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

I cannot recall all the ins and outs of it, Sabot, just the bits from North of the Border.
He has terminal cancer; however long he hangs on for is in the hands of a Higher Power.
He was released under Scottish law, which happens to be sovereign in this matter.

For instance, can you imagine the uproar if, say, a British Airways plane was blown up over Texas by a Pakistani terrorist, and London demanded sovereignty over Texas? Because that is exactly what these rabble-rousers are trying to do.

I think London tried to blame Edinburgh for his release, and then it turned out that the London government had used it to open the door to trade deals? Something like that, anyway. There was certainly much skullduggery from Westminster, which may now come into the open.

Indeed, if you believe in these things, maybe the Higher Power has kept Magrahi alive till Gaddafi is gone for a reason? No-one saw this coming, so maybe the truth about rather a lot will finally come out?

I do hope so, Bonny. I would mind very much if the man was convicted against the truth of the matter. And it does interest me that some of the families think he is innocent.
Sadly, it was a very emotive thing, and I suspect that any old person would have done.
One suspect found guilty and another found innocent. This alone is suspect. Why did Gaddafi send a man who was likely to be found innocent? And wasn't the fact that Gaddafi gave up these people likely to preclude their guilt?

I am pretty sure Magrahi was involved, Sabot - but he wasn't the only one, he is just the only one who has been brought to trial.

With the fall of Gaddafi, he may be more inclined to reveal all the truth, as he will know his family will not pay for it. Also, he is obviously dying - one look at him is enough to confirm that. Whether it is kept in remission for a week, a month, a year, is beside the point - he may well prefer to meet his Maker with a clear conscience.

Can you imagine the political, diplomatic and military disaster that would follow if the US did somehow take him into their custody - and he then died, which he is clearly going to.

The repercussions do not even bear thinking about; I don't see any US president sanctioning something so insane.

Better he dies quietly in Tripoli, after having a few chats over mint tea with intelligence officers - even heavyweight journalists - than in the custody of the CIA or whoever.

It is all very well screaming for a dead man walking, Id est the Lockerbie bomber.
When really, all should be screaming for the man who gave the orders. The one who financed the atrocity and who welcomed his foot soldier back with open arms whilst the victims relatives still grieve and always will, for their loved ones.
Logic tells us, the head of the snake is the dangerous part, not the scales on its back. Once you take off the head it can no longer bite.

Osama Bin Laden did not himself attack our country on 9/11/2001; his foot soldiers did. However, whilst Bin Laden lived, no country was safe. So we took off the head of the snake. The same principal should be applied to the Libyan tyrant. Hopefully it will.

Edited to correct bin laden.

Quite, Tony - I shed no tears for Bin Laden's rapid exit from this world, he was no loss to the human race, and would have been the cause of yet more innocent bloodshed if he had been brought to trial anywhere.

I hope Magrahi will tell the whole story of Lockerbie, and who gave out the orders, before he dies.

And no-one has ever been called to account for the murder of the London policewoman, either - I hope someone is, once Gaddafi isn't around to protect them.

Meanwhile....there seems to be a lot going on in Tripoli, with a final assault on Gaddafi's bunker. Oh, and someone reported that the rebels have got the internet working again!

This is like something out of Mad Max - the final assault is going on, but everyone wants to join in; it's being broadcast live, with instant joyous cheers every time there is a particularly loud explosion from the bunker area....

Now they are all singing a Sky News chant to Alex Crawford, who still isn't turning a hair. Amazing woman!

Reports are coming in that the rebels - or rather, the next government - have entered Gaddafi's compound; unconfirmed so far.

Good afternoon, I am back!!

Al Jazeera:

Fighting intensifies around Gaddafi compound

Smoke seen rising from Libyan leader's fortress as loyalists and rebels battle for control of Tripoli's streets.
Last Modified: 23 Aug 2011 12:30

Libyan rebels have reportedly entered the fortified compound of leader Muammar Gaddafi in Bab al-Azizya in Tripoli, amid intensified fighting with regime forces.

According to reports that could not be independently verified, rebels have entered the compound at least through one gate.

"It is very clear that there is a major battle raging within that compound," Al Jazeera's James Bays said, reporting from Tripoli.

Fighting also continued across the capital for a second day on Tuesday, and columns of grey smoke were seen billowing over the Bab al-Azizya area with the sound of gunfire and occasional explosions ringing out.

Opposition forces were concentrating their firepower on Gaddafi's compound, Al Jazeera reported.

The al-Mansoura district was the focus of fierce clashes between government forces and opposition fighters, two days after the rebels marched into the heart of the city, prompting scenes of jubiliation.

"Gaddafi troops are holed up in a series of pockets where they still seem to have strength, the main one of which is inside that sprawling Gaddafi compound," Bays said.

Gaddafi's forces are reportedly fighting back using heavy weapons including mortars and shells fired in the direction of Green Square, which rebels have renamed Martyrs' Square, casting doubts on opposition claims that much of the city was under their control.

The Libyan leader's whereabouts is unknown.

"The battle is certainly not over. The city is on a knife edge," our correspondent said.

There have been reports of NATO planes flying very low on top of Gaddafi's compound.

Meanwhile, 30 journalists remained holed up in Tripoli's Rixos hotel on Tuesday. The New York Times reported that journalists from the BBC, CNN and other international news organisations were stuck inside the hotel with no electricity and described the hotel as a "prison".

In a dramatic development earlier in the day, Saif al-Islam, the son of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, appeared in al-Mansouraand at the Rixos hotel to refute claims that he had been captured by opposition forces and rally government loyalists.

"There is confusion among the ranks of opposition fighters on the ground," Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reporting from Tripoli said. "Some people are asking whether the National Transitional Council has been infiltrated."

The head of Libya's opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) on Monday announced the end of Gaddafi's decades-long rule.

But the re-appearance of Saif, an influential figure who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, has raised fresh questions about the NTC leadership's grip on a fast-changing situation.

Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, analyses the fight for Tripoli and what it means for Libya

Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reporting from Benghazi said: "Now we are seeing accusations, doubts, and confusion.

"It is going to be interesting to see how the NTC explains this debacle and how it seeks to reinforce and strengthen these alliances and enable the rebels to get to Tripoli itself."

The NTC held a joint press conference in Benghazi with Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister on Tuesday.

"We stand by NTC leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil ... He established the path for Libya for the future," Davutoglu said.

Rebel checkpoints

The celebrations that followed the rebels push into central Tripoli on Sunday night, when an opposition force took control of the Green Square and claimed victory, gave way to caution and confusion on Monday as they were met by resistance.

Throughout Monday, there was gunfire near Gaddafi's compound in the west of the city. Rebels set up checkpoints throughout the neighbourhoods in an attempt to maintain law and order.


For the latest news, follow our Libya Live Blog
"While Gaddafi's forces have withdrawn from most areas of Tripoli, sleeper cells haven't," Khodr said.

Gaddafi supporters also remained in control of the Rixos hotel, where foreign correspondents have been based throughout the six-month conflict.

Snipers scattered across the city continued to wage resistance, while a rebel convoy was ambushed by Gaddafi loyalists using anti-aircraft weapons.

An opposition fighter told Al Jazeera: "We haven't been able to launch an attack we are waiting for more men and heavy weapons."

Elsewhere in the country, the US military said that its warplanes had shot down a scud missile fired from Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, indicating that remnants of Gaddafi's forces were continuing to resist.

Rebel fighters in eastern Libya advanced towards the oil terminal of Ras Lanuf after taking the coastal town of Ageila from forces loyal to Gaddafi.

Moussa Ibrahim, the government spokesperson, claimed Gaddafi forces had control of at least 75 per cent of Tripoli. But rebels said Gaddafi supporters only held about 20 per cent of the city.

The tenuous nature of the rebels' grip on Tripoli has dampened rebel hopes of a swift victory and raised concerns that the city of two million people could be the stage for a protracted armed struggle.

Events seem to be overtaking stories, LL - the rebels are not only in the compound, but in Gaddafi's house? Still awaiting confirmation, but Reuters reporters on the ground are confirming the first reports.

So wierd, Tripoli seems to have fallen silent, just the smoke drifting from the compound and a local man on a roof praising Allah...

I hope this is almost at an end.

It is looking as if it may be true; there is much firing into the air, and cars honking horns in celebration in Tripoli.
Again, it is looking as if Gaddafi's men did NOT stand and fight.

Now there is chanting in the streets....

Remember this?



The rebels are now climbing on it and pulling bits off for souvenirs.....

Live film from inside the compound now, it's, well, it's being pulled apart.....

Watching CNN and they are reporting Gaddafi not found.

Did I hear that no planes have been seen leaving the country? If he hasn't got out by sea, then he is on the run - or in a tunnel - somewhere in Libya.

I don't fancy his chances if his fellow countrymen get to him first....

Oh, the rebels have set fire to Gaddafi's stupid tents.

Zenga!! Zenga!! Now they are off Gaddafi-hunting. Amazing live pics - Alex Crawford deserves a Dame-hood for this.

Heavy Fighting in Tripoli

Explosions have been heard near the Libyan leader's compound as the fight for Tripoli rages for a third day. But no one seems to know where Colonel Gaddafi is. And heavy clashes between the rebels and government forces have been reported in central parts of Tripoli including around a hospital. Latest footage from the capital shows explosions possibly caused by NATO bombing raids. Casualties are said to be mounting after intense fighting overnight, although electricity in Tripoli has been restored after hours of blackout.

Might be the anti-aircraft guns they are firing to celebrate...I think the biggest danger right now is all this ordnance coming back down again....

http://www.channel4.com/news/intense-fighting-reported-near-gaddafi-compound

Link as there are videos and posts not on youtube. LL

Many thanks, LL - it's all happening so fast, it is hard to keep up with it.
I bet no-one saw this coming, all those months ago when we started following it.

bb1 wrote:Many thanks, LL - it's all happening so fast, it is hard to keep up with it.
I bet no-one saw this coming, all those months ago when we started following it.

I am mad at having missed it all yesterday, but there are certain times when one's personal affairs come before what is happening in the world. LL

Another link: lots of reports on here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/