Breaking … Libyan Rebels Enter Tripoli
Posted: August 21, 2011 Filed under: just because 29 Comments
Rebels celebrating after first attacks on Tripoli
Minutes ago, The New York Times reported that Libyan rebels have broken through Gaddafi’s lines of defense and entered the capital city of Tripoli.
Rebel troops approaching from the west raced through Colonel Qaddafi’s “ring of steel” defense that had been positioned outside Tripoli. Rebels driving pickup trucks mounted with machine guns met little resistance as they reached Janzour and Gargaresh, Tripoli neighborhoods where Qaddafi forces appeared to melt away, rebel leaders and residents said.
After six-months of inconclusive fighting the assault on the capital unfolded at a rapid pace, with insurgents capturing a military base of the vaunted Khamis Brigade where they had expected to meet fierce resistance, and then speeding toward Tripoli unopposed. By midnight local time rebel fighters said they were only a few miles from the center of Tripoli.
Inside the city, protesters took to the streets and rebels clashed with Qaddafi loyalists in some parts of the city, opposition leaders and refugees from the city said. Fighting had been heavy earlier in the day Sunday, but by nightfall Colonel Qaddafi’s forces had withdrawn from some districts without a major battle.
Gaddafi announced in a radio message that he would stay in Tripoli “until the end.” He told his supporters, “The time is now to fight for your politics, your oil, your land,” Colonel Qaddafi said. “I am with you in Tripoli — together until the ends of the earth.” Gaddafi’s whereabouts are a mystery.
Reuters is reporting that Gaddafi’s son Saif Al-Islam has been captured.
Juan Cole has a post up with lots of background on “The Great Tripoli Uprising.”
As dawn broke Sunday in Libya, revolutionaries were telling Aljazeera Arabic that much of the capital was being taken over by supporters of the February 17 Youth revolt. Some areas, such as the suburb of Tajoura to the east and districts in the eastrn part of the city such as Suq al-Juma, Arada, the Mitiga airport, Ben Ashour, Fashloum, and Dahra, were in whole or in part under the control of the revolutionaries.
Those who were expecting a long, hard slog of fighters from the Western Mountain region and from Misrata toward the capital over-estimated dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s popularity in his own capital, and did not reckon with the severe shortages of ammunition and fuel afflicting his demoralized security forces, whether the regular army or mercenaries. Nor did they take into account the steady NATO attrition of his armor and other heavy weapons.
This development, with the capital creating its own nationalist mythos of revolutionary participation, is the very best thing that could have happened. Instead of being liberated (and somewhat subjected) from the outside by Berber or Cyrenaican revolutionaries, Tripoli enters the Second Republic with its own uprising to its name, as a full equal able to gain seats on the Transitional National Council once the Qaddafis and their henchmen are out of the way. There will be no East/West divide. My hopes for a government of national unity as the last phase of the revolution before parliamentary elections now seem more plausible than ever. Tellingly, Tunisia and Egypt both recognized the TNC as Libya’s legitimate government through the night, as the Tripoli uprising unfolded. Regional powers can see the new Libya being born.
The underground network of revolutionaries in the capital, who had been violently repressed by Qaddafi’s security forces last March, appear to have planned the uprising on hearing of the fall of Zawiya and Zlitan. It is Ramadan, so people in Tripoli are fasting during the day, breaking their fast at sunset. Immediately after they ate their meal, the callers to prayer or muezzins mounted the minarets of the mosques and began calling out, “Allahu Akbar,” (God is most Great), as a signal to begin the uprising. (Intrestingly, this tactic is similar to that used by the Green movement for democracy in Iran in 2009).
You can follow events on the
Al Jazeera English Libya Live Blog here. The most recent update says that UK officials are urging Gaddafi to “Go now,” to “prevent further suffering for Libyans.”
The Guardian Live Blog on events in the Middle East is here.Latest updates:
10.11pm: Downing Street says “the end is near” for Gaddafi and calls on him to go to avoid more suffering for his people, according to the Press Association.
10.05pm: The head of Libya’s National Transitional Council tells Al Jazeera that Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam has been captured.
9.56pm: Al Arabiya TV reports that Gaddafi’s presidential guard has surrendered to the rebels, citing the rebels’ National Transitional Council.
9.52pm: Sky News correspondent Alex Crawford, who is with the rebels as they advance on Tripoli, says this must be the end for Gaddafi. She reports:
Even if he’s still here, his rule must surely be at the end. He can’t possibly expect to command any power any more.
To be honest, he’s lost now, I can’t see him being able to come back from this. His security forces have melted away.
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Battle for Tripoli | Page 8 | Liveblog live blogging | Reuters.com
Rebels say Gaddafi son Saif Al-Islam captured | Reuters
http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/
link to AJ live
SultanAlQassemi Sultan Al Qassemi
Al Jazeera sources: The head of the Tripoli Security Battalion was responsible for laying down the arms & opening the gates of Tripoli
U.S. urges Libya rebels to plan post-Gaddafi era | Reuters
Gaddafi appears to be on his way out – PostPartisan – The Washington Post
Gaddhafi is sending out an SOS to the tribes, it sounds like its just about time for a fat lady to sing.
SultanAlQassemi Sultan Al Qassemi
This is his third speech in 24 hours – Gaddafi: The French will occupy you, like the Italians have (names more tribes)
I’ve added quite a bit to the post–don’t know if you saw. The Guardian has lots of info with live reports from people on the ground.
Not yet! I’m on the dashboard and I’m listening to AJ. I’ll go look! Thanks!!!
Three of Gaddhafi’s sons are now captured or have surrendered.
Just got this from twitter:
They call me sof: BREAKING!!: Confirmed by AJE: Saif , Saadi, and Mohammed Gaddafi are ALL in the custody of our Freedom Fighters! #feb17 #tripoli #libya
Except his name isn’t Mohammed, so not sure this is trustworthy.
They are saying on AJ that the rebels are surrounding the house of a major security official. It looks like it’s over. He’s also a relative of Gaddhafi. his name is al-hamedi … he commands the security battalions in the West
That’s three of muamar’s sons
Oh, thanks.
I’m not seeing any other reports that Muammar Gaddafi has been captured. Comic relief:
BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz
#LIBYA: Twitter Reports Gaddafi Has Been Killed Forty Times #gaddafi #twitter #crowdsourcing
Qaddafi has fled to Algeria via @BBCNews
via Al Arabiya: Algerian Foreign Ministry denies that Gaddafi is in its grounds #Libya
The big ones always seem to get away.
DylanRatigan Dylan Ratigan
RT @JesseRodriguez: SKY News reporting rebel convoy about 1/2 mile from Green Square in Tripoli, fireworks can be heard in the background
Libyan Opposition says Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam arrested
Isn’t this the one that was “Killed” a while back?
No, he’s the guy that made the speeches back at the beginning of the rebellion. There were at least two with the name Saif Al-_______.
okay thanks…i just remember the bald one with the finger…
rhodri Rhodri Marsden
CONFIRMED: The bloke who said CONFIRMED (@MalikAlAbdeh) CONFIRMS that the Gaddafi news isn’t in fact CONFIRMED.
AJ is speculating that he’s in a vehicle some one speaking from some kind of radio phone. He’s even asking women to take up arms and defend Tripoli. The rebels confirm he’s not in Tripoli and may have fled a few days ago.
That figures. But he’s claiming on the radio that he’s in Tripoli.
I am so hoping that women will get a better deal from this change of command/dictator than the had under the old dictator. We haven’t really seen an improvement in women’s lives in Afghanistan (women were better off under Russia’s rule). IN Iraq after the bush wars — women are worse off then under the hated secular dictator Saddam Hussein. In Egypt — women are not better off. I really can’t think of one single country where there was a violent over throw of a dictator that women got a better deal.
So I’ll wait to see what happens to the women — who are always the losers in any war.
Libya Rejoices: Rebels Take Over Tripoli’s Main Square, Surround Qaddafi’s Compound – David Beard – NationalJournal.com
Only woman visible — female reporter. No women — No change for them — mostly likely. I also noted that the news team (reporter – camera person etc) had several guards — the guy in the pink shirt was most obvious.