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Showing posts with label Muammar Gaddafi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Muammar Gaddafi. Show all posts

Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Youngest Son Of Muammar Gaddafi Killed By NATO Air Strike.

Saif Gaddafi Killed in NATO Strike

CS - Saif Gaddafi
Al Arabiya-EPA-Corbis
A Libyan government spokesman has announced Muammar Gaddafi's youngest son Saif was killed in a NATO air strike on Saturday. Gaddafi himself was in the large residential villa that was targeted in the strike, along with his wife and other friends and relatives, but was not harmed. "The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, 29 years old, and three of the leader's grandchildren," said spokesman Moussa Ibrahim. He called the strike "a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country," but stressed that "the leader himself is in good health." Journalists have reported severe damage at the building and claim one undetonated bomb is still there.

Sayf al-Arab Gaddafi, embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's youngest son, and three of his grandchildren have been killed in an airstrike, a government spokesman says.
"The house of Mr Sayf al-Arab Muammar Gaddafi ... who is the youngest of the leader's children, was attacked tonight with full power. The leader with his wife was there in the house with other friends and relatives," Moussa Ibrahim told a news conference in Tripoli early on Sunday morning.
"The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Sayf al-Arab Muammar Gaddafi, 29 years old, and three of the leader's grandchildren," Ibrahim said.
"The leader himself is in good health; he wasn't harmed. His wife is also in good health; she wasn't harmed, (but) other people were injured," he said.
"This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country."
Ibrahim had earlier taken journalists to the remnants of a house in Tripoli.
Given the level of destruction, it is unclear that anyone could have survived, raising the possibility that if Gaddafi was there, he had left beforehand.

Gaddafi's son killed in NATO strike

Updated 15 minutes ago
A NATO strike has killed Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the 29-year-old son of the embattled Libyan leader, according to a Libyan government spokesman.
Moussa Ibrahim says three of Moamar Gaddafi's grandsons were also killed but the leader himself was unharmed.
"The house of Saif al-Arab Gaddafi ... who is the youngest of the leader's children, was attacked tonight with full power," he said.
"The leader with his wife was there in the house with other friends and relatives."
Saif al-Arab was a civilian and a student who had studied in Germany.
But Mr Ibrahim told a news conference in Tripoli that Moamar Gaddafi himself was not hurt.
"The leader himself is in good health; he wasn't harmed," he said.
"His wife is also in good health; she wasn't harmed [but] other people were injured.
"This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country."

Muammar Gaddafi son killed by Nato air strike – Libyan government

Saif al-Arab and three of Muammar Gaddafi's grandsons killed, according to reports – but the Libyan leader was unharmed
Libyan Government claim Nato attacked house of Saif Al Arab
A Libyan government picture shows a missile which officials said was from a coalition air strike on the home of Saif al-Arab Gaddafi. Editor's note: picture was taken on a guided government tour. Photograph: Louafi Larbi/Reuters
A Nato air strike in Tripoli has killed the youngest son of Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi, a Libyan government spokesman has said.
Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, 29, was killed along with three of Muammar Gaddafi's grandsons, according to reports.
The Libyan leader was in the building at the time of the strike, but was unharmed. Several of Gaddafi's friends and relatives were wounded.
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said: "This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country."
"The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Saif al-Arab Gaddafi and three of the leader's grandchildren," he said.
"The leader with his wife was there in the house with other friends and relatives. The leader himself is in good health – he wasn't harmed. [Muammar Gaddafi's] wife is also in good health."
Nato forces are permitted under United Nations resolution 1973, passed in March, to use 'all necessary measures' to protect civilians from pro-Gaddafi forces.
Ibrahim added: "We think now it is clear to everyone that what is happening in Libya has nothing to do with the protection of civilians.
This is not permitted by international law. Nato does not care to test our promises, the west does not care to test our statements. Their only care is to rob us of our freedom."







Col Gaddafi's youngest son killed in NATO air strike

Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the youngest son of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed by a Nato air strike, the Libyan government said.

the house of Saif Al-Arab Gaddafi
Image 2 of 2
A missile which the Libyan government said was from a coalition air strike in the house of Saif Al-Arab Gaddafi in Tripoli Photo: REUTERS

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Monday, February 21, 2011

"Rivers of Blood" promised if uprising does not stop.

Gaddafi's Son: Last Gasp of Libya's Dying Regime?

By VIVIENNE WALT Monday, Feb. 21, 2011
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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, pictured during a visit to Moscow on June 28, 2010
Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters
After the bloodiest few days in Libya's modern history — in which over 200 people are estimated to have been killed in clashes with security forces — the son of the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi told Libyans on state-run television that "rivers of blood" would flow with "thousands" of deaths if the uprising does not stop. At the same time, he promised a dialogue on new political freedoms and even a new constitution — the most drastic reforms Libya would undertake since Gaddafi seized power 41 years ago. "There is a plot against Libya," said the maverick leader's second son, Saif al-Islam, long regarded as Gaddafi's heir apparent, speaking after midnight, against a white backdrop showing an abstract map of the region. "The story is very dangerous," he said, wearing a suit and tie — a conscious break from his father's iconic tribal robes. "It is bigger than the Libyans and the young people in the streets, who are trying to imitate Tunisia and Egypt."
Despite a rambling speech of about 40 minutes, Saif did not explain the most urgent question gripping Libyans late on Sunday night: Where is Gaddafi himself? Rumors swirled around Tripoli late Sunday that Gaddafi — whose titles are Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution — might have fled the capital, if not the country, as eastern Libya descended into chaos and massacres. Gaddafi was last seen riding atop a truck in Tripoli on Friday during rallies to support him, in which crowds appeared to celebrate his leadership with posters and chants.(See how the bloodshed proves Gaddafi's strong hand.)
Appearing alone, Saif seemed to be speaking on behalf of Libya's government, although he himself has no official role in it. The second son of the autocratic colonel who has ruled the country for more than four decades, Saif has been seen as the reformist hope of the country, in contrast to his brother Mutassim, Libya's national security adviser. But the speech he gave indicated that he was defending the dynasty's claim as the only guarantor of Libya's future and prosperity, hardly the fount of democracy he seemed to embody in an interview with TIME a year ago. Meanwhile, the cracks in the regime are mounting. Libya's permanent representative to the Arab League as well as its ambassador to New Delhi both quit yesterday, according to news reports. While Saif's talk was tough, his speech was unscripted and unfocused, which some might interpret as a sign of great strain.
The diplomatic-corps defections as well as the speech may also represent Saif's attempt to win a far more intimate battle — the struggle for succession of his father's rule, against his brother Mutassim, a key player in the security crackdown against the protests. "Saif al-Islam is likely seizing the opportunity to leverage himself in this power struggle," said the private intelligence company Stratfor in a written analysis after the late-night speech.
With an almost total news blackout, and cell-phone and Internet connections severely disrupted, video uploads and text messages over the weekend reported spectacular clashes in Libya's second biggest city Benghazi and several other cities in eastern Libya, including large-scale massacres in Benghazi and al-Baida on Sunday, some during funeral processions for those shot by snipers and regular security forces. Human-rights groups, battling to patch together the gruesome details from shaky telephone connections to hospital doctors and eyewitnesses, estimated the death toll at 233 as of Monday morning. And while the streets were reportedly quiet on Monday, protesters were celebrating in the streets of Benghazi, as they claimed control of Libya's second biggest city. As for Tripoli, schools, government offices and most shops were closed.(See photos of Muammar Gaddafi's rise to power.)
Until now, the violence has been largely contained to an area about 600 miles east of Tripoli. But late on Sunday night, the turmoil seemed to touch the heart of the capital itself — a gracious Mediterranean city where the InterContinental, Starwood Four Points and Marriott chains have all recently built large seaside hotels. After midnight on Sunday, a resident in one of Tripoli's upscale neighborhoods scribbled a message online saying that "thousand [people] with machetes and guns" were on his street, "looting, storming houses. We have barracked [sic] ourselves in our house." Shortly after, he signed off, saying "can't talk, not safe outside." Others reported hearing gunfire in Tripoli overnight to outside news organizations by phone.
Saif's speech mentioned no turmoil in the capital. Instead, he conceded that the heavy casualties in Benghazi and elsewhere were partly owed to "mistakes from the army" — presumably referring to units opening fire on unarmed demonstrators when the protests began last Tuesday. That remark was about the only concession he made, however. Instead, he warned that soldiers would have no reluctance to fire on demonstrators — a fact clearly demonstrated during the past few days — in contrast to the militaries' behavior in Tunisia and Egypt during the uprisings there during the past six weeks. "The army now will have a fundamental role in imposing security and bringing normality into the country," he said. "We will destroy all these elements of sedition. We will not give up any inch of the Libyan territory."
Last night's speech was not only a critical point in trying to stanch a nascent revolt against Libya's repressive regime. It was a turning point for Saif himself.(See how Saif could help reform Libya.)
Ever since the U.S. reached a détente with Libya in 2003 and lifted sanctions in 2005, Saif has acted as an assurance for the future, for oil companies who have plowed billions of dollars into the country during the past six years, even though he officially has no political title. In interviews with oil executives, all say that Saif is the person whom they would most like to see running Libya. He has made occasional appearances at the World Economic Forum. And during two visits to Libya, I've seen countless corporate executives from the U.S. and Europe line up for appointments with Saif.
For his part, Saif has stressed for years the need to end Libya's state-run institutions and open up its closed economy to foreign investment. He oversaw the creation of a new National Economic Development Board, whose head is Mahmud Gebril, an economist with a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. Another close Saif ally is the oil chief Shokri Ghanem, a former Prime Minister who lived for years in Vienna as an OPEC official and speaks flawless English. When government hard-liners tried to unseat the reformist Ghanem in 2009, Saif simply reinstalled him — no questions asked. It was, said one oil executive, a huge relief.
Urbane and cosmopolitan — he lives much of the time in London — Saif is also wily and ambitious. In 2009 and 2010 he pushed to have the country's so-called General People's Congress — an unelected body that meets to pass laws — discuss a new constitution, but finally retreated on the issue, apparently having lost out to hard-liners in the government.(See why Gaddafi feels secure despite the uprising.)
When I interviewed Saif in February last year at his home, set amid an orange grove in Tripoli, he said he firmly believed that almost all Libyans wanted total political freedoms, and he displayed open impatience with those who were blocking change, while stopping short of questioning his father's rule. When I asked what level of freedom he would like to see in Libya, he said, "I'm talking about the level of freedom like in Holland. We want those changes now, not in 10 or 15 years' time." He added, "In black Africa we see real democracy, real elections, real parliaments, real constitutions. Why don't we have the same as them?"(Comment on this story.)
Many protesters in Libya say they too want democracy and open elections, and, indeed, Saif last night promised a General People's Congress discussion on forging a constitution for Libya. Yet he showed no readiness to tolerate political dissent — and insisted that the current turmoil was the work of foreign instigators and Islamic separatists.
In an interview in Tripoli last February, Ghanem, the oil chief, said there "cannot be real economic reform without political reform." Saif made it clear on Sunday night that neither reform would occur without bloodshed.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2052842,00.html#ixzz1EbbR6hbb
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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Warnings On Travel To Libya

U.S. "gravely concerned" by Libya, warns on travel

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02/18/2011
By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa
WASHINGTON | Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:17pm EST
(Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday it was deeply concerned by credible reports of hundreds of deaths and injuries during protests in Libya, and urged the government to allow demonstrators to protest peacefully.
Protesters, inspired by uprisings in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are demanding an end to the 41-year rule of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi. His security forces have responded with a violent crackdown.
"The United States is gravely concerned with disturbing reports and images coming out of Libya," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "We have raised to a number of Libyan officials ... our strong objections to the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators."
The State Department said U.S. Embassy dependents were being encouraged to leave Libya and U.S. citizens were urged to defer nonessential travel to the country.
Top U.S. diplomats spoke out on Sunday against brutal crackdowns on protesters in Libya and Bahrain but stopped short of calling for a change of government in any of the countries facing large protests.
At least 50 people were killed and 100 others seriously wounded in Benghazi on Sunday, a doctor in Libya's second-biggest city, told Reuters.
Human Rights Watch said 84 people were killed in the city on Saturday, bringing the death toll in four days of clashes mainly in the east of the country to 173 before Sunday's violence.
Members of a Libyan army unit told Benghazi residents on Sunday they had defected and "liberated" the city from troops supporting Gaddafi, two residents said.
Libya is a major energy producer with significant investment from Britain's BP, Exxon Mobil of the United States and Italy's ENI among others. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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