The rebel faction in East Libya has established a new “unified” command for the military forces which have defected from the Gadhafi regime onto the side of the protesters, and are looking at a final push against Tripoli.
And despite early warnings from some of the military commanders that they are “not ready” to take on the heavily armed, well-trained mercenaries loyal to the Gadhafi regime, others are suggesting that they are quite eager to end the regime’s hold on its last major city.
In fact with the protesters firmly in control over the vast majority of the nation’s military and its oil, the new unified command is out in force with machine guns and tanks, and appears to be massing its forces at Zawiya, just outside of Tripoli.
Of course, the protesters took over most of the country not through military force but through popular uprising, and it is unclear whether they will need much military force to take the rest of Tripoli, apart from defending themselves against mercenary forces.
They'd best hurry before Obama and the neo-cons crash the party and consume all of the spoils.
Shillary is salivating all over that and making a pitch at (of all places) the HRC right now. She barely named Libya but was out enforced again Iran and defending poor little Israel. The hypocrisy and her shenanigans did not go unnoticed.
I hope what Jason anticipates comes true and the protesters in Libya don't face much opposition which will result in more bloodshed and carnage. Those poor people have been battered enough. I look forward to the apprehension of Qaddafi and his cabal by the protesters and to the subsequent administration of justice. Whatever they get, the bastards deserve.
Viva Libya!
rc what spoils all they got there is dead bodies
Frustrating the foreign interventionists would be great.
Pretending the upsurge was non-violent can't really be sustained anymore. We don't know what happened the last week or so, but now it's obvious some kind of upheaval opperated early enough if not even from the start.
While Gaddafi clearly lacks significant support, the "insurgents" couldn't have managed such a quick victory (or getting close to it) without some kind of previous preparations. The tribal policies and shifting of alliances are mentioned lately as a major factor in establishing a new, Gaddafiless balance of power. If it is so, there's no revolution happening there. Not that is anyone's business outside Libya what choices people there make.
What really bothers me regards the widely spread "faith" there was no triggering/meddling from abroad in Libya. Highly unlikely possibility though I wish the "believers" are right. If the many deaths are confirmed, it means the libyans paid a high price to oust G., it would be a pity they find new masters already waiting to "lead the masses" in his place.
With all the oil I fear you may be correct.
should we be arming the 'rebels' as Bill Cash MP was calling for yesterday in the house of commons? seems like folly to have spent the last decade arming Qadafi to the teeth only to now consider adding fuel to the flames by arming the opposition. I think we've been in the "arming the bad guys and then the good guys" business for long enough to realise that it only creates mass misery.