolic show of victory, fighters tore down green flags that had been hoisted atop buildings by Gaddafi supporters who had occupied the area.

Despite battlefield gains, the Libyan rebels still face the threat of internal divisions.
"Gaddafi is finished!" shouted a jubilant fighter.

The rebels encountered heavy fighting and sizable pockets of resistance among a maze of buildings and date palms.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Tawurgha, said it was a heavily co-ordinated operation with NATO, with six tanks involved.

"Fighting is going on in the old quarter of the town where Gaddafi forces are still putting up some resistance," he said.

"Opposition fighters have been searching houses one after the other with green flags. Many, many Gaddafi forces have been arrested in areas surrounding the town to try to secure the area to stop Grad missiles from being fired on Misurata from here.

"Their other objective is to try to cut the supply line to the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte."

The citizens of Misurata have blamed forces in Tawurgha for many of the attacks on their hometown.

Link to report for videos as they are not yet on you tube. LL
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/08/2011813913965166.html

Feb 17 info:

9:00am: Muammar Gaddafi has urged his supporters to fight for the country “inch by inch” as opposition forces launched a two-pronged offensive in western Libya that threatens to isolate the capital of Tripoli, saying “the Libyan people will remain and the Fateh revolution (which brought Gaddafi to power in 1969) will remain. Move forward, challenge, pick up your weapons, go to the fight for liberating Libya inch by inch from the traitors and from NATO.”

8:45am: Libyan rebels said Sunday they were trying to cut off two key supply routes to Moammar Khadafy’s stronghold in Tripoli after capturing more towns in the west of the country. The opposition fighters also battled government forces for control of the strategic city of Zawiya, just 30 miles from the capital.

8:30am: Libyan rebel fighters on Sunday captured the coastal town of Surman, about 70 km west of the capital, a rebel spokesman told Reuters. ”The revolutionaries today entered the centre of Surman. They are now in full control of the town. There is no fighting there now,” the spokesman, called Abdulrahman, said by telephone from the town of Zintan.

8:15am: Libyan rebels and representatives of Muammar Gaddafi’s government held negotiations late on Sunday in a hotel in southern Tunisia, a source with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters. A spokesman for Gaddafi’s government denied there were any talks about the Gaddafi’s departure, and said reports about such negotiations were part of a media war against Tripoli.

8:00am: Libyan state television early today broadcast a supposedly live speech by Muammar Gaddafi calling on the Libyan people to arm themselves to liberate the country from “traitors and from NATO.” The speech, which was broadcast only in audio, was the first time Gaddafi had spoken in public since rebels launched their biggest offensive in months in the area around Tripoli.

Al Jazeera - 'Inside Story' - the problems caused by the assassination of General Younis, 25 minutes long:

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/insidestory/2011/08/201181595355669833.html