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| Africa North |
| Libya plane hits town, over one million need aid |
| 2011-03-08 |
| [Ennahar] Government forces struck at rebels in Libya's east and were reported attacking a town near Tripoli on Monday as concern grew over civilian suffering and a growing refugee exodus. The United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society said more than one million people fleeing Libya and inside the country needed humanitarian aid, and conditions in rebel-held Misrata town were particularly worrying following attacks on it by forces loyal to Muammar Qadaffy. Offering a potential olive branch to rebels seeking to end Qadaffy's long rule, one of his associates appealed to opposition chiefs for dialogue, in a sign the aging autocrat may be ready to compromise with the unprecedented revolt. The offer, rapidly dismissed by rebels, coincided with warnings by Qadaffy that if he fell thousands of refugees from Libya would "invade Europe". Swiss-based exile group Libyan Human Rights Solidarity said forces loyal to Qadaffy had launched a new attempt to capture Zawiyah, a rebel-held town 50 km (30 miles) west of the capital. It was impossible to verify the report because residents in the town who had been speaking to journalists by telephone were no longer reachable. In the east, a warplane launched an air strike on the outskirts of the rebel-held oil terminal town of Ras Lanuf 600 km (400 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, witnesses said. "There was an aircraft, it fired two rockets there were no deaths," Mokhtar Dobrug, a rebel fighter who witnessed the strike, told Rooters. The attack fitted the pattern of much of the fighting, which has been erratic, with small groups engaging each other, guerrilla-style, in hit and run raids. Air attacks have been fitful and the bombing often inaccurate. In some areas, advantage on the ground has swung back and forth without conclusive result. But the resilience of Qadaffy's troops in the face of protests which started in mid-February and their ability to launch a counter-attack has raised the prospect that the country is heading for prolonged bloodshed. "It's clear the government feels a sense of momentum on its side," said military analyst Shashank Joshi, an associate fellow at Britain's Royal United Services Institute. "Government forces have more mobility than the rebels thanks to airlift and a decent amount of road transport. "That's blunted by the fact that we are seeing extremely poor fighting skills by government forces, and reasonably competent fighting by the rebels." The United Nations and the European Union are dispatching fact-finding missions to the north African nation, where reports by residents of attacks on civilians by security forces have triggered a war crimes probe and provoked global outrage. Tens of thousands have decamped across the border to Tunisia since the uprising prompted a violent crackdown by security forces. In Geneva, U.N. aid coordinator Valerie Amos said more than a million people fleeing Libya and inside the country need humanitarian aid. Amos made clear that her first priority was Misrata, a town of 300,000 which residents said had been attacked at the weekend by government forces with tanks and missiles. "Humanitarian organisations need urgent access now," said Amos, who was in areas of Tunisia along the Libyan border at the weekend. "People are injured and dying and need help immediately." The rebels have called for U.N.-backed air strikes against what they say are African soldiers-for-hire used by Qadaffy to crush the uprising against his 41-year-old rule. The government says it is fighting against al Qaeda cut-throats and maintains that its security forces have targeted only armed individuals attacking state institutions and depots. Witnesses said government forces advanced on rebel-held Ras Lanuf in a counter-attack that forced residents to flee and rebels to hide their weapons in the desert. "READY TO DIE" In Ras Lanuf, one angry man told rebels to go home, arguing that they were bringing fighting closer to oil terminals. Another complained of the rebels' inexperience, as one opposition fighter lay on his back and fired an automatic weapon at a government warplane flying overhead. "I believe these youths are ready to die, but they won't make a difference," he said. "Look at the way they're firing at the plane. They have no experience, no leadership and no strategy." The army was moving down the Mediterranean coastal road east of the recaptured town of Bin Jawad, heading toward Ras Lanuf which is about 60 km (40 miles) away, witnesses told Rooters. Residents of Ras Lanuf, fearing assault by the army, were leaving in cars laden with belongings on Monday and rebels said they had moved weapons into the desert for safekeeping. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 One prominent kook site has suggested that Qaddafi used a tactical nuclear weapon at one point. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-03-08 09:03 |