Gaddafi comes to the end of the road
Even though the UN finally approved military force against Gaddafi, it's not clear the US will take an active or leading role in the removal of this brutal thug who is threatening to wipe out his citizens. Obama remains the Invisible Man, who seems genuinely pained at the thought of removing a fellow muslim from his position of power.
U.N. okays military action on Libya
TRIPOLI/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations authorised military action to curb Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Thursday, hours after he threatened to storm the rebel bastion of Benghazi overnight, showing "no mercy, no pity."
"We will come, zenga, zenga. House by house, room by room," he said in a radio address to the eastern city.
Al Jazeera television showed thousands of Benghazi residents in a central square celebrating the U.N. vote, waving anti-Gaddafi tricolour flags and chanting defiance of the man who has ruled for four decades. Fireworks burst over the city.
Gaddafi had warned that only those who lay down their arms would be spared vengeance to be exacted on 'rats and dogs'.
"It's over. The issue has been decided," Gaddafi said. "We are coming tonight...We will find you in your closets.
"We will have no mercy and no pity."
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution endorsing a no-fly zone to halt government troops now around 100 km (60 miles) from Benghazi. It also authorised "all necessary measures" -- code for military action -- to protect civilians against Gaddafi's forces.
But time was clearly running short for the city that has been the heart of Libya's revolution.
Residents said the Libyan air force unleashed three air raids on the city of 670,000 on Thursday and there has been fierce fighting along the Mediterranean coastal road as Gaddafi moves to crush the month-old insurrection.
French diplomatic sources said military action could come within hours, and could include France, Britain and possibly the United States and one or more Arab states; but a U.S. military official said no immediate U.S. action was expected following the vote.
Ten of the Council's 15 member states voted in favour of the resolution, with Russia, China and Germany among the five that abstained. There were no votes against the resolution, which was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and the United States.
Rebel National Council head Mustafa Abdel Jalil told Al Jazeera television air strikes were essential to stop Gaddafi.
"We stand on firm ground. We will not be intimidated by these lies and claims... We will not settle for anything but liberation from this regime."
It was unclear if Gaddafi's threat to seize the city in the night was anything more than bluster. But at the very least it increased the sense that a decisive moment had come in an uprising that only months ago had seemed inconceivable.
Some in the Arab world sense a Gaddafi victory could turn the tide in the region, weakening pro-democracy movements that have unseated autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt and raised mass protests in Bahrain, Yemen and elsewhere.
RETALIATION
By late evening, telephone lines to Benghazi and internet connections appeared to be cut.
Gaddafi's Defence Ministry warned of swift retaliation, even beyond Libyan frontiers, if the U.N. voted for military action against the oil-exporting nation.
"Any foreign military act against Libya will expose all air and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean Sea to danger and civilian and military (facilities) will become targets of Libya's counter-attack," the ministry said in a statement
U.N. okays military action on Libya
TRIPOLI/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations authorised military action to curb Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Thursday, hours after he threatened to storm the rebel bastion of Benghazi overnight, showing "no mercy, no pity."
"We will come, zenga, zenga. House by house, room by room," he said in a radio address to the eastern city.
Al Jazeera television showed thousands of Benghazi residents in a central square celebrating the U.N. vote, waving anti-Gaddafi tricolour flags and chanting defiance of the man who has ruled for four decades. Fireworks burst over the city.
Gaddafi had warned that only those who lay down their arms would be spared vengeance to be exacted on 'rats and dogs'.
"It's over. The issue has been decided," Gaddafi said. "We are coming tonight...We will find you in your closets.
"We will have no mercy and no pity."
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution endorsing a no-fly zone to halt government troops now around 100 km (60 miles) from Benghazi. It also authorised "all necessary measures" -- code for military action -- to protect civilians against Gaddafi's forces.
But time was clearly running short for the city that has been the heart of Libya's revolution.
Residents said the Libyan air force unleashed three air raids on the city of 670,000 on Thursday and there has been fierce fighting along the Mediterranean coastal road as Gaddafi moves to crush the month-old insurrection.
French diplomatic sources said military action could come within hours, and could include France, Britain and possibly the United States and one or more Arab states; but a U.S. military official said no immediate U.S. action was expected following the vote.
Ten of the Council's 15 member states voted in favour of the resolution, with Russia, China and Germany among the five that abstained. There were no votes against the resolution, which was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and the United States.
Rebel National Council head Mustafa Abdel Jalil told Al Jazeera television air strikes were essential to stop Gaddafi.
"We stand on firm ground. We will not be intimidated by these lies and claims... We will not settle for anything but liberation from this regime."
It was unclear if Gaddafi's threat to seize the city in the night was anything more than bluster. But at the very least it increased the sense that a decisive moment had come in an uprising that only months ago had seemed inconceivable.
Some in the Arab world sense a Gaddafi victory could turn the tide in the region, weakening pro-democracy movements that have unseated autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt and raised mass protests in Bahrain, Yemen and elsewhere.
RETALIATION
By late evening, telephone lines to Benghazi and internet connections appeared to be cut.
Gaddafi's Defence Ministry warned of swift retaliation, even beyond Libyan frontiers, if the U.N. voted for military action against the oil-exporting nation.
"Any foreign military act against Libya will expose all air and maritime traffic in the Mediterranean Sea to danger and civilian and military (facilities) will become targets of Libya's counter-attack," the ministry said in a statement
posted by no_slappz at 7:47 PM
6 Comments:
Vote for incompetence..plus inexperience, waddayeget?
Another day older, and deeper in debt...
St. Peter don'tcha call me jest yet
Gaddaffi's a dead-man (?) so place yer bet!
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March 18, 2011
Gad.daffi & The No-Fly Zone
_____________________________
Inaction at the UN, and dithering from the Oval Office has shed a lot of blood, needlessly. Finally,
our old allies Britain & France have assumed the vacated leadership position, and the UN was forced to vote for the 'no-fly' resolution in Libya to stop the promised slaughter in Benghazi.
The Lesson: Brutal dictators respect superior power, but only when it's about to be used. - reb
___ ___
Louie Farrahkhan Warns Obama:
"I warn you my brother, do not let those wicked demons move you in a direction that will absolutely ruin your future with your people in Africa, and throughout the world...Why don't you organize..a group of respected Americans, and ask for a meeting with Qadaffi; you can't order him to step down and get out...who the hell do you think you are?"
http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2011/03/ obamaswar.html
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reb,
Unfortunately, Obama has already given Muammar some clues about what he can do to stay in power.
Islamic dictators know only that they are either in power or out.
Until Muammar is dead, he will continue to kill civilians and anyone else his forces can attack.
However, as we have seen over and over, Islamic militaries are totally inept and incapable of fighting skilled well armed forces from the US and the Free World. Islamic militaries can only bumble along against each other or slaughter helpless civilians.
Thus it will take very little time before Muammar is reduced to killing civilians by shooting them with rifles and pistols. but he will continue to have them killed until he himself and many of his forces are dead.
At that point, Muammar's murderers will shed their skins and blend in with the masses.
Cad.daffi sealed his fate when he promised "no pity, no mercy" as his tanks, artillery, and armored personnel carriers rolled up to the gates of Benghazi.
His threats are 'hot-air', after a week-end of pounding from 3 naval vessels off his coast. Next, we hit his communications C & C, and his loyal troops will just fade away.
Unless I've missed something, Moammar Gad.daffi is a walking dead man. - reb
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reb,
The point that has been missed is this: Obama has said that Qadhafi can keep his job and remain the head of Libya if he would only stop killing Libyans.
That's the mistake made by Bush 41 in 1991 when he did not let US forces kill Saddam Hussein as they destroyed the Iraqi military as it ran out of Kuwait after getting the same treatment Qadhafi's forces have gotten in the past couple of days.
Qadhafi no longer has the military strength that he had last week, but his supporters still have small arms and ammunition, which means they can kill a lot of Libyan rebels without too much trouble while the West remains poorly informed.
Thus, even the enforcement of a no-fly zone is not enough. We enforced a no-fly zone on Saddam for 10 years before going in and finishing the job that should have been finished in 1991.
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