Borzou Daragahi reports: "A Libyan general has switched sides in one of two fiercely contested western cities that have been strongholds of the opposition to Moammar Kadafi, state television said Tuesday. Fierce fighting continued in the city of Zawiya, which has emerged as one of two key battlegrounds in the area around the capital, Tripoli. Although Kadafi controls the capital, his opponents have seized much of the eastern part of the country and are working on forming a competing government."
Anti-aircraft rounds sit on the roof of a pickup truck in Ras Lanuf, Libya, 03/08/11. (photo: Luis Sinco/LA Times)
Libyan General Joins Rebels in Zawiya
09 March 11
State TV reports that Maj. Gen. Khalid Shahmah has switched sides. Meanwhile, government officials deny rumors that Moammar Kadafi will resign.
Libyan general has switched sides in one of two fiercely contested western cities that have been strongholds of the opposition to Moammar Kadafi, state television said Tuesday.
Fierce fighting continued in the city of Zawiya, which has emerged as one of two key battlegrounds in the area around the capital, Tripoli. Although Kadafi controls the capital, his opponents have seized much of the eastern part of the country and are working on forming a competing government.
In an "urgent" on-screen caption, a state-controlled television station reported that Maj. Gen. Khalid Shahmah had joined the rebels in Zawiya. It did not further identify the general or clarify his role in the military.
Droves of officials have defected from Kadafi's regime. On Tuesday, Musa Kuni, former consul general to the nearby country of Mali, appealed to Libyans of ethnic Tuareg descent like him to join the opposition.
Opposition leaders accuse the government of recruiting mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa to fight anti-Kadafi forces. The rebel spokesman in Misurata, the other battleground city in western Libya, said his side had captured several fighters from Mali and Chad.
In the eastern city of Benghazi, Kadafi opponents said they had confirmed that some mercenaries were Algerian and that a downed pilot was a Syrian.
Despite some high-profile defections, officials have defiantly denied rumors that Kadafi was considering resigning, and he appeared briefly late Tuesday at a Tripoli hotel housing many foreign journalists.
"The leadership of the revolution is not a presidential or royal position from which Moammar Kadafi could step down," Kadafi's son Saadi said in a broadcast interview. If the leader were to step down, he said, "an unmerciful civil war will take place" similar to that of Somalia or Afghanistan.
Saadi also said his brother Seif Islam and a group of advisors had been running the country for the last four years, with the patriarch providing only overall guidance.
A spokesman for Kadafi opponents in Benghazi denied reports that they had agreed not to prosecute the dictator if he resigned within 72 hours.
"We will not negotiate over the blood of our people," said the spokesman, Abdulhafith Ghuga. "There has been no proposal put in front of us and the regime is still killing people with heavy artillery."
Times staff writer Raja Abdulrahim in Benghazi contributed to this report.
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
Live Occupy Wall Street Tweets
 20 May 2012
|
 20 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 22 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 20 May 2012
|
 20 May 2012
|
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
"Sophistication" of US foreign policy - state department is shocking - NOT one decision for LONG term US interest was made - continuing the BS NEOCON real-politics.
NeoCons do, did more damage to the US than any terrorist there ..
AIPAC controls Obama/Clinton plus blackmails Congress. And who dares to question is eliminated - like NPR - they dare to talk to Muslims- and characterized Tea Party as bunch of racists - as the are.
"Those in Washington and Tel Aviv who have sought to minimise the role of the Palestinian cause in Arab politics, would be well advised to read an article by the famous Egyptian blogger and activist Hossam el-Hamalawy in the Guardian, in which he argues that it was the demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian intifada in 2000 and the 2003 protests against the US war in Iraq that served as the precursors of the Egyptian revolution"
english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/20113911948670383.html
Defense Minister tells Wall Street Journal that Israel must be on guard considering the unrest sweeping the Arab world, adding increased aid could help make Israel a 'stabilizer in such a turbulent region'.
-snip-
He also told the WSJ that a top Egyptian official recently warned him that the new government in Cairo was likely to change its attitude toward Israel unless the latter made serious efforts for peace with the Palestinians.
-snip-
The prime minister is said to be planning a speech - possibly to be delivered in Washington - in which he will outline his plans.
and Reps are arguing over 2 millions to NPR ... this is on the top of $3 billions for bombs we are providing last 30 years.
ifamericansonly knew.org
RSS feed for comments to this post.