Libya: EU (+U.S.) awaits UN approval for deployment of ground troops Citizens For Legitimate Government 19 Apr 2011 _http://www.legitgov.org_ (http://www.legitgov.org/)
_Libya conflict: EU awaits UN approval for deployment of ground troops_ (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/18/libya-conflict-eu-deployment-groun d-troops) --European member states poised to send 1,000 soldiers to city of Misrata 18 Apr 2011 The EU has drawn up a "concept of operations" for the deployment of military forces in Libya, but needs UN approval for what would be the riskiest and most controversial mission undertaken by Brussels. The armed forces, numbering 1,000, would be deployed to secure the delivery of aid supplies steal oil, would not be engaged in a combat role but would be authorised to fight if they or their humanitarian wards were threatened. "It would be to secure sea and land corridors inside the country," said an EU official. _Britain risks accusations of 'mission creep' as army chiefs are sent to Benghazi to offer military advice to rebels fighting Gaddafi_ (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1378384/Libya-Britain-sends-army-chiefs-Benghazi-a dvise-rebels-fighting-Gaddafi.html) --Army officers will advise rebels how to launch attacks --Similarities drawn to past conflicts in Vietnam, Somalia and Afghanistan 19 Apr 2011 A team of top British Army officers is being sent to Libya to advise 'rebels' who are locked in a bitter conflict with Colonel Gaddafi's forces [for oil]. The UK group will be deployed to the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, Libya's second city, in a mentoring role to help leaders who are co-ordinating attacks on the Colonel's army. The announcement came after a Royal Navy submarine launched cruise missiles on Libyan targets, with RAF warplanes attacking communication masts. _Britain denies 'mission creep' in sending advisers to Libya_ (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/britain-denies-mission-creep-in -sending-advisers-to-libya/article1991906/) 19 Apr 2011 British military advisers will follow American CIA teams already deployed in Libya as part of the broad Western effort – beyond any UN mandate – to help rebel forces oust Colonel Moammar Gadhafi. Mission creep is denied, nonetheless. The British advisers will take handguns but leave their uniforms at home to preserve the appearance that foreign forces are not deploying to Libya. "We will now move quickly to expand the team already in Benghazi to include an additional military liaison advisory team," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said. _NATO strikes Tripoli, Aziziyah, Sirte_ (http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175632.html) 19 Apr 2011 NATO warplanes have launched airstrikes on the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and the city of Aziziyah in the north and Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirt in the east. In Brussels, NATO said alliance warplanes have attacked command-and-control facilities of the forces of Gaddafi, including a brigade headquarters south of Tripoli, on Monday night, Reuters reported Tuesday... Dozens of civilians have been killed in Libya since US-led forces launched aerial attacks on the North African country. April 14, 2011| Boston Globe _False pretense for war in Libya_ (http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-14/bostonglobe/29418371_1_rebel-stronghold-civilians-rebel-positions) ? By Alan J. Kuperman EVIDENCE IS now in that President Barack Obama grossly exaggerated the humanitarian threat to justify military action in Libya. The president claimed that intervention was necessary to prevent a bloodbath in Benghazi, Libyas second-largest city and last rebel stronghold. But Human Rights Watch has released data on Misurata, the next-biggest city in Libya and scene of protracted fighting, revealing that Moammar Khadafy is not deliberately massacring civilians but rather narrowly targeting the armed rebels who fight against his government. Misuratas population is roughly 400,000. In nearly two months of war, only 257 people including combatants have died there. Of the 949 wounded, only 22 less than 3 percent are women. If Khadafy were indiscriminately targeting civilians, women would comprise about half the casualties. Obama insisted that prospects were grim without intervention. If we waited one more day, Benghazi could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world. Thus, the president concluded, preventing genocide justified US military action. But intervention did not prevent genocide, because no such bloodbath was in the offing. To the contrary, by emboldening rebellion, US interference has prolonged Libyas civil war and the resultant suffering of innocents. The best evidence that Khadafy did not plan genocide in Benghazi is that he did not perpetrate it in the other cities he had recaptured either fully or partially including Zawiya, Misurata, and Ajdabiya, which together have a population greater than Benghazi. Libyan forces did kill hundreds as they regained control of cities. Collateral damage is inevitable in counter-insurgency. And strict laws of war may have been exceeded. But Khadafys acts were a far cry from Rwanda, Darfur, Congo, Bosnia, and other killing fields. Libyas air force, prior to imposition of a UN-authorized no-fly zone, targeted rebel positions, not civilian concentrations. Despite ubiquitous cellphones equipped with cameras and video, there is no graphic evidence of deliberate massacre. Images abound of victims killed or wounded in crossfire each one a tragedy but that is urban warfare, not genocide. Nor did Khadafy ever threaten civilian massacre in Benghazi, as Obama alleged. The no mercy warning, of March 17, targeted rebels only, as reported by The New York Times, which noted that Libyas leader promised amnesty for those who throw their weapons away. Khadafy even offered the rebels an escape route and open border to Egypt, to avoid a fight to the bitter end. --- _Libya: A 'Socialist Paradise' Under Colonial Attack_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0401-Paradise.html) _The Attack on Libya is Illegal, Unjust_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0328-Illegal.html) _Libya Endgame: Divide, Rule And Get The Oil_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0325-Oil.html) _Libya: A New Crusade_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0321-Crusade.html) _Libya: America's Hidden Hand Behind UN Resolution_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0319-Libya.html) _Reply to CSIDs Letter to President Obama About Libya_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0322-LibyaAtackLegalJust.pdf) _Libya Oil Grab Disguised As Humanitarian Assistance_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0308-Oil.html) _Libyan Opposition Spurns Calls for Foreign 'Help'_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0226-Hawks.html) _Libya: Who's Terrorizing Whom_ (http://www.twf.org/News/Y1997/Libya.html) Also More News form Our imperialist invasions and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.. _Secret memos expose link between oil firms and invasion of Iraq_ (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/secret-memos-expose-link-between-oil-f irms-and-invasion-of-iraq-2269610.html) 19 Apr 2011 Plans to exploit Iraq's oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the _world's largest oil companies_ (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/secret-memos-expose-link-between-oil-firms-and-invasion-of-iraq-2269610.html) the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show. The papers, revealed here for the first time, raise new questions over Britain's involvement in the war, which had divided Tony Blair's cabinet and was voted through only after his claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The minutes of a series of meetings between ministers and senior oil executives are at odds with the public denials of self-interest from oil companies and Western governments at the time. _31 injured in Iraq's Sulaymanieh_ (http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175684.html) 19 Apr 2011 At least 31 people have been injured in fresh clashes that erupted between protesters and security forces in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Three of the injured were shot at with live bullet near Sulaymaniyah University, located 260 kilometers (161 miles) north of Baghdad, a Press TV correspondent reported on Tuesday. A number of journalists have also been arrested. [Of course they were. That's what happens when US unsubs establish a dictatorship for Exxon Mobil and Monsanto. Saddam Hussein: *Clearly* the better deal. Oh. Qaddafi, too.] _Afghanistan should brace for more assassinations: U.S. envoy_ (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/19/us-afghanistan-eikenberry-idUSTRE73I133201104 19) [Gee, I wonder how he *knows* this? It reminds me of the BBC reporting that Building 7 fell before it, you know, *fell.*] 19 Apr 2011 Afghanistan's government and foreign troops should prepare for the Taliban to step up urban suicide attacks and assassinations as they shift tactics to "very focused" terrorism [by Blackwater], the U.S. ambassador said. Karl Eikenberry told Reuters in an interview that three insurgent attacks in just four days pointed to a change in strategy following setbacks against international and Afghan security forces. _Taliban attack signals focus on infiltrating security forces_ (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2011/0418/Taliban-attack-signals-focu s-on-infiltrating-security-forces) 18 Apr 2011 A man dressed in an Afghan military uniform entered the Ministry of Defense in Kabul Monday and opened fire, killing at least two people and injuring seven. The incident marks the third time in four days that an attacker dressed in an Afghan police or military uniform has infiltrated a secure compound and carried out a lethal attack. The wave of killings has created speculation that insurgents may be shifting their focus away from direct engagements with NATO and Afghan forces and investing their resources in infiltrating Afghanistan's security forces so they can carry out complex suicide attacks. ============================================================================ == Peace NO War Network (http://www.peacenowar.net/) _http://www.PeaceNOWar.net_ (http://www.peacenowar.net/) War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate Not in our Name! And another world is possible! Information for antiwar movements, news across the World, please visit:_ http://www.PeaceNoWar.net_ (http://www.peacenowar.net/) e-mail: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Tel: (213)403-0131 Please Join PeaceNoWar Listserv, send e-mail to: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Please Donate to Peace No War Network! Send check pay to: ActionLA/AFGJ ActionLA P.O. 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