Libyan 'War' Megathread - Any news pertaining to surgical strikes is to be posted HERE
1,053 replies, posted
I'm starting to think that French President Sarkozy has become the international badass of the hour, he's already stationed French troops in the Ivory Coast :v:
When the fuck did the French decide to put forth such initiative? I mean, lets be honest, they usually like to stay away from these sorts of situations.
[QUOTE=Leaf Runner;28904799]This is a bunch of bullshit, the U.S. Government is just gonna exploit the rebels to get oil from them as soon as the current king is put out of power and put in a puppet leader/king.[/QUOTE]
The fact that you think Libya has a king instantly makes your point invalid.
[QUOTE=ewitwins;28918663]I'm starting to think that French President Sarkozy has become the international badass of the hour, he's already stationed French troops in the Ivory Coast :v:
When the fuck did the French decide to put forth such initiative? I mean, lets be honest, they usually like to stay away from these sorts of situations.[/QUOTE]
It is a bit strange. The BBC did an article a few days ago discussing some things about Sarkozy and grabbing the moment. Its a bit of an interesting read.
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12863616[/url]
[QUOTE=Jsm;28919795]It is a bit strange. The BBC did an article a few days ago discussing some things about Sarkozy and grabbing the moment. Its a bit of an interesting read.
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12863616[/url][/QUOTE]
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51842000/jpg/_51842032_placard.jpg[/img]
:unsmith:
[QUOTE=Jsm;28919795]It is a bit strange. The BBC did an article a few days ago discussing some things about Sarkozy and grabbing the moment. Its a bit of an interesting read.
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12863616[/url][/QUOTE]
Interesting read, thanks!
[quote]Seven civilians died and 25 were hurt in a coalition air strike on a pro-Gaddafi convoy in eastern Libya, a doctor there has told the BBC.
Dr Suleiman Refardi said Wednesday's raid happened in the village of Zawia el Argobe, 15km (9 miles) from Brega.
The strike hit a truck carrying ammunition, and the resulting explosion destroyed two nearby homes.
All the dead were between the ages of 12 and 20, Dr Refardi said. Nato says it is investigating the claim.
The news comes as opposition leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil said the rebels would agree to a ceasefire if Col Muammar Gaddafi's troops withdrew from cities.
"We agree on a ceasefire on the condition that our brothers in the western cities have freedom of expression and also that the forces that are besieging the cities withdraw," he told a news conference in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
But he said the rebels would not back down on their demand that Col Gaddafi must go.[/quote]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12931731[/url]
First independently confirmed civilian casualties afaik
[QUOTE=smurfy;28930781][url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12931731[/url]
First independently confirmed civilian casualties afaik[/QUOTE]
To be honest it was bound to happen eventually. I wonder how the rebels have reacted to this.
To be expected, sadly
[QUOTE=Jsm;28934523]To be honest it was bound to happen eventually. I wonder how the rebels have reacted to this.[/QUOTE]
Pretty well, actually.
[quote]A direct hit on an ammunition truck and trailer in a street in Zawia el Argobe sent a hail of shrapnel into nearby houses, he said.
Four of the dead were female, including three children from the same family, aged between 12 and 16, the BBC's Ben Brown reports from Brega.
Dr Refardi said he had spoken to the family of the girls who had been killed and "there was no anger" at the coalition forces.
"If these tanks had entered Ajdabiya it would have been a massacre," he said.
"They [the Libyan people] are expecting more than this, because they know the Gaddafi forces are using civilians as a shield."[/quote]
if you think about it, it sorta is the fault of the civilians for being in the combat zone in the first place.
it isn't something you want to do, but if theres combat going near you, and you want to be unharmed, get the FUCK OUT of the ~zone~
[QUOTE=W0w00t;28941225]if you think about it, it sorta is the fault of the civilians for being in the combat zone in the first place.
it isn't something you want to do, but if theres combat going near you, and you want to be unharmed, get the FUCK OUT of the ~zone~[/QUOTE]
They were at home. It was a convoy destroyed by an airstrike that happened to be driving nearby.
You don't exactly have a lot of warning as to where an airstrike is going to hit. And once it DOES hit, you are much safer inside.
[QUOTE=CertainDOOM;28905019][media]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Protest_against_US_military_action_in_Libya_1.jpg[/media]
The guy on the right seems out of place. And these people don't understand the US isn't actually going to war with Libya.[/QUOTE]
It's people like this that make me feel even worse about my own country.
And I hope this doesn't mean they want NATO out of Libya, too. That's basically being pro-Gaddafi.
[QUOTE=W0w00t;28941225]if you think about it, it sorta is the fault of the civilians for being in the combat zone in the first place.
it isn't something you want to do, but if theres combat going near you, and you want to be unharmed, get the FUCK OUT of the ~zone~[/QUOTE]
"Combat zone's" don't exist in situations like this, fighting is taking part all across the country.
There is no way fighting can take place with no risk to civilians at all, especially when one side is quite willing to use civilians as somewhat forced human shields.
A coalition air strike has killed 10 rebels and destroyed their convoy
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12944905[/url]
Sounds bad, right? Turns out the rebels were driving through the desert when they decided it would be a good idea to fire an anti-aircraft gun randomly into the air.
[QUOTE=smurfy;28946853]A coalition air strike has killed 10 rebels and destroyed their convoy
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12944905[/url]
Sounds bad, right? Turns out the rebels were driving through the desert when they decided it would be a good idea to fire an anti-aircraft gun randomly into the air.[/QUOTE]
The rebels are saying its gadaffi men that had infiltrated them and fired against nato planes. Therefor the Nato planes thought it was gadaffi forces.
[QUOTE=smurfy;28946853]A coalition air strike has killed 10 rebels and destroyed their convoy
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12944905[/url]
Sounds bad, right? Turns out the rebels were driving through the desert when they decided it would be a good idea to fire an anti-aircraft gun randomly into the air.[/QUOTE]
I have been thinking for a few days now with all those photos of them "celebrating" by firing their AA guns in the air. I can see why the NATO forces unleashed hell on them, apparently it was the middle of the night.
Yea, NATO and the rebels need to find a way on how to distinguish themselves in the crowd, too many people will die when the battles start taking place in urban areas.
[QUOTE=croguy;28950012]Yea, NATO and the rebels need to find a way on how to distinguish themselves in the crowd, too many people will die when the battles start taking place in urban areas.[/QUOTE]
They need to start attachting shit to their trucks that can be seen by Planes but nothing else...if that's possible :v:
[QUOTE=Swilly;28952692]They need to start attachting shit to their trucks that can be seen by Planes but nothing else...if that's possible :v:[/QUOTE]
There are some things that NATO etc use to identify friendly units on the ground, they range from giant orange panels to somewhat clever panels which show up only on NVG and thermal cameras.
At the moment the rebels / opposition are sticking the old Libyan flag on the front and back of all their vehicles, I assume this is so they don't shoot each other. I guess this doesn't work at night or from the air.
I suppose NATO or somebody could give the rebels some sort of thing to mark them out from the air but I guess there's the risk that it could end up in the 'wrong' hands eventually.
Also, the BBC have another interesting article up. It's about Moussa Ibrahim, the Libyan government spokesperson / Minister of information. I believe I (and others) incorrectly referred to him as just being a translator over the past few weeks.
He was educated in the UK, yet another link between the UK and Libya. I am starting to think the UK is only involved because it helped the Gaddafi regime so much over the years and now feels bad :tinfoil:
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12918246[/url]
[QUOTE=Jsm;28952896]He was educated in the UK, yet another link between the UK and Libya. I am starting to think the UK is only involved because it helped the Gaddafi regime so much over the years and now feels bad :tinfoil:
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12918246[/url][/QUOTE]
A lot of people go to the UK for education; that doesn't mean there are ties between the two countries at all.
How historically ignorant can you be, suggesting that the UK helped Gadaffi or supported him?
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockerbie_bombing[/url]
[QUOTE=Jsm;28952896]There are some things that NATO etc use to identify friendly units on the ground, they range from giant orange panels to somewhat clever panels which show up only on NVG and thermal cameras.
At the moment the rebels / opposition are sticking the old Libyan flag on the front and back of all their vehicles, I assume this is so they don't shoot each other. I guess this doesn't work at night or from the air.[/QUOTE]
In theory such devices are fully visible through FLIR in all conditions.
[editline]2nd April 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Jsm;28952896]There are some things that NATO etc use to identify friendly units on the ground, they range from giant orange panels to somewhat clever panels which show up only on NVG and thermal cameras.
At the moment the rebels / opposition are sticking the old Libyan flag on the front and back of all their vehicles, I assume this is so they don't shoot each other. I guess this doesn't work at night or from the air.[/QUOTE]
In theory such devices are fully visible through FLIR in all conditions.
[QUOTE=Prismatex;28953011]A lot of people go to the UK for education; that doesn't mean there are ties between the two countries at all.
How historically ignorant can you be, suggesting that the UK helped Gadaffi or supported him?
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockerbie_bombing[/url][/QUOTE]
It was more or less a (bad) joke. Although as for "helping" I was referring to the weapons and oil deals that were set up with help of the British government in the past few years.
rebels are dumb, they fire in the air, and end up getting hit by a NATO air strike
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12944905[/url]
wow fuck it was posted already
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;28899696][url]http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/libyan-rebel-general-fairfax-virginia/story?id=13256324&page=1[/url]
Libyan Rebel Commander recently lived in Fairfax, Virginia
[url]http://abcnews.go.com/International/president-obama-authorizes-covert-libyan-rebels/story?id=13259028[/url]
[b]President Obama has a signed a secret presidential finding authorizing covert operations to aid the effort in Libya where rebels are in full retreat despite air support from U.S. and allied forces, a source tells ABC News.[/b][/QUOTE]
Has he asked Congress yet?
[editline]3rd April 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Prismatex;28953011]A lot of people go to the UK for education; that doesn't mean there are ties between the two countries at all.
How historically ignorant can you be, suggesting that the UK helped Gadaffi or supported him?
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockerbie_bombing[/url][/QUOTE]
[img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/16/article-1295370-0A7884E2000005DC-173_468x301.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.pololitics.com/blairGaddafi.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01679/blair_1679384c.jpg[/img]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12381612[/url]
Gadaffi sold arms to the IRA and killed one of our policewomen, but that didn't stop the New Labour scumbags.
[QUOTE=Capitulazyguy;28966494]
Gadaffi sold arms to the IRA and killed one of our policewomen, but that didn't stop the New Labour scumbags.[/QUOTE]
To be fair he did stop Gaddafis WMD plans.
Although how far developed those plans were is anyone's guess (for all we know he could have traded giving up a weapons plan with no intentions of being made for real conventional weapons).
[QUOTE=Capitulazyguy;28966494]Has he asked Congress yet?
[editline]3rd April 2011[/editline]
[img_thumb]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/16/article-1295370-0A7884E2000005DC-173_468x301.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://www.pololitics.com/blairGaddafi.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01679/blair_1679384c.jpg[/img_thumb]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12381612[/url]
Gadaffi sold arms to the IRA and killed one of our policewomen, but that didn't stop the New Labour scumbags.[/QUOTE]
So you're saying a normalization of relations between the UK and Libya means the UK "supported" him?
And the thing about Obama asking Congress for permission to carry out covert ops in Libya is a strawman; he would be the first president to ask Congressional approval for covert operations - it's not needed.
Libya was America's trade partner and one of their allies and areas of influence.
AMERICA MUST BE SUPPORTING GADDAFI! :aaa:
Things changed when Gaddafi started using the heavy weaponry against protesters when the uprising began. In international politics of today everyone just wants to get along as long as it is possible. Gaddafi crossed the line.
Half bump and half linking to something interesting.
It seems news coming out of Libya has slowed down a bit (has it reached a stalemate already?).
Anyway, the BBC have an interesting video, showing how the rebels are training (it has some great quotes in it as well "we have google earth" for example).
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12965658[/url]
Any news update?
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;28996921]Any news update?[/QUOTE]
Not a lot. Apparently the rebels are in the process of exporting 1 million barrels of oil (less than Libya's daily output pre uprising). Around 100m USD at current prices. I'm sure that money will help the rebels. I bet there's a lot of weapons dealers / manufacturers across the world upset that there's an arms embargo in place.
Although, according to the BBC article on this oil export sanctions which were applied to Libya do not have any effect on the rebels as long as the money never reaches the Libyan government. Perhaps other sanctions etc against Libya will turn out like this.
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12969004[/url]
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.