• Rebel seize Misrata airport. Gaddafi forces pushed OUTSIDE city. Tanks captured.
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[release](Reuters) - Libyan rebels said they took control of Misrata airport in heavy fighting with Muammar Gaddafi's forces on Wednesday, seizing large quantities of weapons and munitions in a major victory in the besieged city. [b]The rebels, who also rejected a United Nations call for a ceasefire, are fighting across the North African country to end Gaddafi's 41 years in power.[/b] The war has reached stalemate, with the government controlling the capital and almost all of the West while rebels in charge in Benghazi and other towns in the oil-producing east. [b]The port city of Misrata is the last major rebel-held bastion in the west. Gaddafi's forces have besieged it for almost two months, leading to fighting that killed hundreds.[/b] [b]"The airport, with the help from great God, has been freed. The rebels have seized many weapons including tanks and, thank God, they are still functioning," rebel spokesman Mohamad Jaber said by telephone from Misrata, 190 km east of Tripoli.[/b] [b]"Now what is left and what the rebels are working on is liberating the airbase, which is close to the airport,"[/b] he said. Another rebel called Hicham who was at the airport said it had been the main base for Gaddafi forces in the city. [b]"So now, any supplies, weapons or munitions for future attacks by Gaddafi's forces on Misrata have to come from outside the city. This means they would be exposed to NATO air strikes."[/b] [b]The rebels entered the airport after a series of coordinated NATO bombings to take out artillery batteries and other military vehicles, Hicham said. "The revolutionaries...could not believe the amount and quality of the weapons they found there," he said. It was not possible to verify the rebel accounts independently.[/b] Western countries led by NATO are assisting the rebels with a campaign of air strikes and say they will not stop until Gaddafi leaves power. [b]The United States said on Wednesday it had delivered a first shipment of food rations for the rebels, part of a $25 million non-lethal aid package. Senator John Kerry said he was drafting legislation to transfer Gaddafi's assets to an opposition group.[/b] Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski visited the rebels in Benghazi to show support and deliver medical aid. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Wednesday for an [b]"immediate, verifiable ceasefire"[/b] but rebels fighting in western Libya dismissed the idea. [b]"We don't trust Gaddafi...This is not the time for a ceasefire because he never respects it," said a rebel spokesman called Abdulrahman[/b], speaking by telephone from Zintan in the Western Mountains region. [b]"He bombards civilians immediately after his regime speaks of willingness to observe a ceasefire," [/b]the spokesman said, adding that Gaddafi's forces fired 20-25 Grad missiles at rebels on Wednesday, killing one and wounding three others. [b]Gaddafi's government has made several ceasefire declarations but continued attacks on Misrata and other rebel-held areas including the Western Mountains near the Tunisian border.[/b] [b]The government says the rebels are armed criminals and al Qaeda militants and that the majority of Libyans back Gaddafi.[/b] It says NATO's intervention is an act of colonial aggression by Western powers intent on stealing the country's oil. NATO says it wants to protect Libyan civilians. The three-month revolt against Gaddafi is inspired by other uprisings this year against Arab governments. But divisions among rebel leaders are blunting their challenge to Gaddafi and could unnerve foreign powers banking on them as a credible alternative government, according to analysts. [b]"GADDAFI MUST GO" - EU[/b] Ban spoke in Geneva after talks with Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi. [b]"He (Mahmoudi) even suggested the Libyan government was willing to have an immediate ceasefire with a monitoring team to be established by the United Nations and the African Union," Ban told a news conference.[/b] "But first and foremost there should be an end to the fighting in Misrata and elsewhere. Then we will be able to provide humanitarian assistance and in parallel we can continue our political dialogue," Ban added. The European Union said it planned to open an office in Benghazi to help the rebel council there with health, education and border security. [b]"Let us ... be clear, Gaddafi must go from power -- he must end his regime," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.[/b] Gaddafi has not appeared in public since April 30, when a NATO air strike on a house in the capital killed his youngest son and three of his grandchildren. The Libyan government may be forcibly expelling migrants in an attempt to flood Europe, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday. Gaddafi has warned European leaders that if they undermine his government, Libya will no longer be able to hold back the tide of migrants trying to reach Europe. The arrival of large numbers of migrants in rickety boats across the Mediterranean from Libya has already caused strains, especially in Italy.[/release] These rebels are fucking determined. Looks like they don't want to see a divided Libya. [url]http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/11/us-libya-idUSTRE7270JP20110511?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews[/url] [img]http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20110511&t=2&i=412149873&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=390&r=2011-05-11T202050Z_01_BTRE74A13G800_RTROPTP_0_LIBYA[/img][img]http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20110511&t=2&i=412149878&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=390&r=2011-05-11T202050Z_01_BTRE7481EBM00_RTROPTP_0_LIBYA-NATO[/img][img]http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20110511&t=2&i=412149881&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=390&r=2011-05-11T202050Z_01_BTRE7441JJ600_RTROPTP_0_LIBYA[/img] [img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/05/12/world/12airportspan/12airport-articleLarge.jpg[/img][img]http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-110303-libya-tabbed/ss-110510-libya-week-12/ss-110511-libya-02.grid-7x2.jpg[/img][img]http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/110511-libya-misrata-hemd-930a.grid-10x2.jpg[/img]
Honestly, I think Gaddafi's dead, where the fucks he been?
Impressive. I'm sure all that captured weaponry will greatly help the rebels
If not now he will be soon, either way it doesn't matter. [editline]11th May 2011[/editline] broke my automerge
Excellent, now they've got some real firepower. It's time to take this all the way to Tripoli.
[QUOTE=CjienX;29764999]Honestly, I think Gaddafi's dead, where the fucks he been?[/QUOTE] Tripoli, cowering behind the bulk of his armies.
[img]http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-110303-libya-tabbed/ss-110510-libya-week-12/ss-110511-libya-01.grid-7x2.jpg[/img] [b]Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski talks on a phone after his arrival in Benghazi, May 11. Sikorski is the first foreign minister of a western state to meet with the insurgents. The trip has been agreed upon with EU's Catherine Ashton and with NATO countries.[/b]
[QUOTE=CjienX;29765007]If not now he will be soon, either way it doesn't matter. [editline]11th May 2011[/editline] broke my automerge[/QUOTE] Agreed. With the no-fly zone and the fact that all of his neighbors hate him, the man isn't getting the fuck out of Libya alive. Also, I'm excited for the rebels considering the fact that they're now well-armed.
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29765070][img_thumb]http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-110303-libya-tabbed/ss-110510-libya-week-12/ss-110511-libya-01.grid-7x2.jpg[/img_thumb] [b]Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski talks on a phone after his arrival in Benghazi, May 11. Sikorski is the first foreign minister of a western state to meet with the insurgents. The trip has been agreed upon with EU's Catherine Ashton and with NATO countries.[/b][/QUOTE] I wish I could look that badass
What are these revolutionaries like anyways? the "good guys" have supported authoritarian regimes in the past in south America. How do we know the rebels are going to be any better than Gaddafi?
[QUOTE=Jiyoon;29765230]What are these revolutionaries like anyways? the "good guys" have supported authoritarian regimes in the past in south America. How do we know the rebels are going to be any better than Gaddafi?[/QUOTE] The foreign policy back then is radically different than what U.S./UN/NATO are doing today.
diggin them tactical operator guards w/ the foreign min
[img]http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-110303-libya-tabbed/ss-110510-libya-week-12/ss-110511-libya-02.grid-7x2.jpg[/img] Kicking ass and giving fashion tips.
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29765070][img_thumb]http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-110303-libya-tabbed/ss-110510-libya-week-12/ss-110511-libya-01.grid-7x2.jpg[/img_thumb] [b]Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski talks on a phone after his arrival in Benghazi, May 11. Sikorski is the first foreign minister of a western state to meet with the insurgents. The trip has been agreed upon with EU's Catherine Ashton and with NATO countries.[/b][/QUOTE] Why Poland?
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29765261]The foreign policy back then is radically different than what U.S./UN/NATO are doing today.[/QUOTE] Yeah but what are they like?
A lot of rumors going around right now that he died the same time his son and three grandchildren were killed by NATO-bombs. Hard to believe anyone could survive this: [img]http://gfx.dagbladet.no/labrador/163/163724/16372400/jpg/active/729x.jpg[/img] And nobody has heard from Gaddafi since this bombing.
[QUOTE=Jiyoon;29765469]Yeah but what are they like?[/QUOTE] The Iran-Contra Affair under the Reagan Administration is a good example. The Reagan Admin. had been funding a fascist, right-wing government that is in power in El Salvador. Civil war in El Salvador broke out and the leftist rebels, in this case, assumed 'Communists' are trying to usurp the right-wing, 'democratic' government of El Salvador. These 'Communists' were practically farmers, students, and civilians that have been treated like shit by the right-wing Contras. The Contras have been responsible for a number of atrocities, similar to what Americans have done in the Vietnam War. Which involved inciting terror and intimidation amongst the local populace to make sure they are not supporting the enemy. Which usually then involves shooting them, or burning down their crops and villages. We basically gave weapons to the government so that they can keep on shooting the farmers and kill their own people even more. NATO/UN/US has been doing the opposite in this case. They don't know whether or not they'll get more oil out of it, they're just wanting to get Gaddafi out.
[QUOTE=Acolyt3;29765544]A lot of rumors going around right now that he died the same time his son and three grandchildren were killed by NATO-bombs. Hard to believe anyone could survive this: [img_thumb]http://gfx.dagbladet.no/labrador/163/163724/16372400/jpg/active/729x.jpg[/img_thumb] And nobody has heard from Gaddafi since this bombing.[/QUOTE] Careful, conspiracy theories are dismissed immediately here, pretty sure I saw that on r/conspiracy earlier
[quote][img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/05/12/world/12airportspan/12airport-articleLarge.jpg[/img][/quote] Technicals always look the same. Why aren't there any insane rebel technicians around to build these: [img]http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2010/6/3/109954_md-Battle%20Fortress,%20Conversion,%20Looted,%20Marine%20Abuse,%20Orks,%20Super-heavy.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=CjienX;29765732]Careful, conspiracy theories are dismissed immediately here, pretty sure I saw that on r/conspiracy earlier[/QUOTE] Oh will you take your persecution complex and shove it up your pasty white ass? There's a difference between "the US government secretly blew up two of the most iconic buildings in the country" and "A crazy authoritarian regime in the middle east is denying the death of their dictator".
This is bullshit, I hope Gaddfi pull through and kills the rebel slime.
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;29765550]The Iran-Contra Affair under the Reagan Administration is a good example. The Reagan Admin. had been funding a fascist, right-wing government that is in power in El Salvador. Civil war in El Salvador broke out and the leftist rebels, in this case, assumed 'Communists' are trying to usurp the right-wing, 'democratic' government of El Salvador. These 'Communists' were practically farmers, students, and civilians that have been treated like shit by the right-wing Contras. The Contras have been responsible for a number of atrocities, similar to what Americans have done in the Vietnam War. Which involved inciting terror and intimidation amongst the local populace to make sure they are not supporting the enemy. Which usually then involves shooting them, or burning down their crops and villages. We basically gave weapons to the government so that they can keep on shooting the farmers and kill their own people even more. NATO/UN/US has been doing the opposite in this case. They don't know whether or not they'll get more oil out of it, they're just wanting to get Gaddafi out.[/QUOTE] Yeah but, what are the REBELS like? I know what the contras were like, but what are the rebels like? or are they just an unnamed collection of private citizens overthrowing their government?
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29765883]This is bullshit, I hope Gaddfi pull through and kills the rebel slime.[/QUOTE] Why so? [QUOTE=Jiyoon;29765898]Yeah but, what are the REBELS like? I know what the contras were like, but what are the rebels like? or are they just an unnamed collection of private citizens overthrowing their government?[/QUOTE] Pretty much the latter. They're just pissed off civilians encouraged by their neighbor's recent revolutions so they attempt it.
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29765883]This is bullshit, I hope Gaddfi pull through and kills the rebel slime.[/QUOTE] Ah yes, the lesser known but far more benevolent secret leader of Libya, Gaddfi.
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29765883]This is bullshit, I hope Gaddfi pull through and kills the rebel slime.[/QUOTE] You shame your avatar.
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29765883]This is bullshit, I hope Gaddfi pull through and kills the rebel slime.[/QUOTE] Ah, so you're the one going through rating people dumb. Excellent.
Fight the power.
[QUOTE=Jiyoon;29765906]You shame your avatar.[/QUOTE] Ah yes, the USSR, a shining symbol of human rights and democracy.
[QUOTE=mastermaul;29766039]Ah yes, the USSR, a shining symbol of human rights and democracy.[/QUOTE] Not the USSR, the idea of communism. I realize the picture was produced by Stalin during WW2, but the hammer and sickle are a sign of communism, not JUST the USSR.
[QUOTE=The mouse;29765429]Why Poland?[/QUOTE] What's the problem with Poland you see?
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