Live Blog: Breaking News in Libya
Posted: August 20, 2011 Filed under: Breaking News, Foreign Affairs, Libya, Live | Tags: Libya, Libyan Rebels, NATO in Libya, Tripoli 22 Comments
You may not have heard the news from Libya, but it appears that Rebel and NATO forces have entered Tripoli and it may mean the end for Ghaddafi. Most of the sources I’ve found are coming from the foreign press and are being tweeted. CNN and Fox have yet to switch to the story although I just read a tweet from Don Lemon that he’s excited the story is breaking on his shift because he gets to cover it.
Here’s some coverage for you to check out. I’ll try to keep some of the links updates through out the evening. You can find similar news on twitter at #Libya.
Sounds of gunfire and explosions are becoming more intense in the Libyan capital Tripoli, according to a witness who spoke to the Reuters news agency.
Residents reported fighting in several neighbourhoods and said opponents of Muammar Gaddafi were in the streets.
Heavy gunfire and explosions rattled the Libyan capital Saturday after rebels seized control of a major coastal city just west of Tripoli. Rebel commanders said the firing in the capital signaled the start of an attack on Muammar Qaddafi’s main stronghold.
Gun battles and rounds of mortar shelling were heard clearly at the hotel where foreign correspondents stay in the capital. Explosions were heard in the area as NATO aircraft carried out heavy bombing runs after nightfall.
Col. Fadlallah Haroun, a rebel military commander in their stronghold of Benghazi said this marks the beginning of Operation Mermaid – a nickname for the capital city – an assault on Tripoli coordinated with NATO.
Haroun told The Associated Press that weapons were assembled and sent by tugboats to Tripoli on Friday night.
“The fighters in Tripoli are rising up in two places at the moment – some are in the Tajoura neighborhood and the other is near the Matiga (international) airport,” he told the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera.
In his announcement on Libyan state TV, government spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim also said the rebels that entered Tripoli on Saturday night will be “pardoned if they surrender,” adding a message to the Libyan audience: “Qaddafi is your leader … Tripoli is surrounded by thousands to defend it,” suggesting the rebel advance on Tripoli has not shaken the regime.
Rebels are continuing to battle for the government-controlled Mitiga airbase in Tripoli in the early hours of Sunday. Fighting has left an unknown number of insurgents dead in the suburb of Qadah and elsewhere, an opposition activist in Tripoli told Reuters.
“The rebels have surrounded a military airbase called Mitiga in the Tajourah district. The rebels there are telling the brigades that they come in peace to avoid bloodshed. There are areas where electricity has been cut off,” he said.
Report to watch from AJ on the damage from the bombing.
Interesting Tweets:
BrianWildeCTV BrianWilde
When you have to announce it, the end is near. “@Reuters: Gaddafi remains #Libya’s leader: spokesman reut.rs/qrPdQ8”pedroelrey pedroelrey
Is Now-ism killing news? : Gadhafi likely wounded and has fled Tripoli haaretz.com/news/internati… #Italy #LibyaHenrique Henrique
amazing to see that only Al Jazeera English is broadcasting what is happening in #Libya right now…Nothing on CNN, FOX, MSNBC or even BBC!richardengelnbc Richard Engel
#libya US sources say revolt seems to have ‘certainly turned a corner’iyad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
Fresh #Libya map with overview of all action; shows clearly how Gaddafi is cornered: bit.ly/nK2fKK @acarvinOmarAlMukhtar Omar Al Mukhtar
Our war is not with U Gaddafi fighters, but w/ a family who destroyed #Libya for 42 years. Lay down ur weapons & join ur brothers. #UniteMabusharkhMahmoud Abu Sharkh
Mosques all over #Tripoli now chanting Allahu Akbar after they knew the revolutionaries entered the city #Libya
Hanzabonanza Hana Tuhami
Wouldn’t it be really ironic if Gaddafi fell on the day of his Al-Fateh revolution? #Libya #Feb17evaottesmith evaottesmith
RT “@PeterClifford1: #Libya Former #Gaddafi PM, Jalloud, defects to Opposition & now believed to be in Europe. tinyurl.com/PCOLibya”
There appear to be Tweets coming from within Libya which is really interesting to follow. The #Libya channel is now overwhelmed with Tweets just from the last few minutes.
Watch Al Jzazeera English here.
There’s a live report coming from Tripoli now and the reporters are saying that it’s getting close to ‘zero hour’.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
CNN is finally starting its coverage.
Oh wow, the anti-aircraft fire always looks the same. Those green blips of light…AJE is reporting that the electricity is out.
It’s hard to confirm anything. The twitter thread is all over the place.
of course it would help if I could read Arabic 😉
Oh I know! I wish they would teach it in the schools…Arabic or Chinese…
Update: Qaddafi Is Defiant As ‘Zero Hour’ Begins in Libya – Global – The Atlantic Wire
I have mixed feelings about the Arab Spring uprisings. I’m certainly not a fan of dictators but I wonder how many of these countries are going to end up more theocratic and hostile to women’s rights than they were going in.
Hard to tell. There are actually a lot of feminist muslim women floating around these days. I follow a lot of them on twitter and they seemed very determined to change things.
AJELive
“Military airport under control of rebels, and there are other areas in & around #Tripoli as well,” Libyan activist
there an old saying- better the devil you known( than the one you dont)
The Libyan Transitional Council has already sent out documentation for the adherence of Human Rights, and another paper with the specifics on the Rights of Women. Women have been an essential part of the revolution and women are aware and will continue to fight for everyone’s rights/freedom, including their own.
The Libyan people have had over FOUR Decades of a Gaddafi dictatorship and are ready for Freedom.
personaly i think that we will see history repeating its self remember when Reagan armed some rebel groups in Afghanistan to fight a proxy war with the Soviets in affect creating the Taliban an a Acadia .
I heard HIllary talk about that on Friday on CSPAN at the Defense University in front of pentagon folks and diplomatic corps. She said that we learned our lesson on that one. We walked away and left them all in a vacuum. Hopefully, any of her predecessors recognizes the dangerous situation you get when you leave a country in anarchy.
so whats the game plan now we already armed them theres no real government and im sure if these rebels to win . we will see a power vacuum or dise she plan on sending in US forces.
My understanding is the Arab league and NATO peacekeeping forces will do what they’re now doing in Afghanistan while the rebel government gets installed. I still don’t support any US boots on the ground in this thing. Libya’s a much more sophisticated country than Afghanistan plus there’s some oil wealth there.
DK you still don’t get it . its not that easy we don’t even know who these people are what they they realy what theres nothing to say they want the Arab league or anyone else in there country or if they even want democracy .
well, we do know who Ghadhaffi is … good example lockerbie bombing … and he’s not good. There are undoubtedly extremists. We have extremists in this country. Look at Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann. They don’t want democracy, they want theocratic fascism.
more likely we will instability and infighting for sometime to come . and that if the rebels win which is not a lock yet anyway
Probably. But the Arab league is not going to want that. The Saudis won’t want that. It’ll be policed.
I’m hoping that this doesn’t turn into a tribal blood bath — one group getting even for decades or generations of repression.
Meanwhile da Prez is on vacation. (da = Hawaiian pidgin).
I know it has nothing to do with this post, but have you seen this:
News from The Associated Press
Another police officer in NYC is arrested for raping a teacher at gun point.
You know, I really think police should spend 9 months on and 3 months off their beats or have some sort’ve enforced break where they have to sit in the office or get training. Too many of them flip out.
More reminders of that Stanford Psy experiment — students chosen at random to be guard or inmate. Ultimate power over others can corrupt — even the mild mannered ones.