Invasion of Libya by US & UK ?

[CENTCOM]

It is unfortunate that some would reach for conspiracy theories about oil when the US is participating in an action that has been supported by the Arab League, and the United Nations, with the sole purpose of protecting innocents from a bombing campaign by their own government. As our president has made clear, we have no ambitions for the country’s territory or resources. Qadhafi wages war against Libyans just so he can cling onto power by mercilessly killing, using even air power, to silence the voice of the masses through indiscriminate murder. Could it be that the state run Libyan media left out of their propaganda, the number of Libyans Al Qaddafi’s mercenaries from Mali, Kenya, Algeria, Guinea…have killed over the years and in this “bread and freedom” rebellion fought by those who at first tried to legitimately protest against a murderous dictator? Even as the crisis escalated, the Libyan government was taking out advertisements in newspapers in other African countries, looking for more muscle with which to suppress his own people. We would hope that unverified claims of civilian casualties made by this same government in that context, and with the appropriate skepticism.

More than 8000 Libyans killed by Qaddafi’s regime.

Qaddafi’s are the brutal hands of a dictator who suppresses voice through violence. Instead of listening to his people Qadhafi orders them silenced from his Bedouin tent. Violence and fighting started back in February when Qaddafi, like all dictators, accused Libyans who did not agree with him of being traitors and rebels. The Libyan ambassador and deputy ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Ibrahim Dabbashi, and Abdurrahman shalgham condemmed Qadhafi’s crackdown and gruesome murders saying no legitimate government kills its own people, and asking Qadhafi to resign.

United Nations Webcast - Ibrahim O. A. Dabbashi (Libya) on the situation in Libya - Security Council Media Stakeout

France, Britain, the United States and Arab League warned Qadhafi to stop the war against his own people immediately. Finally, on humanitarian grounds and not for oil, the international community was forced to intervene.

In fact it was Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa who put forward the request for a no-fly zone that would protect Libyan civilians. This request was honored by the unanimous vote of the UN Security Council. Do not conspiracy theories dishonor the Libyans who sacrifice themselves for bread and freedom? These allegations, that we are invading Muslim countries, that we are only out for oil, that we are occupiers, are discounted as rubbish by Libyans trying to over- throw a brutal dictator. Do you not remember we conducted similar military actions in the Balkans during the 1990s, protecting civilians in Bosnia/Herzegovina and later in Kosovo against Serbia’s campaign of ethnic cleansing? Was there a secret motive behind those actions as well?

International coalition forces are targeting weapons that threaten innocent civilians; including military bases, armored vehicles, and air defense systems. The goal of these operations is to reduce the capability of the dictatorship to fight international forces, including Qatar, who are enforcing the no fly zone that minimizes civilian casualties.

Ask yourself, would the international community alongside the Arab league support and request our help if we had ulterior motives? When the UN declared a no fly zone would Libyans celebrate in the streets if we had ulterior motives? It appears that an author who lives in a world of conspiracy theories stands aside and does nothing while launching accusations on those who have been both asked and stepped forward to help?

CDR Bill Speaks,
DET- U.S. Central Command
U.S. Central Command

 

[Tractor]

It is unfortunate that some would reach for conspiracy theories about oil when the US is participating in an action that has been supported by the Arab League, and the United Nations, with the sole purpose of protecting innocents from a bombing campaign by their own government. As our president has made clear, we have no ambitions for the country’s territory or resources. Qadhafi wages war against Libyans just so he can cling onto power by mercilessly killing, using even air power, to silence the voice of the masses through indiscriminate murder. Could it be that the state run Libyan media left out of their propaganda, the number of Libyans Al Qaddafi’s mercenaries from Mali, Kenya, Algeria, Guinea…have killed over the years and in this “bread and freedom” rebellion fought by those who at first tried to legitimately protest against a murderous dictator? Even as the crisis escalated, the Libyan government was taking out advertisements in newspapers in other African countries, looking for more muscle with which to suppress his own people. We would hope that unverified claims of civilian casualties made by this same government in that context, and with the appropriate skepticism.

More than 8000 Libyans killed by Qaddafi’s regime.

Qaddafi’s are the brutal hands of a dictator who suppresses voice through violence. Instead of listening to his people Qadhafi orders them silenced from his Bedouin tent. Violence and fighting started back in February when Qaddafi, like all dictators, accused Libyans who did not agree with him of being traitors and rebels. The Libyan ambassador and deputy ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Ibrahim Dabbashi, and Abdurrahman shalgham condemmed Qadhafi’s crackdown and gruesome murders saying no legitimate government kills its own people, and asking Qadhafi to resign.

United Nations Webcast - Ibrahim O. A. Dabbashi (Libya) on the situation in Libya - Security Council Media Stakeout

France, Britain, the United States and Arab League warned Qadhafi to stop the war against his own people immediately. Finally, on humanitarian grounds and not for oil, the international community was forced to intervene.

In fact it was Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa who put forward the request for a no-fly zone that would protect Libyan civilians. This request was honored by the unanimous vote of the UN Security Council. Do not conspiracy theories dishonor the Libyans who sacrifice themselves for bread and freedom? These allegations, that we are invading Muslim countries, that we are only out for oil, that we are occupiers, are discounted as rubbish by Libyans trying to over- throw a brutal dictator. Do you not remember we conducted similar military actions in the Balkans during the 1990s, protecting civilians in Bosnia/Herzegovina and later in Kosovo against Serbia’s campaign of ethnic cleansing? Was there a secret motive behind those actions as well?

International coalition forces are targeting weapons that threaten innocent civilians; including military bases, armored vehicles, and air defense systems. The goal of these operations is to reduce the capability of the dictatorship to fight international forces, including Qatar, who are enforcing the no fly zone that minimizes civilian casualties.

Ask yourself, would the international community alongside the Arab league support and request our help if we had ulterior motives? When the UN declared a no fly zone would Libyans celebrate in the streets if we had ulterior motives? It appears that an author who lives in a world of conspiracy theories stands aside and does nothing while launching accusations on those who have been both asked and stepped forward to help?

CDR Bill Speaks,
DET- U.S. Central Command
U.S. Central Command

I don't believe conspiracy,but the fact is in your democratic country war decision can be made by only one person for his own purpose.

 

[Hussein]

I don't believe conspiracy,but the fact is in your democratic country war decision can be made by only one person for his own purpose.

not really

 

[integra]

When a Rebel suicide bomber blasts himself off in libya against the Qaddafi force CNN acknowledges him as a martyr, one wonders what would they say if he was in Iraq.

 

[monitor]

Libya exposes fault lines

How the Libyan operation ends will influence the European public’s attitude towards military involvement away from their shores.

François Godement

In months to come, the Libyan crisis will be analysed for its significance in the era of Arab uprisings.
One consequence is already apparent: Libya's humanitarian emergency suddenly highlighted the power projection capabilities of leading Asian navies and raises questions about the wisdom of a retiring military role for Europe. In the context of the Libyan experience, the European Union must find a way to reconcile its security concerns with budgetary austerity.
Since the launch of the Operation Odyssey Dawn to establish a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya with US and British nuclear submarines and Europe's only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, the differing approaches of NATO allies have burst into the open. In particular, debate immediately emerged in Europe regarding the very principle of deployment of force. On 25 February, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton had said: "the EU…cannot deploy gunboats or bombers….The strength of the EU lies, paradoxically, in its inability to throw its weight around. Its influence flows from the fact that it is disinterested…. It can be an honest broker - but backed up by diplomacy, aid and ?great expertise."
Her stance, along with Germany's unexpected abstention at the UN and skepticism towards the intervention, raises the specter of a disarmed Europe opposed by France and the United Kingdom. But the UK faces a severe budget emergency, and the French president is currently short of political capital to sustain the risks of a protracted conflict. Italy has come down on both sides of the issue: As the continental European country with the nearest border and with the stronger economic ties, it fears the impact of chaos from Libya. Surprisingly to many, Spain's Zapatero has resoundly backed the action. Tiny Cyprus was predictably opposed to any action. Turkey, initially very reluctant, has engaged ships under NATO. It has taken time to establish a NATO line of command, needed for practical reasons, but the French in particular wanted to retain political initiative.
Beyond immediate events, the crisis highlights ongoing trends for naval power projection. Asia's capacity to project forces into the Mediterranean are now larger than what would be Europe's potential in case of a crisis in, say, southeast or northeast Asia. Europeans cooperate within their complicated defense arrangements, within NATO and bilaterally with the US - a multilayered process now open to debate.
But cooperation also serves to promote deep defense cuts for most, if not all, European nations. Asian nations clearly act individually and without any coordination - the model of mutual suspicion that applies to Gulf of Aden operations has been carried over to the Libyan emergency. Whether one views this as a preference for sovereignty over other concerns or as a rising strategic competition, the fact is that these events serve to justify budget increases, particularly for Asian navies. India's defence budget increase of 12.5 per cent in 2011 literally mirrors China's 12.7 per cent rise.
The Libyan crisis, which has exposed citizens of China and India to the vagaries of war, may add justification to these countries' naval buildup. Since the Libyan crisis erupted with more than 200,000 foreign workers thrown out, the arrival of a Chinese warship in the Mediterranean made global news. The Chinese destroyer sailed from the Indian Ocean, where it had been conducting anti-piracy operations. In the past, the People's Liberation Army's naval ships have paid calls to Mediterranean ports, but this was the first instance of an actual operational deployment. In the end, the arrival turned out to be more a show of flag than actual rescue. For the evacuation of its 38,000 nationals, China relied primarily on ferry ships leased from Greece and an airlift by civilian planes, as prominently reported in Chinese media. The evacuations served as the primary narrative about the Libyan crisis for Chinese audiences.
India's naval capacities are understated internationally, in part because they're viewed as less challenging to the status quo and because the United States predominates over blue waters. But even factoring in an Indian preference for low profile, China's debate over its maritime projection is eye-catching.
Europe and China are literally moving in opposite directions. Even when Chinese experts recognise that naval power is no longer the source of global dominance, as it was in the days of Alfred Mahan, they still see a use for hard power. Mostly, they express confidence that the US could never impose a successful naval blockade against China, given the extraordinary numbers of commercial ships plying the Pacific and South China Sea. Their vision is, at a minimum, one of China providing naval assets to ensure open passage through maritime straits.
China's naval buildup has been consistent for more than a decade. Experts now argue that China will not only need ports of call, but logistical bases over its extended maritime routes. Its anti-piracy operation has been hampered by their absence - and one can also say that there is now a competition with India to establish a footing in the Western Indian Ocean.
How the Libyan operation ends will influence the European public's attitude towards military involvement away from their shores. The arrival of tens of thousands of immigrants from North Africa and the reaction of a substantial minority of North Africans throughout the EU may also shape security attitudes. Europeans must decide if the push by UK's David Cameron and France's Nicolas Sarkozy for naval and air interventions over Libya is a last hurrah to empires long gone - or realistic anticipation of what comes next in great power competition and peaceful development on the Southern Mediterranean rim.


François Godement is senior policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

 

[Tractor]

not really

Really or really not just look back for some one insisted there were mass destruction weapons in Iraq then war for his father happened under his declaration.

 

[below_freezing]

It is unfortunate that some would reach for conspiracy theories about oil when the US is participating in an action that has been supported by the Arab League, and the United Nations, with the sole purpose of protecting innocents from a bombing campaign by their own government. As our president has made clear, we have no ambitions for the country’s territory or resources. Qadhafi wages war against Libyans just so he can cling onto power by mercilessly killing, using even air power, to silence the voice of the masses through indiscriminate murder. Could it be that the state run Libyan media left out of their propaganda, the number of Libyans Al Qaddafi’s mercenaries from Mali, Kenya, Algeria, Guinea…have killed over the years and in this “bread and freedom” rebellion fought by those who at first tried to legitimately protest against a murderous dictator? Even as the crisis escalated, the Libyan government was taking out advertisements in newspapers in other African countries, looking for more muscle with which to suppress his own people. We would hope that unverified claims of civilian casualties made by this same government in that context, and with the appropriate skepticism.

More than 8000 Libyans killed by Qaddafi’s regime.

Qaddafi’s are the brutal hands of a dictator who suppresses voice through violence. Instead of listening to his people Qadhafi orders them silenced from his Bedouin tent. Violence and fighting started back in February when Qaddafi, like all dictators, accused Libyans who did not agree with him of being traitors and rebels. The Libyan ambassador and deputy ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Ibrahim Dabbashi, and Abdurrahman shalgham condemmed Qadhafi’s crackdown and gruesome murders saying no legitimate government kills its own people, and asking Qadhafi to resign.

United Nations Webcast - Ibrahim O. A. Dabbashi (Libya) on the situation in Libya - Security Council Media Stakeout

France, Britain, the United States and Arab League warned Qadhafi to stop the war against his own people immediately. Finally, on humanitarian grounds and not for oil, the international community was forced to intervene.

In fact it was Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa who put forward the request for a no-fly zone that would protect Libyan civilians. This request was honored by the unanimous vote of the UN Security Council. Do not conspiracy theories dishonor the Libyans who sacrifice themselves for bread and freedom? These allegations, that we are invading Muslim countries, that we are only out for oil, that we are occupiers, are discounted as rubbish by Libyans trying to over- throw a brutal dictator. Do you not remember we conducted similar military actions in the Balkans during the 1990s, protecting civilians in Bosnia/Herzegovina and later in Kosovo against Serbia’s campaign of ethnic cleansing? Was there a secret motive behind those actions as well?

International coalition forces are targeting weapons that threaten innocent civilians; including military bases, armored vehicles, and air defense systems. The goal of these operations is to reduce the capability of the dictatorship to fight international forces, including Qatar, who are enforcing the no fly zone that minimizes civilian casualties.

Ask yourself, would the international community alongside the Arab league support and request our help if we had ulterior motives? When the UN declared a no fly zone would Libyans celebrate in the streets if we had ulterior motives? It appears that an author who lives in a world of conspiracy theories stands aside and does nothing while launching accusations on those who have been both asked and stepped forward to help?

CDR Bill Speaks,
DET- U.S. Central Command
U.S. Central Command

Russia crushes Chechens much more brutally than Gaddafi does, using strategic bombers and artillery.

The US is a cowardly hypocrite if it does not try to enforce a no fly zone over Chechnya. But it does not.

If Libya had the military of Russia, every single thing you said would not matter. It will not be touched.

Conspiracy theories about "democracy" is worse than pragmatic and strategic judgments due to oil. The US doesn't have a democracy at home, can it really promote it abroad?

Just be truthful. Libya is conquered to secure oil, not only for US energy security but to restrict Indian and Chinese energy security, and therefore to maintain the status of the USD.

 

[Martian]

U.S. says Libyan rebels may sell oil

The U.S. Treasury official declined to comment on the Libyan rebel plan. Qatar became the first Arab country to recognize the rebels as the Libyan people's legitimate representative.

The rebel successes against Gaddafi's forces pushed oil prices lower. Brent crude futures fell 79 cents to settle at $114.80 a barrel.

The U.S. official emphasized that the Treasury has not altered any of the sanctions on Gaddafi's regime, which involve freezes on more than $32 billion in assets. But the sanctions do not apply to Libyan entities that are outside of the government and outside of Gaddafi's control.

One of the NOC subsidiaries subjected to sanctions but controlled by rebels is Benghazi-based Arabian Gulf Oil Co, or Agoco. Its status remained unclear on Monday, but the Treasury had left the door open to a possible lifting of sanctions when it put this exploration, production and refining unit on the blacklist.

"Treasury will continue monitoring the National Oil Corporation's operations in Libya," it said at the time. "Should National Oil Corporation subsidiaries or facilities come under different ownership and control, Treasury may consider authorizing dealings with such entities."

It could keep the sanctions in place, but issue licenses that allow firms to transact business with certain NOC subsidiaries.

A U.N. Security Council diplomat told Reuters that Agoco was "most likely" subject to U.N. sanctions in addition to U.S. and EU measures. However, he said that it would probably be possible to "work something out" so the rebels could sell their oil, such as by creating a new oil export company.

MANY RISKS

Although the clouds over rebel-held oil may be starting to clear from a sanctions standpoint, there are many practical hurdles to oil traders loading up tankers.

Marathon Oil Corp., which has the largest Libyan presence of any U.S. company with 18.8 percent of its total production coming from there, said it is not currently lifting crude oil from Libya given the political and civil unrest, and has no further comment.

Its Waha concession is located in the Sirte basin. Rebel forces were pushing west into that region on Monday.

Trading sources told Reuters they did not think the latest developments would easily unblock Libya's oil trade, which has been suspended for weeks due to sanctions and heavy fighting.

Firms buying crude would have to be absolutely sure that they are not violating any sanctions before they proceed and establish clear title to the oil, traders said. Finding ship owners and insurers willing to handle cargoes worth tens of millions of dollars may be difficult.

"We need to understand who we are trading with, what sort of company is selling crude, who controls it, who manages it," a trader with a major oil company said.

U.S. says Libyan rebels may sell oil | Reuters

US has shown its true intentions about Libya. It is Operation Independant Libya (OIL)

 

[Anonymous user]

Looks like Gaddafi forces are pushing back hard
BBC News - Libya: Rebels pushed back by Col Gaddafi's forces
I believe Gaddafi will ultimately lose because now the Western forces cannot afford to have a man run a country supplying oil that is unfriendly to them

Looks like alot more blood is gonna get spilled.

To CENTCOM
I would be more partial to the allied forces going in to save the people but its very dubious considering the attackers are the same people who sold him the weapons in the first place.

 

[Hussein]

U.S. says Libyan rebels may sell oil

The U.S. Treasury official declined to comment on the Libyan rebel plan. Qatar became the first Arab country to recognize the rebels as the Libyan people's legitimate representative.

The rebel successes against Gaddafi's forces pushed oil prices lower. Brent crude futures fell 79 cents to settle at $114.80 a barrel.

The U.S. official emphasized that the Treasury has not altered any of the sanctions on Gaddafi's regime, which involve freezes on more than $32 billion in assets. But the sanctions do not apply to Libyan entities that are outside of the government and outside of Gaddafi's control.

One of the NOC subsidiaries subjected to sanctions but controlled by rebels is Benghazi-based Arabian Gulf Oil Co, or Agoco. Its status remained unclear on Monday, but the Treasury had left the door open to a possible lifting of sanctions when it put this exploration, production and refining unit on the blacklist.

"Treasury will continue monitoring the National Oil Corporation's operations in Libya," it said at the time. "Should National Oil Corporation subsidiaries or facilities come under different ownership and control, Treasury may consider authorizing dealings with such entities."

It could keep the sanctions in place, but issue licenses that allow firms to transact business with certain NOC subsidiaries.

A U.N. Security Council diplomat told Reuters that Agoco was "most likely" subject to U.N. sanctions in addition to U.S. and EU measures. However, he said that it would probably be possible to "work something out" so the rebels could sell their oil, such as by creating a new oil export company.

MANY RISKS

Although the clouds over rebel-held oil may be starting to clear from a sanctions standpoint, there are many practical hurdles to oil traders loading up tankers.

Marathon Oil Corp., which has the largest Libyan presence of any U.S. company with 18.8 percent of its total production coming from there, said it is not currently lifting crude oil from Libya given the political and civil unrest, and has no further comment.

Its Waha concession is located in the Sirte basin. Rebel forces were pushing west into that region on Monday.

Trading sources told Reuters they did not think the latest developments would easily unblock Libya's oil trade, which has been suspended for weeks due to sanctions and heavy fighting.

Firms buying crude would have to be absolutely sure that they are not violating any sanctions before they proceed and establish clear title to the oil, traders said. Finding ship owners and insurers willing to handle cargoes worth tens of millions of dollars may be difficult.

"We need to understand who we are trading with, what sort of company is selling crude, who controls it, who manages it," a trader with a major oil company said.

U.S. says Libyan rebels may sell oil | Reuters

US has shown its true intentions about Libya. It is Operation Independant Libya (OIL)

why so difficult to understand an article?
rebels can sell oil. rebels are not US or European they are Libyans.
It is good for them that they can sell oil because it is an important ressource for them !

 

[nightcrawler]

@Centcom
Thnx for your concern...
I will say that protesters in the essential dictionary terms aren't & must neve be armed with RPGs & anti-aircraft guided missiles because then they aren't any peace protesters they become bandits

 

[Hussein]

oops what they are doing with UB-16 rockets for MIG ???

 

[asad71]

Foreign forces in Libya helping rebel forces advance
From Barbara Starr, CNN
August 24, 2011 -- Updated 1406 GMT (2206 HKT)

Special forces troops from overseas have stepped up operations in Tripoli and other cities in recent days to help rebel forces.

The troops are from Britain, France, Jordan and Qatar
British forces are helping rebel units get "better organized" for operations
The forces have helped rebels "improve their tactics"
Washington (CNN) -- Special forces troops from Britain, France, Jordan and Qatar on the ground in Libya have stepped up operations in Tripoli and other cities in recent days to help rebel forces as they conducted their final advance on the Gadhafi regime, a NATO official confirmed to CNN Wednesday.
British forces, in particular, have assisted rebel units by "helping them get better organized to conduct operations," the official said. Some of these forces from all the countries have traveled with rebel units from towns across Libya as they advanced on Tripoli.
The official declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence information.
Overall, the special forces have helped rebels "improve their tactics," the official said.
Gunfire, mortars hit Gadhafi compound

The forces have also provided targeting information to warplanes conducting airstrikes and conducting reconnaissance missions in Tripoli, he said. This has been especially critical in recent days in the capital, as fighters from both sides have mixed together in close range. The forces have also assisted rebels in communications as they conducted the assault on the capital.
Qatari and French forces also have provided some armaments, the official said.

 

[asad71]

The Libya story is total BS
Originally posted April 7, 2011 <object width="350" height="287"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nAyOjmfTqcI?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nAyOjmfTqcI?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350" height="287" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

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Make-believe civil war
Has anything changed since we first posted this in April?

NATO in the background. Rag-tag rebels in the foreground. What a joke.



I've been waiting for someone to point out the obvious about Libya:

There is no battle between "rebel forces" and the Libyan military.

NATO bombs a Libyan position, the Libyan military evacuates - temporarily - and then a rag tag bunch of poseurs flood in, get their pictures taken pretending to be soldiers by a bunch of idiot journalists and/or CIA media people and then run off when the Libyan military comes back.

John McCain told reporters today that meeting these guys was "one of the most inspiring moments of his life" which re-enforces the idea that the 2008 presidential "election" was a choice between Clown-Liar #1 and Clown-Liar #2.

I guess the plan is to "help" the "rebels" one small step at a time until we're in there up to our elbows.

The last guy to have a major hard on for Libya was a former corporal with a funny mustache named Adolf. I guess there's not that many variations when it comes to trying to take over the world.

For more "Spin" videos, click here

=========

Sorry I failed to paste the video. But this is another view of this war.

 

[Al Bhatti]

23-Aug-2011