Al Qaeda flag flies over Benghazi - Polidicks

[quote]Nato concludes mission in Libya... but a bad omen for the future as Al Qaeda flag flies over Benghazi Nato carried out 9,600 airstrike sorties in seven months, destroying 5,900 targets Operation cost Britain estimated £300million Nato today announced it was ending its bombing campaign which helped Libyan rebels overthrow Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Officials said all operations for the air and sea campaign will conclude at midnight on Monday, as the strikes were described as 'one of the most successful' operations in the history of the 62-year-old alliance. Nato stopped its bombing missions soon after Gaddafi's death earlier this month, but has maintained regular air patrols. Officials say Nato air forces carried out 9,600 strike sorties in the past seven months, destroying about 5,900 military targets. Nato's decision was announced however, as fears grew over the direction of the new leadership regime in Libya. The flag of Al Qaeda has been spotted flying over the courthouse in Benghazi, while rebels in Libya are said to have imposed Sharia law since seizing power. [quote] NATO'S LIBYA CAMPAIGN Mar 17: U.N Security Council passes a resolution to impose a no-fly zone in Libyan airspace. Mar 19: French and Italian aircraft enter Libyan airspace to begin reconnaissance and surveillance. British and U.S. ships and submarines fire Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan air and ground defences. Naval blockade also enforced. May 11: Nato aircraft fires four rockets at Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, killing two people. May 12: 52 NATO strikes are carried out against loyalist targets across the country. May 26: In the strongest attack of the operation so far, Nato planes bomb 20 targets in Tripoli under 30 minutes. June 13: Nato carries out 62 airstrikes against targets in Tripoli and four other cities. June 20: Nato is accused of killing 19 civilians in Sorman, west Tripoli, following another attack July 16: Another Nato strike kills 10 rebels and wounds 172 during an advance on Brega. Aug 9: Nato bombs a warship in Tripoli harbour. Aug 20: Nato-supported rebels in Tripoli launch an uprising in the city, as Nato launch bombing raids over government targets. Oct 20: Rebel forces take Sirte, with Gaddafi captured and eventually killed as Nato planes attack his convoy. Oct 23: Gaddafi's family are forced to flee as rebels claim his compound in Bab al-Azizia. Oct 31: Nato ends operations in Libya [/quote] Nato stuck to its decision to end the operation despite calls from Libya's National Transitional Council for it to stay engaged longer. Nato says it does not expect to play a major post-war role, although it could assist the transition to democracy by helping with security sector reform. Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will mark the end of the mission by visiting Libya today, where he will meet Libya's NTC and members of civil society, the alliance said. Allies of Nato have been keen to see a quick conclusion to a costly effort that has involved more than 26,000 air sorties and round-the-clock naval patrols at a time when budgets are under severe strain due to the global economic crisis. The U.N. Security Council authorized the mission in March to protect civilians caught up in the civil war. Nato staff temporarily seconded to the headquarters in Naples for the Libyan operation are being reassigned to their regular duties, officials said. The NTC officially announced Libya's liberation on October 23, days after the capture and death of Gaddafi. Nato commanders have said they believe the interim administration is able to take care of the country's security. Last week, however, Al Qaeda's black flag, complete with Arabic script declaring 'there is no God but Allah' and full moon underneath, was seen fluttering above the Benghazi courthouse building, according to Vice.com. The black flag is said to be flying over the building alongside the Libyan national flag. Vice.com reported that Islamists in Benghazi have been seen driving SUVs along the city's streets and waving the Al Qaeda flag at night while shouting, 'Islamiya, Islamiya! No East, nor West'. The Al-Qaeda flag was seen above Benghazi's courthouse just days after Libyan rebels imposed Sharia law on parts of the country (file picture) Success: Nato has destroyed around 5,900 military targets since it began operations in Libya seven months ago The revelation in Benghazi came just days after it emerged that rebels in Libya have imposed Sharia law in the country since seizing power. The country's new leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said Islamic Sharia law will be the ‘basic source’ of legislation in free Libya. The sudden lurch by a country seen as very moderate towards Islamic extremism will alarm many in the West who supported the ousting of Colonel Gaddafi.[/quote] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/31/article-2055630-0E9C4B0C00000578-536_468x347.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/31/article-2055630-0E9C4B1400000578-59_224x423.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/31/article-2055630-0E9C4AEE00000578-135_224x423.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/31/article-2055630-0E9BF64900000578-608_468x362.jpg[/IMG] Source: [url]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055630/Nato-ends-Libya-mission-Al-Qaeda-flag-flies-Benghazi-bad-omen.html#ixzz1cP1jkU5v[/url] Haha, I [b]totally[/b] did not see this coming. [b]Also note that the source is Daily Mail. [/b]

what a pisstake.

That's just great. We fight them for 10 years only to help give them their own fuckin' country!

[B]SHIT[/B] Now what?

I hope it doesn't turn out that Gaddafi wasn't actually "mumbling stupid shit" when he said that there were Al Quaeda fighters among rebels.

We don't know who put it up there and probably shouldn't jump to conclusions? Also the source is the fucking [B]Daily Mail[/B]

If some guy climbed the Capitol and put the Tea Party flag there, should we start putting on our flag tees and buying ridiculous amounts of guns?

[QUOTE=MrBob1337;33062194]If some guy climbed the Capitol and put the Tea Party flag there, should we start putting on our flag tees and buying ridiculous amounts of guns?[/QUOTE] the difference is that there, they use guns to debate, not words.

oh shit, time to move the +100k troops from the middle east to libya.

Doesn't look like our boys will be back any time soon, such a waste of life and resources.

My bet's on a Gaddafi loyalist putting that there, to try and slander the new government.

Everyone get a fucking grip you bunch of Dailymail reading sissies.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;33062340]Everyone get a fucking grip you bunch of Dailymail reading sissies.[/QUOTE] good job rating my sarcasm post dumb.

[QUOTE=Deiru;33062320]My bet's on a Gaddafi loyalist putting that there, to try and slander the new government.[/QUOTE] If that were the case I imagine someone would have taken it down fairly quickly.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;33062340]Everyone get a fucking grip you bunch of Dailymail reading sissies.[/QUOTE] Why did you rate my post dumb about soldiers losing their lives and taxes being spent on pointless things that will never be ended, the Taliban and such will always exist as they are spread everywhere just like any other organisation.

[QUOTE=Flem;33062426]Why did you rate my post dumb about soldiers losing their lives and taxes being spent on pointless things that will never be ended, the Taliban and such will always exist as they are spread everywhere just like any other organisation.[/QUOTE] Taliban in Libya? lol Al-Qaeda is globally unpopular defunct terror organisation. No they have not just overthrown the new Libyan Government.

I wonder if there are any higher res versions of those photos, because just out of curiosity I would like to know what the flag of Al Qaeda looks like, there are no photos of it on Google. As for the actual matter, it doesn't surprise me. I thought pretty much everyone knew that offshoots of Al Qaeda (apparently mainly AQ in Iraq) had been helping / triggering the uprising against Gaddafi.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;33062436]Taliban in Libya? lol Al-Qaeda is globally unpopular defunct terror organisation. No they have not just overthrown the new Libyan Government.[/QUOTE] At no point did I say any of that I just think you are an arse for dumbing stuff like that when people fight for your sorry way of life whilst you troll through forums.

[QUOTE=TheTalon;33062045]That's just great. We fight them for 10 years only to help give them their own fuckin' country![/QUOTE] To put it some-what simply, they don't like the consumer culture that America has going on with the countless of plastic, beauty and whatever heavy industry shit, the obese caucasians.. hell even the cleavage probably, hookers and drugs and those kinda things. But obviously America is more than just that, and it's not like they don't have any problems themselves that they don't speak of.

[QUOTE=Flem;33062481]At no point did I say any of that I just think you are an arse for dumbing stuff like that when people fight for your sorry way of life whilst you troll through forums.[/QUOTE] Because it was a fucking stupid conclusion to arrive at because the Daily Mail posted a picture of a flag. [editline]31st October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=TheTalon;33062045]That's just great. We fight them for 10 years only to help give them their own fuckin' country![/QUOTE] [url]http://www.economist.com/node/21534782[/url]

I didn't know Al-Qaeda had a flag, primarily because Al-Qaeda isn't exactly a real group. Bin Laden was quite confused when we claimed he was apart of a group call Al-Qaeda and that he was apart of a huge terrorist network. The groups that are described as Al-Qaeda are small and really don't have any relationship to each other. There are certainly a large number of groups that are made up of extremists that want to terrorize western nations, but that's all they have in common. Most of the groups had no connection with Bin Laden. Most of these groups despise each other. Kind of odd that they would be united under a flag. Perhaps I'm thinking about this the wrong way, this is probably just a flag of one of the groups that would be described as apart of Al-Qaeda. That seems more plausible, unless for some reason there is a common flag.

Interesting quote from the place that took the photos. "The guard claimed repeatedly that there is no al Qaeda in Libya, and that the flag flying atop the courthouse is “dark black”, while the al Qaeda flag is charcoal black. To many locals, it’s a distinction without a difference. " Interesting in the fact that the Daily Mail didn't feel to mention this while using their photos. While it could be the Al Qaeda flag it could also turn out to be a horrible misunderstanding. The vice.com article ([url]http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/al-qaeda-plants-its-flag-in-libya[/url]) is interesting as well, apparently they threatened to cut the tongue off of the person who took the photos.

[QUOTE=Jsm;33062443]I wonder if there are any higher res versions of those photos, because just out of curiosity I would like to know what the flag of Al Qaeda looks like, there are no photos of it on Google. As for the actual matter, it doesn't surprise me. I thought pretty much everyone knew that offshoots of Al Qaeda (apparently mainly AQ in Iraq) had been helping / triggering the uprising against Gaddafi.[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg/500px-Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg.png[/IMG] Actually, seeing that it looks a little less like it. [editline]31st October 2011[/editline] Massively unlike it, even in writing. My source on that flag is the Wikipedia entry for Al-Qaeda btw.

[QUOTE=Pepin;33062582] Perhaps I'm thinking about this the wrong way, this is probably just a flag of one of the groups that would be described as apart of Al-Qaeda. That seems more plausible, unless for some reason there is a common flag.[/QUOTE] That flag does look awfully similar to the flag of [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg"]Al Qaeda in Iraq [/URL], just the wrong colour though. [editline]31st October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Nerbil;33062602][IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg/500px-Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg.png[/IMG] Actually, seeing that it looks a little less like it. [editline]31st October 2011[/editline] Massively unlike it, even in writing. My source on that flag is the Wikipedia entry for Al-Qaeda btw.[/QUOTE] I found that and only that, I meant more of a picture of it actually flying to compare it.

It's not that flag. I'm pretty sure that it is this one. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/Flag_of_the_Islamic_State_of_Iraq.svg/221px-Flag_of_the_Islamic_State_of_Iraq.svg.png[/img] If so, that's a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq, which is apparently an umbrella organisation of various insurgent groups, including Al Qaeda. Of course, wikipedia was the source here, so take it with a pinch of salt. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq[/url]

[QUOTE=Nerbil;33062602][IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg/500px-Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg.png[/IMG] [/QUOTE] That's a pretty great flag

[QUOTE=Deiru;33062750]It's not that flag. I'm pretty sure that it is this one. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/Flag_of_the_Islamic_State_of_Iraq.svg/221px-Flag_of_the_Islamic_State_of_Iraq.svg.png[/img] If so, that's a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq, which is apparently an umbrella organisation of various insurgent groups, including Al Qaeda. Of course, wikipedia was the source here, so take it with a pinch of salt. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq[/url][/QUOTE] That makes even less sense. Iraq doesn't even border Libya.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;33062825]That's a pretty great flag[/QUOTE] An absolute bastard for school kids to draw

[QUOTE=Megafanx13;33062856]That makes even less sense. Iraq doesn't even border Libya.[/QUOTE] Yes, I know, but since it seems to be what the flag is, It makes it even more suspicious. Also, the group has apparently shown support for the protests that happened in Egypt before, so it doesn't seem so strange.

[QUOTE=Megafanx13;33062856]That makes even less sense. Iraq doesn't even border Libya.[/QUOTE] There's quite a few rumours (I think it was even confirmed) that a lot of insurgents from Iraq left to fight Gaddafi.