News comes from Al Jazeera of continued fighting in Brega, a day after clashes between anti and pro-Gaddafi forces left at least 10 civilians dead.
"Around two hours ago, warplanes dropped a bomb in the area between the oil company and the residential area," Fattah al-Moghrabi, director of supplies for Brega hospital, told the AFP news agency.
"As far as I know, there were no casualties," he said.
Brega was yesterday the scene of heavy fighting but is still holding strong.
In the mean time Malta International Airport continues to struggle with all the extra flights in place to repatriate all the approximately 13,000 evacuees reaching Malta till now.
In a visit this morning, I could see 2 massive Boing 763 planes belonging to China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines respectively. Daily direct flights to Shangai have been operating over the last week in order to take back several thousand Chinese nationals arriving earlier on various Ships. The former airline (hardly ever operating from Malta) has just today 4 different planned flights.
Note: As I write this, a military helicopter is flying overhead
As advised earlier, the Maltese Catamaran Maria Dolores arrived from Sirte with another 600 evacuees from Libya.
The vessel belonging to Virtu Ferries which has just docked in the Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, made its first trip from Sirte since the evacuation process started. Sirte is a city centred between Tripoli and Benghazi and the seat of national government institutions in Libya.
The evacuees hailed from various nationalities. They will be staying at a local Hotel. There were no Maltese reported on board.
You're quite right Gabrielle, my point for listing this here is that usually military in countries about to get involved in combat situations usually carry out training exercises. I have no proof of this but it could have been something of the sort.
This is most probably unrelated to the Libyan crisis but I have reports that a French Air Force Mirage 2000N has crashed during a night training flight at Saint-Oradoux-pres-Crocq, above the Creuse region.
The Mirage disappeared from radar screens Tuesday night while it was on a "traditional mission". The two 30 year old crew members are said to have been found dead in the wreckage.
Al Jazeera has learned that Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has offered to mediate a solution to the crisis in Libya, and in the last few hours, Colonel Gaddafi accepted the offer.
Gaddafi spoke to Chavez and agreed in principle to a mediation plan. We've also learned that the Arab League has welcomed the offer.
The Canadian Navy Frigate "HMCS Charlottetown" leaves Halifax harbour today for Malta to join Libya operations, the Canadian government has announced.
In the mean time the British Destroyer "HMS York" has left the Benghazi region and is heading towards Valletta harbour, Malta. I have reports that it could be reaching harbour at around 2:00pm local time.
My information is coming from various sources, some of which I cannot disclose, but most of it is also available in public networks. The main thing is I am in Malta which is only about 300km north of Libya and am thus pretty much in the centre of the action.
Most aircraft and ship movements, I am confirming personally on site as things are happening (as are also most pics i've posted, all taken with my camera and mobile phone)
I must clarify that I am in no way either advocating an armed intervention in Libya nor supporting the Libyan regime. I am trying to report facts and my main interest in this is for all of this crisis to end as soon as possible in the interest of the Libyan people and all the foreigners and immigrants who are all effected by this human tragedy.
Ray, you could be right about the cuban case and all alse you mention but waht you are terming as 'BS' are actually parked in our Airfield a few hundred meters away from me as I write. So whether CIA are involved in this or not, I am reporting 2 facts: The planes are HERE, and the pilots are HERE also and what they have reported was confirmed by other ground reports from Benghazi were they squadron was attacking.
Three Dutch soldiers were taken prisoner at the weekend by armed men during an operation to evacuate civilians from Libya, the Dutch defence ministry said today.
"We confirm it," a navy official told AFP when asked about the capture of three marines reported by Dutch daily De Telegraaf.
The paper said the three marines were captured by armed men loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while helping with the evacuation from Sirte in northern Libya of two unnamed civilians, one Dutch and another European, in a helicopter.
The marines were attacked after the helicopter landed. The two civilians were handed over by the Libyans to the Dutch embassy and have since left Libya, according to De Telegraaf.
"Intensive diplomatic discussions are underway for the freeing of the prisoners," according to the Dutch defence ministry quoted by ANP news agency.
The marines and the helicopter were based on board the Dutch frigate Tromp. The warship, which was initially to have taken part in an anti-piracy operation off Somalia, headed on February 24 for the Libyan coast.
The failure of the rescue operation and the capture of the Dutch marines were not made public earlier for security reasons, De Telegraaf said.
The Catamaran "San Gwann" was expected to return to Malta yesterday night with another 66 people on board while the "Maria Dolores" is also expected today. Both Catamarans have now become a regular ongoing shuttle service between Malta and Tripoli. The company has also stated that other Libyan harbours may be considered if required.
The Director of Information for Malta, Mr Bugelli said that 247 Maltese have now returned from Libya and seven are on their way.
Yesterday evening, the government received requests for assistance from another two Maltese. Another three are situated on oil rigs and no contact has yet been made with three Maltese known to be in the country.
Mr Bugelli noted that a Russian who arrived from Libya yesterday had gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment in hospital. A number of other passengers from the various trips required medical attention but this was the most serious case.
The two Libyan Mirages flown to Malta by defecting pilots are being disarmed to render them safe.
This was confirmed by the Director of Information for Malta in a statement yesterday. Soon after the Mirages landed, a team of specialists from the UK’s Royal Air Force assisted in deactivating the weaponry and inspected the fighter jets.
In the second stage of the disarming process, a team of French civilian engineers, who were brought over from the company that produced the aircraft, were rendering them completely safe.
The fighter jets are being kept under constant guard by Maltese forces.
The two jets were flown to Malta last week by their pilots who allegedly disobeyed orders to bomb civilians in Benghazi. they have reported abandoning their squadron in a last-minute decision and headed to Malta.
As Gaddafi's forces launched raids against the opposition, with warplanes reportedly launching air strikes in two eastern towns, NATO's decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, met in Brussels where Ambassadors "discussed the fast-moving situation in Libya" and expressed "great concern about continued violence and also about the serious humanitarian situation," NATO deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero told AFP.
"The alliance continues to actively monitor events in that country," she said.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has acknowledged that there was no unanimity within NATO for the use of force.
Turkey, an influential NATO member with a majority Muslim population, rejected the idea of military action, saying the alliance could only intervene when one of its members is attacked.
"This would be absurd," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit in Germany this week, according to Anatolia news agency. "NATO has no business being there."
"We are opposed to such a scenario. Such an eventuality is unthinkable."
Warning that military action could turn Arabs against Europe, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe insisted that any operation, including policing Libya's skies, would first need approval from the United Nations
Holed up in Tripoli, Gaddafi warned that Western intervention to help rebels would trigger a "very bloody war" in which "thousands of Libyans would die."
The US military warned that enforcing a no-fly zone would be a complex operation that would require bombing the Gaddafi regime's radar and missile defences.
Naval Movements: The French Navy Frigate "FS Tourville" has finally left Malta as had the Italian Navy Corvette days ago and as did the "HMS Cumberland" a few hours after arrival. The only military ship currently in harbour is as I reported this morning, the German Navy Frigate "FGS Niedersachsen" (see picture below).
News of the "HMS Cumberland" and the "HMS York" indicate they have both headed towards Benghazi, the former to continue ferrying evacuees to Malta and the latter reportedly to deliver supplies, medication and foodstuffs in a relief effort.
In the mean time I once again confirm that the South Korean Destroyer, the "Choi Young" is heading to Valletta and should be here over the coming days. While the amphibious assault ships "USS Kearsarge" and the "USS Ponce" are reported to have cleared the Suez Canal earlier. The aircraft carrier "USS Enterprise" is reported to be still in the north of the Red Sea is also reported to be heading to the mediterranean.
what is a propaganda, bollywood? Are you referring to my postings? If so, would you kindly state exactly which part of what I have posted is propaganda? I am reporting facts here and I dare anyone to prove otherwise.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has appeared on Libyan state television in what was described as a celebration to mark the 34th anniversary of the people assuming power.
A large crowd in the ceremony, being held indoors, are chanting pro-Gaddafi slogans.
In a speech which is still in progress, Mr Gaddafi stated that Officers being ordered to defect at gunpoint. He also said he wanted to congratulate the people on the establishment of the people's authority in 1977.
On that day, he said he handed over his powers to the people's committees and he had not exercised any political or administrative authority.
The revolution, he said, had been carried out to liberate the territory and oilfields from the US and British forces and hand them to the people.
A warship has just entered the Grand Harbour, Valletta as I write. I have not identified it as yet but according to my previous predictions it should be the German Navy "FGS Niedersachsen". I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, th day is looking decidedly better with some sun and a little blue sky showing.
Explosions were heard in Tripoli this morning and an overturned oil tanker was seen, but it was not clear if the incident was related to the current unrest in Libya.
Pro-Gaddafi supporters immediately gathered around the site, shouting pro-government slogans.
The capital was otherwise calm and the centre had a semblance of normality, with many shops open and traffic in the streets.
News from the town of Az Zintan, 170km southwest of Tripoli.
A voice message left on the Feb 17th website, says that young people in that town have taken the fight to pro-Gaddafi forces, launching a series of "preventative attacks" on army barracks, checkpoints and other installations to gather weapons and equipment.
It says that pro-Gaddafi forces have attacked the city three times so far, and each time they have been repelled. It is particularly dangerous after sunset, the protester says.
He also said that about 60 "mercenaries" in all have been captured by protesters. On the supply front, the city has received two car-loads of medical supplies from allies in Tripoli, and while there are some shortages of food, in general the situation is not dire.
Reuters reports that US warships will pass through the Suez Canal on today Wednesday on their way to Libya as Western nations put more pressure on Muammar Gaddafi to stop a violent crackdown and step aside.
The ships are known to include the Carrier USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear- powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US naval vessel to bear the name.
Libya has denied entry into its airspace to a Canadian Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft which had intended to pick up oil workers in Tripoli.
Permission has however been granted to an Italian air force aircraft after it too had initially been refused the go-ahead.
Tripoli airport officials later claimed the refusal to the Canadian aircraft was because of lack of space at Tripoli airport.
The Canadian aircraft is returning to Malta.
Canada has closed its embassy in Tripoli and suspended diplomatic relations.
Meanwhile there were 18 militarary and civilian aircraft on the ground in Malta this morning as part of the Libya evacuation. They came from Canada, Britain, Romania, Sweden, Libya and Italy.
But it was not just evacuated workers which military aircraft were bringing to Malta. A Belgian C-130 arrived carrying a restored flemish tapestry.
Libyan protestors outside the Libyan Embassy in Malta managed to climb the facade of the embassy and hoist the pre-revolution tricolor flag instead oif the official all-green one associated with Gaddafi. The new flag which has now become the symbol of the revolution was raised high to the jubaltion ofthe crowd present.
This has come after the ambassador kept holding strong against demands by the protestors to do so himself. While he has shown regret for any victims of the crisis, the ambassador had remained strong in his support for Gaddafi and even held a press conference in past days to defend allegations. He had however said that he is ambassador of the Libyan people and will thus except to represent all Libyans whatever their opinion.
A resident of Az Zawiyah told the Associated Press news agency by telephone on Monday that fighting started in the evening and intensified after dusk when troops loyal to Gaddafi attacked the city.
"We were able to repulse the attack. We damaged a tank with an RPG. The mercenaries fled after that," said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.
He said Gaddafi called the city's influential tribal leader, Mohammed al-Maktouf, and warned him that if the rebels did not leave the main square by early Tuesday, they would be hit by fighter jets.
"We are expecting a major battle," the resident said, adding that the rebels killed eight soldiers and mercenaries on Monday.
Another resident of Az Zawiyah said he heard gunfire well into the night on the outskirts of town.
AP said its reporter saw a large, pro-Gaddafi force massed on the western edge of Az Zawiyah.
Strong attacks on opposition controlled cities reported:
Al Jazeera reports that Government opponents in the Libyan city of Az Zawiyah have repulsed an attempt by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi to retake the city close to the capital, Tripoli, in six hours of fighting overnight, witnesses say.
Tuesday's claims follow reports that government forces attacked the city from the west and the east, and that fighter jets bombed an ammunition depot in the eastern city of Ajdabiya.
There was no word on casualties in Az Zawiyah, which is 50km west of Tripoli.
"We will not give up Az Zawiyah at any price," one witness said on Tuesday.
"We know it is significant strategically. They will fight to get it, but we will not give up. We managed to defeat them because our spirits are high and their spirits are zero."
The rebels, who include army forces who defected from the government, are armed with tanks, machine guns and anti-aircraft guns.
They fought back pro-Gaddafi troops armed with similar weapons who attacked from six directions.
Yes I can now confirm the above as I have a visual sighting of the above ferry. The vessel belonging to Hellenic Seaways has just docked just in-between the other Greek vessels entering harbour this week.
The Duke of Kent who is currently in Malta for a working visit as President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, will be at Pinto Wharf today to greet the 15 Britons and other evacuees coming into Malta on the German ferry ‘Express Santorini’.
If my sources are correct, this ferry is docking at the Grand Harbour right now as I write.
Yep, hope so too Lillyn, though our first concern is for the Libyan people. If hopefully a post-crisis Libya heads in a more democratic direction, our two nations can have a much more healthy business relationship.
zeus911 Forum Posts (1,000)
Libya - Latest Updates Part II
News comes from Al Jazeera of continued fighting in Brega, a day after clashes between anti and pro-Gaddafi forces left at least 10 civilians dead."Around two hours ago, warplanes dropped a bomb in the area between the oil company and the residential area," Fattah al-Moghrabi, director of supplies for Brega hospital, told the AFP news agency.
"As far as I know, there were no casualties," he said.
Brega was yesterday the scene of heavy fighting but is still holding strong.