Rebels halt Red Cross mission into Libya's Sirte

Here is a devastating MSNBC report showing what the NTC rebels think of protecting civilians:

SIRTE, Libya — A Red Cross convoy trying to take medical supplies into Libya's besieged city of Sirte had to turn back on Monday because forces seeking to capture the city from fighters loyal to Moammar Gadhafi opened fire on the town.

Aid agencies say Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown, is suffering a humanitarian crisis because civilians are trapped inside by the fighting while food, water, fuel and medical supplies are running out.

"The city is under siege, encircled and the fighting is very fierce," International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Soaade Messoudi in Tripoli told msnbc.com. "The situation is therefore very difficult, especially for civilians still in the city

The ICRC assembled a convoy of two trucks carrying aid, and accompanied by two four-wheel drive vehicles.

The convoy set off from a bridge a few miles west of Sirte, but came to a halt after travelling only about 100 yards because interim government forces started firing into the city.

They fired a heavy barrage of mortars, artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft weapons just as the convoy was starting to move. The ICRC convoy turned and headed west, away from Sirte.

An anti-Gadhafi commander at the scene, Ismail Al-Sosi, told Reuters: "The rebels secured the way for the International Red Cross to go but as soon as they entered the city they returned because of the (pro-Gadhafi) militias firing."

"We did not start the firing. The militias started the firing," he said.

However, a Reuters team who witnessed the incident said they saw no incoming fire from the Gadhafi loyalists inside Sirte.

On Sunday, medical workers fleeing the city said people wounded in fighting were dying on the operating table because fuel from the hospital generator had run out.

The interim government, the National Transitional Council (NTC), declared a two-day truce to allow civilians to escape, but people emerging from the city said they knew nothing of the ceasefire, and that the shooting had not stopped.

"Doctors start operating, then the power goes. They have a few liters of fuel for the generators, then the lights go out when they operate," said a man who gave his name as Al-Sadiq, who said he ran the dialysis unit at Sirte's main hospital.

ICRC workers who brought medical supplies into Sirte Saturday could not reach the hospital because of shooting.

"It's a catastrophe. Patients are dying every day for need of oxygen," said Mohammed Shnaq, a biochemist at the hospital who fled early Sunday during a lull in the shooting.

"We want to deliver oxygen, which is lacking at the hospital," ICRC spokesman Marcal Izard told Reuters in Geneva.

"But it has to be done carefully, oxygen is very delicate. A stray bullet would be a disaster."

We've covered the backstory of the lack of oxygen in Sirte below. NATO inexplicitly bombed the factory in June.

NATO Lie Exposed: Gaddafi Forces NOT Using Civilians as "Human Shields"

A recurring theme throughout this war has been that the Green pro-Gaddafi forces have been using the civilian people hostage as "human shields." This has been repeated by NATO spokespeople of late to justify continued NATO bombing. But is it true?

Given the heavy fighting of the last 2-3 weeks on all exit roads leaving from Sirte, it is certainly true that leaving the City has been a difficult proposition. Yet hundreds of cars have been able to leave each day in a constant trickle.

Civilians who have left have mostly blamed the intense fighting on the main roads for the difficulty leaving and why many have stayed behind. Yet some have also said things like Gaddafi's forces were not letting people go down certain roads out of the City because of the dangerous fighting. This has been interpreted as meaning Gaddafi's forces were keen on keeping civilians behind so they can be used as "human shields." Of course, it could not mean that soldiers were simply trying to protect civilians from driving straight into people firing wildly on anything that moves.

This weekend's 2 day "cease fire" announced by the NTC appears to have thrown NATO's narrative off however - as long lines of of thousands of cars have taken advantage of the lull to clog up the the main roads (at least in some areas - it appears fighting remains in others). It s the biggest exodus of people by far.

So what has changed? Quite obviously the difference is that the rebels stopped attacking for a couple days. If Gaddafi's troops were the only thing holding people behind, they would still be enforcing the roadblocks. Obviously they are not given the massive amount of cars blocking the road.

So another NATO lie used to justify violence against civilians gets exposed. And the mainstream media does not take notice. What new?

Libya: NATO Bombed Oxygen factory in Sirte - Civiians Suffer

After a visit by the Red Cross to Sirte, the dire situation for civilians in that besieged city is finally being reported. As Reuters says: in a rare brutally honest headline "Shortages "killing patients" in Libya siege hospital."

Well, beyond NATO and the rebels cutting off fuel, food, water and electricity, the main hospital in the City lacks Oxygen, which is an essential part of almost any major surgery. Why is the City lacking Oxygen when it had a functioning Oxygen manufacturing plant within the city limits?

Upon reading the report, I remembered that I thought I'd heard something about NATO bombing an Oxygen plant a few months ago. A bit of searching and indeed, here is the video evidence showing the destruction of what is very clearly an Oxygen plant. Check it out:


Skip past the first minute and a half to get to the report (in English)

What possible military justification can there be for bombing an Oxygen factory? Has anyone care to ask NATO about this or any of the other bombing of civilian infrastructure?

"It's a catastrophe. Patients are dying every day for need of oxygen," said Mohammed Shnaq, a biochemist at the hospital who fled early on Sunday during a lull in the shooting.

So we have a situation where the rebels are shelling and attacking residential districts indiscriminately sending hundreds to the hospitals, where NATO is again being brought in to act as the rebel's air force. The result is clearly an increase the suffering of the everyday people of Sirte. What happened to protecting civilians? The people of Sirte and Bani Walid (and other places) must wonder how an attack on their neighborhood with heavy weapons is actually protecting them. Have NATO's lawyers explain.

Misurata Rebels Accused of Ethnic Cleansing

A rebel drives through Tawerga as buildings burn in the background

The fact that 35,000 black Libyans who lived in a town called Tawerga are completely missing should be a tad bit alarming. Add to that the fact that most of the town has been looted and torched to the ground with racist grafitti everywhere makes clear the evil nature of what has happened.

Even this is not enough, as this NY Times article makes clear.

As the Tawergans have sought safety in other cities, including Surt and Tripoli, they say Misurata’s fighters are stalking them and rounding up their men.

Tawergans say Misurata has ignored betrayals by its other neighbors, singling out Tawerga because most of the residents are black. Graffiti on their emptied homes deepens their conviction: “Misurata’s slaves” appears on many walls. Fighters from Misurata say race had nothing to do with it. The Tawergans’ crimes were unforgivable, they said, and as far as they were concerned, the town had ceased to exist.

“They can’t live next to us,” said Salem Hussein Kanemo, an official from Misurata (seen loading up trucks with stolen food and furniture.)

On the wall of an apartment occupied by young fighters from Misurata, someone else had scrawled, “Don’t buy slaves without a stick."

Anywhere in the world human rights organizations would be calling this a crime against humanity - evidence of ethnic cleansing. Instead it goes largely ignored, particularly by Western political leaders ultimately responsible for supporting the perpetrators - the NTC rebels.


Tawerga residents make do in a deserted naval completx in Tripli where they are subject to arbitrary arrest - as well as rape and beatings

The question of who exactly is responsible for these crimes is becoming even more significant. The piece makes clear that it is rebels from Misurata. This is significant because the leader of these fighters might just soon be the most important man in Libya. Stay tuned, but the Islamists and Misuratans have put forward the name of Misurata commander Abdul Rahman al Swehli to lead the NTC once they oust the Western educated elites now in charge. "Free Libya" may soon be led by Al Qaeda and warlords responsible for ethnic cleansing.

Libya's New Leaders Face Opposition

This piece by Darfur expert Rob Crilly makes clear that the Libyan NTC rebel facade is crumbling. The people are getting to know the rebels and slowly come out of their shell.

While still absolutely afraid to express themselves in the presence of armed rebels, the Libyan people are beginning to talk to Western reporters.

A stranger fell into step alongside me... "We don't all support the NTC here," he said, referring to the rebel National Transitional Council which now controls Tripoli.

My new friend didn't say much more, other than to praise Saif Gaddafi and the office he ran as a sort of government ombudsman, helping petitioners sort out their local disputes.

He wasn't the only one. A few days earlier, several hundred marchers had demonstrated against the country's new leadership. At about the same time, I had been in Ras Lanuf, where a girl -- not much older than five I would guess -- was sitting on the curbside. The town had only recently been taken by rebels. "Gaddafi for ever," she shouted at me in Arabic, which my fixer translated for me before explaining that the town's residents had done well from the oil boom years.

In fact, the whole of the country had done well. That was Gaddafi's deal. He would rule as he wished... but at the same time he provided good roads, schools and hospitals and a standard of living that was the envy of much of the rest of Africa. On the edge of Benghazi, Saif was building an entire new city of apartment blocks to replace old, dilapidated buildings in the centre. This unstable-seeming equilibrium lasted almost 42 years.

Libya: Who is Attacking Civillians Now?

Consistent reporting from two raging battlefronts in Sirte and Bani Walid, Libya shows the attacking rebel army getting their butt kicked. Despite having thousands of men, all the heavy ammunition, artillery and even tanks they need, the rebels have have faced a "disorderly retreat" now on multiple occasions.

As the rebels themselves make clear the main problem is that the people in these cities are not with them. There are thousands of residents defending their own homes and neighborhoods. Rebels suspect pro-Gaddafi traitors in the form of locals the NTC insisted be part of any attack to make it seem less like an invasion (a plan since scratched in favor of bringing in the battle tested). The Times also cites battle fatigue, inexperience and lack of discipline.

As this merciless attack unfolds with NATO bombs raining down on these cities every night, the main question the press should be asking itself is the question NATO is supposed be asking itself before any action - exactly who is attacking civilians? In Bani Walid and Sirte, along with the "pro-Gaddafi region" north of Sebha now under attack, the answer is not at all hard to figure out. Peaceful cities are being attacked by a ragtag group of insurgents who are not afraid to fire aircraft artillery and mortars totally indiscriminately.

How many have died from rebel ammunition will never be told by the NTC - and the West/Western press don't care to find out either. And this is not at all a new situation. The rebels have been the main attacking force throughout the 6 month conflict - a situation no one in the UN has apparently cared to make note of because it would undermine the entire legal rationale of NATO's attacks.

We've Just Put the Taliban in Power in Libya

Despite being ignored by almost everyone, an extraordinary development occurred this week in Libya. This excellent piece of NY Times journalism lays bare what is really going on in there. It ain't pretty - but wholly expected.

To put it short, Libya is well on its way to turning into Saudi Arabia or Iran - an Islamic Republic. The once hidden split between the radical Islamists and the more secular liberals has become became very public and already it seems clear who will be calling shots very soon (hint: if you were US educated and a secularist, it ain't good).

In the emerging post-Qaddafi Libya, the most influential politician may well be Ali Sallabi (Muslim Brotherhood cleric linked to the LIFG)...The most powerful military leader is now Abdel Hakim Belhaj, the former leader of a hard-line group once believed to be aligned with Al Qaeda...a Muslim Brotherhood figure, Abel al-Rajazk Abu Hajar, leads the Tripoli Municipal Governing Council, where Islamists are reportedly in the majority...

Mr. Belhaj has become so much an insider lately that he is seeking to unseat Mahmoud Jibril, the American-trained economist who is the nominal prime minister of the interim government, after Mr. Jibril obliquely criticized the Islamists...“Jibril will be gone soon,” one aide to Mr. Belhaj said.

Fathi Ben Issa, a former Etilaf (powerful Islamist grouping issuing directives now) member who became an early representative on the Tripoli council, said he quit his position after learning that the Muslim Brotherhood members who dominate that body wanted to ban theater, cinema and arts like sculpture of the human form. “They were like the Taliban,” he said...The final straw, he said, came when Etilaf began circulating a proposed fatwa, or decree, to bar women from driving.

So the people in charge of the most important "council" in this new Libya are nuts like the Taliban and the most important military man is the leader of an Al-Qaeda affiliate/terrorist group? Since Islamists are predicted to win a majority in elections, "liberals" are already calling for a delay before any vote.

Job well done NATO. Die to kill Taliban-like Muslim fundamentalists in Afghanistan. Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, etc - and also die to put them in power in Libya. It's about to get confusing. How long before you have to begin "operations" against these "partners in arms" - NATO and Libyan Islamists.

Scramble for Libya's Oil Underway

One of the amazing things about this "humanitarian war" on Libya has been how the parties involved did not even bother to hide the fact that the spoils of war (mostly, but not entirely, oil) were going to go to those countries who helped the rebels cause. The situation is to the point where even big oil moutpieces are saying the scene is "unseemly."

The leader of the rebel's National Transition Council, Moustapha Abdel Jalil reiterated recently that countries would be rewarded "according to support" given to their war. France, which was the first Western country to call for Gaddafi's ouster and support the rebels with arms and other support, apparently is first in line.

On 3 April a letter was allegedly sent by Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) to a coalition partner, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, which mentioned that France would take "35 percent of crude oil…in exchange for its total and permanent support" of the NTC. France’s Liberation daily reported on Thursday that it had a copy of the letter, which stated that the NTC’s Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam, would negotiate the deal with France. In 2010 France was the second purchaser of Libyan oil after Italy, with over 15 percent of its "black gold" imported from Tripoli.

France and the rebel's "information minister" are solemly denying such a deal, but the French paper Liberation says it has a copy and that it is legit. Only time will tell who is telling the truth, but this is one to keep an eye on.

NATO Attacking Civillian Sites in Sirte

Check out this amazing first hand account of the havok NATO's bombs are causing in the city of Sirte, Libya.

Friends and family members of this British man report that the electricity lines and food stockpiles are being deliberately destroyed by NATO bombs. They say that you can go near the largest food depot and see cans of tomatoes and such just littered all over the area where the bombs landed. Check it out below:

Evidence of British Special Forces Collaborating with 'Khamis Brigade'

In digging through the headquarters of the feared 32nd Brigade on the outskirts of Tripoli, Channel Four (UK) found a little more than they thought they were looking for. They were there to investigate the reported killing of at least 58 suspected rebels, found burned in a farm shed, allegedly by fleeing Brigade members (an apparent war crime). They stumbled across evidence of systemic mistreatment of African migrants and actual evidence of British Special Forces (SAS) collaboration with the Khamis Brigade.



The report shows two noteworthy scenes. First is a potential war crime in the making, when a dozen or so Nigerian migrants are paraded and abused in front of the cameras. The rebels tell the UK reporters that they were all found with guns and that they are going to be dealt with as mercenaries. But after hearing their stories and the deadly scared looks on their faces, the news team obviously thinks they are being lied to. They bravely say they are not leaving, as nothing will happen while they are there. Then, after a while, all of dangerous mercenaries are allowed to go free - saved from who knows what by the chance appearance of some British reporters.

The second interesting scene, which has so far gotten absolutely no media play, is evidence of a dozen official Libyan identification cards bearing the names, photo and information of UK Special Forces (SAS) soldiers, who evidently were collaborating with the unit (the Arabic translation on the ID cards literally said "collaborators of the 32nd Brigade."

As Wikipedia says, "The Khamis Brigade, formally the 32nd Reinforced Brigade of the Armed People, is a special forces brigade of the Libyan military loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the de-facto leader of Libya since 1969. Commanded by Gaddafi's youngest son, Khamis Gaddafi, the 32nd Brigade was called "the most well-trained and well-equipped force in the Libyan military" and "the most important military and security elements of the regime" in leaked U.S. memos."

A bit of research shows that the claim of SAS training has been made before - in 2009 by a unnamed SAS source, who suggested a possible link to the release of the 'Lockerbie bomber' Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.

Up until now however, no proof of the claim had ever been produced, as Britain never confirmed or denied. We also did not know exactly who was being trained. Now we know it was Libya's most elite forces, the 'Khamis Brigade,' ie. those now accused of the war crimes. You can add that to the list of embarrassing revelations for the very countries who now have implemented their regime change policy (Wikileaks documents have shown how keen a bipartisan group of US Senators including John McCain and Joe Liebeman were to sell weapons to the regime).

The Impending Assault on Sirte

Rebels bringing their freedom towards Sirte

Let's rewind the clock a week. The Libyan rebels were consolidating their gains in Tripoli and fighting in several fronts in the East and Northwest of the country. The middle of the country - the spine stretching from Sirte south to Sehba was calm - as it had been throughout this war. The people there did not ask for trouble, they just wanted to be left alone.

But NATO and the rebels could not let that be evidently. Almost immediately after slowing down operations in Tripoli, NATO switched to bombing targets in the Sirte area. Then the rebels took off to begin the land attack. There is no other word for what is about the happen. NATO and the rebels are in the process of assaulting the center of Libya in order to violently bring them under their grip.

Now you would think that at least someone with a job at a newspaper might feel compelled to wonder why NATO thinks it is ok to attack a region that was not attacking anyone - particularly considering they are meant to be protecting Libyans from attack, per the UN Resolution 1973.

Instead when you type "Sirte" into Google News right now, the first story you see is titled "Human shields stall Libyan rebels' advance on Gadhafi's hometown." For the sake of fun, lets look into this allegation a bit.

Wikipedia defines Human shields as "a military and political term describing the deliberate placement of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets. It may also refer to the use of civilians to literally shield combatants during attacks, by forcing the civilians to march in front of the soldiers."

What exactly does the article accuse pro-Gaddafi's troops of doing? As far as I can tell, they are accused of moving defensive forces into position in a village on the road to from Brega to Sirte, in order to defend the area from the impending rebel attack.

The rebels call the residents "hostages" and this is repeated by the Western press, who apparently keeps forgetting how many times they've been lied to. This is an allegation we've heard before, without proof. Rebels fighting in the Nafusa mountains said the same thing about towns out of their control. We know their claims were false, however, because when rebels forces moved in they found that most of the people had left apparently of their free will, but decided to take vengeance on those who had stayed with the Gaddafi forces there (proving they did not view them as hostages).

The rebels and NATO seem to know they are not well liked in the middle of the country. A report quotes NATO and the rebels as saying "Sirte is a for haven for Qaddafi loyalists," which is another way of saying people there tend to like the current system.

The rebels talk about giving the town leaders a few more days to submit or they will take the City by force - with help from the most advanced air force in the world, of course. They will be rooted on by all good liberal interventionists. I'll just say that people don't like when they are disempowered violently.

A Note on Atrocities

There are appalling scenes everywhere in Libya. That is what war does. More than 22,000 have been killed in fighting across the country, not counting those killed by NATO. Each allegation of abuse needs to be fully investigated, with the perpetrators brought before a fair system of justice.

What we don't need, but the Western press seems intent on providing, is a one-sided feel-good nonsense that beds the truth. It seems obvious that the news media has learned nothing from the lies before Iraq and obfuscation of reality in Afghanistan.

The press has been almost completely silent about the blatant human rights abuses committed by NATO and the rebel forces, as well as the blatant disregard of the UN Resolution (1973) that supposedly authorized this mission. This truly amazing piece titled Gaddafi's Forces Killed Survivors (that landed on my Yahoo front page) is case in point of the former blindness. After detailing a long list of unproven allegations against pro-Gaddafi troops, they say:

So far, there have been no specific allegations of atrocities carried out by rebel fighters, though human rights groups are continuing to investigate some unsolved cases.

The reporter does not even have the spine to admit that ALLEGATIONS against rebel fighters exist. Never mind that all they would have to do is look in either of the recent Human Rights Watch or Amnesty Intl. reports they supposedly get their information from. AI reports widespread mistreatment of black migrant workers by rebel forces - many report having been beaten, tortured, shot and/or told they are going to be killed. HRW also documented a pattern of vengeance killings, arsons, looting, beatings. etc. on hold Gaddafi loyalist civilians in the Nafusa mountains (ie. those who invaded Tripoli) - often just because of their tribe or race.

We read about the supposed "missing 50,000" opposition members arrested in the month prior to the war - even through no one has any proof of such a figure. And we hear next to nothing about the thousands of pro-Gaddafi civilians rounded up and being "cleansed" from their positions. Hospital Administrators, Oil Refinary heads, members of neighborhood committees, etc are all appearing on lists being passed out vigilante style.

Of course all of this contradicts the NTC is saying about there not being any retribution and that pro-Gaddafi people without blood on their hands will not be pursued. Just another example of the folks in the East saying one thing and actions on the ground saying another.

Different Fates for Two Libyan Freedom Fighters

It's been about 24 hours since it was announced that the United States killed Al-Qaeda's number 2 in Pakistan, Atiyah Abn Al-Rahman. Not much about Al-Rahman is publicly known, except that he is Libyan (from Misratah) and got his start in terrorism in the banned group Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which officially merged with Al-Qaeda in 2004.

Meanwhile in Libya, in a striking bit of irony, it has been confirmed that the leader of the rebel force who took the capital is none other than the head of the LIFG, Abdel Hakim Belhadj (aka Abu Abdallah Assadaq). That's right, the commander of the Tripoli Military Council that led the invasion and is acting as head-honcho in Tripoli right now was called the "Emir of the Mujahideen" in Libya by none other than (AQ's new leader) Ayman Al-Zawahiri just 4 years ago.

Yesterday, The Independent on Sunday learned that the rebel military commander behind the successful assault on Tripoli had fought in Afghanistan alongside the Taliban and was an Islamist terror suspect interrogated by the CIA. Abdelhakim Belhadj, the newly appointed commander of the Tripoli Military Council is a former emir of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) – banned by Britain and the US as a terrorist organisation after the 9/11 attacks.

The 45-year-old first went to Afghanistan in the late 1980s, where he fought against occupying Soviet forces. Arrested in Malaysia in 2004, he was interrogated by the CIA in Thailand before being extradited to Libya, where he was released from prison last year...

You would think this would be sort of big news. Or at least that some good journalists would start asking some serious questions, such as how this LIFG commander got in this strong position (who backed him) and whether this puts a damper on the whole Libyan freedom narrative? Maybe some reporter would go a step further and ask how one LIFG commander gets assassinated by our Government without trial (Al-Rahman), and another coordinates war and regime change plans together with NATO (Belhadj).

Instead, after more than a week to investigate this guy, I can count on one hand the number of Western media reports that have even mentioned the commander's connection to the LIFG and terrorism. And each of the reports seem to go out of their way to assure us that there is no problem.

The Independent (UK) goes as far as to try assure us that Belhadj has "renounced violence," despite the small detail that he is head of an armed insurgency that is currently toppling a government. In fact some basic research would find that the LIFG only renounced violence against Muslim leaders, deciding to concentrate on Western enemies instead. I guess Gaddafi's regime was not sufficiently Islamic (many of the rebels regard him as a Jew due to some obscure family history).

The other reports do not even call him Belhadj the leader of the rebels in Tripoli. They just say he's one of the leaders, "according to Arab reports" (they could just quote the rebel command, but that looks bad).

It is certainly a good thing for Mr. Hakim that the government he is overthrowing is one that the West agrees should go, not a shining light worthy of protection like Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan - where anyone would be liable to be killed by a drone for what he is doing.

Similarly, there is not one article in the world right now mentioning the different fates of these two LIFG brothers in arms, both dedicated to jihad against the West. it appears the Libyan rebel story is too good to tarnish with things like human rights abuses (particularly against dark skinned persons), Islamic fundamentalism and terrorist leaders taking the lead.

Today's Reuters report comes the closest to making a connection. It says:

"The killing is likely to be particularly highly prized by Washington as U.S. strategists would have been concerned about Rahman's potential influence in Libya's turmoil following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, analysts say.

But they could not go that one extra step and say exactly why Al-Qaeda might have a potential influence in the new "free" Libya. Abdel Hakim Belhadj's name does not appear.