Frontline Blog

Monday 28 February 2011

Gaddafi's mercenaries paraded at gunpoint

Posted On 19:55 by El NACHO 0 comments

The price of war: Gaddafi's mercenaries paraded at gunpoint as rebels continue to seize Libyan cities : "The town of Zawiya, just 30 miles west of Tripoli, is marvelling at the miracle of its own liberation.

In the town square today, thousands were chanting 'Down, Down with the regime!' - the same chant which helped topple dictatorships in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt.

Posters of Libya's leader have been torn down, the police station is a smouldering wreck, and copies of Gaddafi's infamous 'Green Book' - his manifesto for 41 years of dictatorship - lie torn and abandoned amid the debris of several days of ferocious fighting."

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End this official silence on the SAS

Posted On 19:46 by El NACHO 0 comments

SAS and Elite Forces: The Elite Military Units of the WorldEnd this official silence on the SAS | Richard Norton-Taylor | Comment is free | The Guardian: "The letters SAS conjure up exotic, dangerous, and covert operations. This week the media had every reason to highlight the role played by Britain's special forces in supporting the missions by RAF Hercules aircraft to evacuate oil workers stranded deep in the Libyan desert. Armed SAS troops were in the Hercules on Saturday and Sunday as the planes landed at pre-arranged locations. Small-arms fire entered the cockpit of the last Hercules to land in the desert on Sunday and hit a pilot's helmet. He was unhurt, but it could have been serious. (The rebel group later apologised, saying they mistook the plane for a Gaddafi regime aircraft.)

The missions were meticulously planned and when there is no reliable or up-to-date intelligence, it is better to take precautions, defence officials say. And for the government it was a hugely welcome distraction from the criticism of delay and muddle over its initial handling of the crisis. Yet officially the Ministry of Defence has a policy of never commenting on the operations of Britain's special forces. The incident involving the helmet of the Hercules' pilot was not officially revealed, or even confirmed, but clearly was not going to be kept quiet for long. Officially, more can be said about MI5 and MI6 than the SAS or its naval equivalent, the SBS."

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UK rescue plane had a 'narrow escape'

Posted On 19:26 by El NACHO 0 comments

C-130 Hercules (Take Off in Sunset) Art Poster Print - 11x17 Libya unrest: UK rescue plane had a 'narrow escape': "Disaster was narrowly averted when small arms fire entered the cockpit of a RAF C130 Hercules evacuating Britons and foreign nationals from Libya, it has emerged.

One round bounced off the pilot's helmet but he was unscathed during Sunday's rescue of oil workers.

Earlier, 50 Britons and 150 foreign nationals arrived in Malta on HMS Cumberland as evacuation efforts go on.

David Cameron has urged Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to 'go now'.

The prime minister said the north African country had no future 'that includes him'.

The BBC's Frank Gardner confirmed details of the narrow escape during the evacuation of oil workers - 20 of whom were British - from the desert."

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Welsh oilmen tell of Libya rescue by British forces

Posted On 16:45 by El NACHO 0 comments

Welsh oilmen tell of Libya rescue by British forces: "Two oil workers from south Wales have told how British forces rescued them from Libya.

Marsden Sims, 63, a civil engineer from Tonyrefail, was among 218 British and foreign nationals taken to Malta on board HMS Cumberland on Monday.

He said looters had targeted his works compound at Messla.

Another man, Darren Simmons, from Cardiff, was flown out by the SAS, and he described them as 'absolutely exceptional'.

Mr Simmons, who was working in an oil field several hours from Tripoli, said: 'We had a phone call Saturday morning at 10 o' clock to say just get your basic essentials and we'd be picked up at 11 o' clock, by whom we didn't know.'

He said he and colleagues were taken to a desert camp where an RAF Hercules was waiting for them to board.

Mr Simmons was one of 154 people flown out."


Libya and Tunisia prompt France foreign policy changes

Posted On 16:43 by El NACHO 0 comments

 Libya and Tunisia prompt France foreign policy changes: "Stung by criticism they were slow to react to the crises in Egypt and Tunisia, the French are moving to regain the initiative in north Africa.

On Sunday night came the widely expected resignation of Foreign Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie, embroiled in weeks of controversy surrounding her handling of the Tunisian crisis.

Now comes a French move to win hearts and minds in the new Libya: the first consignment of humanitarian aid.

The two planes France sent to the eastern city of Benghazi carried doctors, nurses, medicine and medical equipment to ease the pressure on hospitals in the east of Libya.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon hailed 'the beginning of a massive operation of humanitarian support for the populations of the liberated territories'.

'And you will have seen that France was in the forefront of the decisions taken to sanction Col Gaddafi,' he said.

'We were the ones who called on the European Council to adopt a joint position on this matter.'"


International Pressure on Qaddafi Intensifies

Posted On 16:37 by El NACHO 0 comments

International Pressure on Qaddafi Intensifies : "An international campaign to force Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi out of office gathered pace on Monday as the European Union adopted an arms embargo and other sanctions, the opposition showed increasing signs of organization in the east, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton bluntly told the Libyan leader to surrender power “now, without further violence or delay.”"


Former SAS troops put their skills on private market in hotspots like Libya

Posted On 12:08 by El NACHO 0 comments

Former SAS troops put their skills on private market in hotspots like Libya .YOU find them wherever there is conflict, civil war, domestic terrorism, major organised crime or a natural disaster.

Members of The Circuit are drawn to danger zones not for money or romance, but because it’s the job they know best."


Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself on December 17

Posted On 12:03 by El NACHO 0 comments

Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself on December 17, he ignited a revolution across the entire Arab region.

The 26-year-old Tunisian died of his injuries on January 5 and the impact of his self-immolation has since spread far beyond the borders of his own country. Few nations have remained immune, with full-scale uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.

To date, the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt have resigned. The absolute monarchy in Bahrain is likely to be transformed into a constitutional monarchy, Yemen’s President Saleh is struggling, and the Libyan president has lost control over most of his country. Few Middle East observers would have believed, even months ago, that unarmed, peaceful demonstrators insisting on democratic rights and freedoms could have wrought such change in so short a time, and toppled some of the world’s most ruthless dictators."


Libyan rebels set for battle with troops

Posted On 11:11 by El NACHO 0 comments

The regime, eager to reinforce its view that Libya was calm and under its control, took visiting journalists to Zawiya, 30 miles west of the Tripoli yesterday.

But the tour merely confirmed that rebels controlled the centre of the city of 200,000 people.

The charred hulks of cars littered the city, many buildings were pockmarked by bullets, and most streets were blocked by felled palm trees or metal barricades.

Maverick State: Gaddafi and the New World Order (Global Issues)Police stations and government offices have been torched, and anti-Gaddafi graffiti - labelling him a 'mass murderer' - was everywhere. In the main square, an effigy of the leader hung from a lamp post with the words 'Execute Gaddafi' on its chest.

The mood was generally upbeat although the anticipation of a renewed attempt to retake the city was causing some anxiety.

'We are all wanted,' said one man who did not want to give his name for fear of reprisals. 'Zawiya in our hands is a direct threat to Tripoli.'

On Zawiya's outskirts were pro-Gaddafi forces, also backed by tanks and anti-aircraft guns."


Libyan rebels set for battle with troops - Africa, World - The Independent

Posted On 11:10 by El NACHO 0 comments

Libyan rebels set for battle with troops - Africa, World - The Independent: "The regime, eager to reinforce its view that Libya was calm and under its control, took visiting journalists to Zawiya, 30 miles west of the Tripoli yesterday.

But the tour merely confirmed that rebels controlled the centre of the city of 200,000 people.

The charred hulks of cars littered the city, many buildings were pockmarked by bullets, and most streets were blocked by felled palm trees or metal barricades.

Police stations and government offices have been torched, and anti-Gaddafi graffiti - labelling him a 'mass murderer' - was everywhere. In the main square, an effigy of the leader hung from a lamp post with the words 'Execute Gaddafi' on its chest.

The mood was generally upbeat although the anticipation of a renewed attempt to retake the city was causing some anxiety.

'We are all wanted,' said one man who did not want to give his name for fear of reprisals. 'Zawiya in our hands is a direct threat to Tripoli.'

On Zawiya's outskirts were pro-Gaddafi forces, also backed by tanks and anti-aircraft guns."


Saturday 26 February 2011

Apology for a solution to crisis management

Posted On 20:17 by El NACHO 0 comments

"Those Britons still stranded in Libya can take comfort: their Prime Minister is “extremely sorry”.

David Cameron is about as sorry, in fact, as it is possible for a prime minister to be before the word abject springs to mind. His compatriots are just sorry they’re not Dutch, German, Russian, French or Chinese.

Mr Cameron has had the air, though, of one who feels as though he’s the real victim of the Libyan crisis. You can just about see his point. Everything that could go wrong, short of HMS Cumberland springing a leak, has gone wrong. In the modern bureaucrat’s jargon, his Government has failed in its “core function” – looking after its own people – at every turn."


Libya was the Coalition's first big test - and they failed it

Posted On 20:04 by El NACHO 0 comments

Libya was the Coalition's first big test - and they failed it - mirror.co.uk: "How right he was! And now we see what happens when you put boys in men’s jobs. A Tory-led government of bumbling amateurs, in total confusion, life-and-death danger facing Britons caught up the Libyan revolt.

Our people risked Colonel Gaddafi’s armed thugs in the streets of Tripoli or camped under siege in the desert, while Dodgy Dave Cameron toured the Middle East – not to bring peace but to sell arms.

His teenage deputy Nick Clegg simply forgot he was in charge.

He looks as if he’s having a nervous breakdown. The Government is certainly having a collective nervous breakdown.

Foreign Secretary William Hague, supposedly the one experienced hand in the Cabinet, told the world that Mad Dog Gaddafi had run away to Venezuela – while he was running up an umbrella in front of TV cameras in Tripoli.

Days after the rest of European governments got their people out, Vague Hague bleated “Yes, we have had a problem.” Too right, Houston. The only no-fly zone he could organise was in Gatwick."


RAF planes rescue 150 from Libya

Posted On 20:01 by El NACHO 0 comments

 RAF planes rescue 150 from Libya: "Two RAF Hercules have rescued about 150 workers from the Libyan desert, Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said.

The planes, carrying Britons and other foreign nationals, have reached Malta.

Fears had been growing for British citizens left in the country which has been plunged into chaos as protests against Col Gaddafi's regime continue.

Meanwhile, the last government-chartered flight on which Britons could escape has left Tripoli and the British embassy there has suspended operations."


Qaddafi Vows More Deadly Attacks as Army Units Defect

Posted On 19:59 by El NACHO 0 comments

Qaddafi Vows More Deadly Attacks as Army Units Defect: "Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi vowed to fight a growing rebellion until his 'last drop of blood,' as parts of the capital of Tripoli resembled a war zone and some of his followers and troops defected to the opposition.

In Tripoli, bodies were left in the streets after an attack on protesters by pro-Qaddafi gunmen, the opposition National Front for the Salvation of Libya said. In the eastern city of Benghazi, where the protests began, the flag of the constitutional monarchy overthrown by Qaddafi in 1969 flew on streets and over several buildings and there were no security forces in evidence except traffic police, witnesses said."


SAS in Libya ready to help stranded Britons

Posted On 19:56 by El NACHO 0 comments

SAS in Libya ready to help stranded Britons "THE SAS has flown a snatch squad into Libya as fears grew for the safety of hundreds of stranded British citizens.

A source said: “We can no longer rest on our laurels. Everything is now being done to get our people home safely so the SAS has been sent in to extract anyone in difficulty.”

It is understood that the elite unit flew into Tripoli on an RAF Hercules troop carrier plane yesterday and more are on standby. The small detachment is also there to protect the C-130 aircraft as it lifts UK ­citizens and embassy staff out of Tripoli.

The crisis has also exposed the Hereford-based SAS as dangerously undermanned and under-resourced due to the ­Coalition’s defence cuts.

A senior military source said: “Special forces from the West are in Libya, all rescuing their citizens, many trained by us. It’s ironic in some cases they are the least resourced.”"


Moamer Kadhafi set for battle

Posted On 13:42 by El NACHO 0 comments

Moamer Kadhafi set for battle "Embattled leader Moamer Kadhafi offered to arm civilians to defeat a popular revolt that poses the worst threat to his four-decade rule.

The UN Security Council called a special session to consider a sanctions resolution against the Libyan leader on top of those from President Barack Obama and the European Union in a clear attempt to weaken his teetering regime.

The escalating revolt to overthrow Kadhafi, which a Libyan diplomat to the United Nations said has killed thousands, has seen opponents grab almost the entire east and loyalists embark on shooting sprees in the capital.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose country is the former colonial power in Libya, became the first Western leader to spell out that Kadhafi appeared to have lost control of the situation."


Gaddafi threatens to 'burn all of Libya' if protesters do not cease

Posted On 13:28 by El NACHO 0 comments

Gaddafi threatens to 'burn all of Libya' if protesters do not cease "Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi has threatened to 'burn all of Libya' if the citizens do not cease protests against him.

In a surprise televised appearance, Gaddafi warned he was ready to unleash further bloodshed and urged his followers: 'Prepare to defend Libya.'

He told loyalists in Tripoli's Green Square that 'we will defeat any outside attempt to overturn our country', and bizarrely added: 'Libyan people love me.'

He was attempting to stage a dramatic last attempt to cling on to power as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Libya."


‘SAS swoop to rescue Aberdeen oil workers from Libya’

Posted On 12:36 by El NACHO 0 comments

‘SAS swoop to rescue Aberdeen oil workers from Libya’ - Evening Express: "SPECIAL forces troops have been drafted in to rescue Aberdeen oil workers stranded in crisis-hit Libya, it was claimed today.

The Regiment: The Real Story of the SASIt was understood the SAS is involved in the operation to recover expats from remote desert compounds.

The move came as Lee Hutchison, 23, told how he was struggling to contact dad Billy, of Aberdeen, as a UK Government-backed evacuation of the country continued."


Libya: SAS return to land of its birth

Posted On 12:31 by El NACHO 0 comments

Libya: SAS return to land of its birth |: "The places evoke past battles and names of celebrated commanders: Tobruk, Tripoli, Monty, Rommel, Wavell, Auchinleck.

In some of the most significant battles of the second world war, British-led troops in the western desert pushed the axis forces out of north Africa. Now the Libyan-Egyptian border area is witnessing another seismic development – opposition to a dictatorial colonel only recently considered virtually invulnerable.

Secret Operations of the SASIt is also the birthplace of the SAS, whose troops have been waiting in Malta primed to return, not this time to blow up enemy supply lines, but to rescue stranded British civilians who have been busy restoring the country's infrastructure. And, in contrast to 70 years ago, the British government is refusing to discuss the SAS's putative mission.

The idea this time is that they would fly in with an empty RAF Hercules, rather than in trucks laden with extra fuel tanks with no room for any escapees. The SAS was formed in 1941 and was praised for its derring-do even by the Desert Fox, Field Marshal Rommel. In one of their first successful missions, they attacked three airfields in Libya, destroying 60 aircraft. The group's battle honours include Tobruk in 1941 and a raid on Benghazi in 1942."


SAS to rescue British oil workers stranded in Libyan desert

Posted On 12:27 by El NACHO 0 comments

On Patrol with the SAS: Sleeping with Your Ears OpenSAS poised to rescue British oil workers stranded in Libyan desert "SAS troops, with a unit of paras in support, are poised to help an estimated 150 British oil company workers stranded in isolated parts of the Libyan desert.

They were believed to be on standby in Malta ready to extricate the British nationals as the frigate HMS Cumberland prepared to arrive at the Mediterranean island with 200 Britons on board. The frigate HMS York was ordered to head east for the Libyan coast, though the captain had not yet been instructed with any specific task, defence officials said.

Officials referred to a 'range of assets' now available to British forces in the region. They are understood to include Chinook helicopters, Hercules aircraft which can land and take off on relatively short strips, and larger C17 aircraft which could land only at places with large airfields, such as Tripoli or Benghazi.A government official familiar with contingency plans that have been drawn up said: 'There are small pockets of people in a massive area'. He was referring to British oil workers stuck in the desert, at risk from attacks and looting."

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Libya unrest: Britons urged to flee Tripoli

Posted On 11:20 by El NACHO 0 comments

Libya unrest: Britons urged to flee Tripoli: "Any Britons still in the Libyan capital Tripoli have been urged to board the final government-chartered rescue flight due to leave the country later.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said it was 'very important' to get on board as violent anti-regime protests continued.

He also said plans were being made to help UK oil workers stuck in desert areas, but could not give any details.

Meanwhile, 68 Britons were among 207 people who arrived in Malta on the navy frigate HMS Cumberland overnight.

The passengers will catch flights home while the ship returns to Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, to pick up more people, probably on Sunday. A second warship, HMS York, is also being sent."


Libya revolt: Tripoli braced as Gaddafi arms supporters

Posted On 11:18 by El NACHO 0 comments

 Tripoli braced as Gaddafi arms supporters: "People in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, are braced for further battles after the country's leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi, said he would open weapons depots to arm his supporters.

Evacuations of thousands of foreign workers are continuing, by air, by sea and overland, but some remain trapped.

The US has blocked transactions involving the assets of Col Gaddafi and some close associates.

The UN estimates more than 1,000 have died in the 10-day-old revolt.

On Friday, an anti-government demonstration in the Libyan capital Tripoli came under heavy gunfire."


Friday 25 February 2011

Gunfire erupts in Libyan capital

Posted On 18:54 by El NACHO 0 comments

Gunfire erupts in Libyan capital | Herald Sun: "Libya's third city, Misurata, just 160km east of the capital, was deserted by regime loyalists Friday, a resident said, although deadly clashes were still raging at a nearby air base.

Al Jazeera reported that the western border with Tunisia remained in government hands and that those fleeing the chaos were being stripped of electronic equipment to prevent images from being distributed.

A witness said government forces shot dead four people who were trying to flee.

The towns of Zawiyah and Zwara, between Tripoli and the border, were in opposition hands, but Sky News reported that Ghadafi's forces were fighting back on the outskirts of Zawiyah.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said that 'thousands' possibly died after the uprising against Ghadafi began February 15, and the UN's food agency warned that food supplies there were running low.

Ghadafi's oldest son, Saif al Islam Ghadafi, said in an interview with CNN Turk that the regime would not destroy the nation's oil resources, although reports suggested that most of the industry was in opposition hands.

The younger Ghadafi said that the family planned 'to live and die in Libya' and had no intention of fleeing overseas."


Libya Moves to Bribe Its People into Peace

Posted On 18:48 by El NACHO 0 comments

 Libya Moves to Bribe Its People into Peace - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency: "In a desperate bid to hold on to power, the embattled Libyan government announced Friday it mulls a significant increase in wages and more food subsidies for its people.

Libyan TV reports have said that every family will receive about USD 400 to help cover increased food prices, and that salaries for some public sector workers would increase by 150 percent.

Meanwhile, disturbing videos have been uploaded in YouTube, showing dead and bloody bodies of people who are reportedly soldiers, after they were executed for refusing to shoot demonstrators. Other videos show civilians preparing mass graves in Libya. As of Thursday, the 8th day of the ongoing unrest, reports say as many as 2,000 people have lost their lives.

On Friday, the EU announced it will decide within days on what sanctions it could impose on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi."


Gadhafi has always threatened Libyans with annihilation

Posted On 18:43 by El NACHO 0 comments

Mansour El-Kikhia: Gadhafi will stop at nothing to remain in power; Obama needs to do more – Parker Spitzer - CNN.com Blogs: "Gadhafi has always threatened Libyans with annihilation. He imprisoned tortured, and murdered at will without restraint. Hundreds of Libyans have died under torture and many more in his foreign adventures. Gadhafi’s hired killers in the United States and Europe pursued exiles and many were murdered. He ordered the destruction of foreign and Libyan civilian aircrafts, supported civil wars in Africa and Asia that took the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.

Murder and mayhem is not something new for Mr. Gadhafi. He is has become quite adept at it and killing Libyan to remain in power is another day’s work. Indeed few rulers in modern history have hired mercenaries in the numbers that Mr. Gadhafi has employed to murder his own people. The man will stop at nothing to remain in power. He is currently proving that."


US considers closing embassy in Tripoli-official

Posted On 18:39 by El NACHO 0 comments

US considers closing embassy in Tripoli-official | Reuters: "United States is considering closing its embassy in Tripoli amid violence between supporters of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-government protesters, a U.S. official said on Friday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the move was being considered but no decision had been made."


Libya unrest: Gaddafi's supporters carrying heavy arms don't want the people to gather. .

Posted On 18:35 by El NACHO 0 comments

 Libya unrest: Eyewitness accounts: "people are just horrified. Gaddafi's supporters carrying heavy arms don't want the people to gather. They were just coming out in a crowd. They caused a massacre.

They started even shooting at whoever wanted to check what happened to the injured people. These people are not armed, they just came out from the mosque. They were just praying.

The whole neighbourhood is terrified - they are shooting at civilians, just so that one person can stay in power”

It was unbelievable. I had to run away.

We were trying to help a man and stop his bleeding. He was talking - he was OK. There are people lying on the street.

Nobody could take them. They were using ambulances to shoot at people - can you believe it? They were using anti-aircraft weapons. They were shooting continuously.

You'd think you are in a war zone. This is a civil area. People are not armed.

I am so shocked, about what happened today. The whole neighbourhood is terrified. They are shooting at civilians, just so that one person can stay in power. This is unbelievable."


Thursday 24 February 2011

Libyan Military Officers Defect : The Two-Way : NPR

Posted On 14:59 by El NACHO 0 comments

Libyan Military Officers Defect : The Two-Way : NPR: "Eastern Libya appears to be controlled by forces and protesters who oppose embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. NPR's Lourdes Garcia Navarro entered the region and tells Morning Edition the Libyans she's spoken to fear that Gadhafi is 'unhinged', 'insane' and he'll continue his violent, unpredictable behavior.

Libyan Major Colonel Sulieman Mahmoud talked with Lourdes and other journalists yesterday and says he defected from Gadhafi's command when he learned troops were killing Libyan protesters. Lourdes says the country's justice minister has quit; the New York Times says the interior minister has resigned.

Gadhafi: Webster's Timeline History, 1970 - 2007As Mark noted, Gadhafi spoke furiously for an hour yesterday blaming intoxicated youth and terrorists for the violence and warning he'll cleanse Libya himself if he has to."


Hungary: suspected Nazi war criminal Sandor Képiró to face trial - Foreign - The Sofia Echo

Posted On 14:55 by El NACHO 0 comments

Hunting Evil: The Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped and the Quest to Bring Them to JusticeHungary: suspected Nazi war criminal Sandor Képiró to face trial - Foreign - The Sofia Echo: "Former Hungarian gendarmerie officer Sándor Képíró has been indicted for alleged war crimes committed almost 70 years ago, the Budapest prosecutor’s office announced on February 14. Képíró, who turned 97 last Friday, has been top of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center’s most-wanted list since 2006, the Budapest Times reported on February 22.

The charges relate to events in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina in January 1942 that became known as the Novi Sad massacre. Hundreds of civilians were forced to walk onto the frozen Danube river, where they were either shot or allowed to fall through the ice. Hungarian estimates suggest that over 3 000 mostly Serbian and Jewish victims were killed during six days of reprisals against the activity of Yugoslav partisans.

Hungary was allied to Nazi Germany and the axis powers during the Second World War, and Képíró was a captain in the Hungarian gendarmerie."


Serbia police search for Croatian Serb fugitive sought by UN war crimes tribunal

Posted On 14:42 by El NACHO 0 comments

The UN International Criminal Tribunals: The Former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone Serbia police search for Croatian Serb fugitive sought by UN war crimes tribunal: "Serbian police are searching three locations as part of efforts to capture Goran Hadzic, one of the two remaining fugitives sought by a U.N. war crimes court.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic says the searches were launched early Thursday northwest of Belgrade. He gave no other details.
Serbia must arrest Hadzic and genocide suspect Ratko Mladic if it wants to move closer to EU membership. The chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor for the former Yugoslavia Serge Brammertz visited this week to check progress on the issue.
Former Croatian Serb leader Hadzic is wanted by the court in The Hague, Netherlands, for atrocities in the Croatian war, while wartime Bosnian Serb commander Mladic is accused of orchestrating the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica."


Serbian police general guilty of Kosovo war crimes

Posted On 14:39 by El NACHO 0 comments

Under Orders: War Crimes in KosovoSerbian police general guilty of Kosovo war crimes: "The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Wednesday sentenced Serbian police general Vlastimir Djordjevic to 27 years in prison for war crimes in the Kosovo conflict.

Djordjevic, 62, was found guilty of persecution on racial grounds, the forcible deportation of 800,000 Kosovo Albanians, inhumane acts, and the murder of at least 724 people by forces under his control.

He was the head of Serbia's police forces during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.

The court ruled that Djordjevic was a part of a joint criminal enterprise, led by then-Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, aimed at altering the ethnic balance in Kosovo to the detriment of the majority Kosovo Albanians.

His crimes include the murder of Albanian civilians, their expulsion from their homes and villages, and the torching of their property and shrines.

The forces commanded by Djordjevic were also involved in burying hundreds of murdered civilians in mass graves in an effort to hide the atrocities, the court found."


Gaddafi 'will follow Hitler's footsteps' | Herald Sun

Posted On 14:35 by El NACHO 0 comments

The Psychopathic God: Adolph HitlerGaddafi 'will follow Hitler's footsteps' | Herald Sun: "ONE of Muammar Gaddafi's former ministers has predicted that the Libyan leader will follow in Adolph Hitler's footsteps by committing suicide, rather than give up power.
Mustapha Abdeljalil, justice minister until he quit over the bloody crackdown on protesters, told Sweden's Expressen that he expected Gaddafi to make good on his pledge to die on Libyan soil rather than slink into exile.
'Gaddafi's time is up. He is going to go like Hitler, he is going to commit suicide,' he told the paper.

Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin in April 1945 as he witnessed the disintegration of the Nazi German empire."


Yemeni Mine Blast Raises Tension - WSJ.com

Posted On 14:24 by El NACHO 0 comments

In the Name of Unity: The Yemeni Governments Brutal Response to Southern Movement ProtestsYemeni Mine Blast Raises Tension - WSJ.com: "A mine placed on the route of an antigovernment protest exploded prematurely, killing one and injuring two while raising tensions further in the country.

The explosion occurred in Lawder, a town notorious for antigovernment feeling. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion comes a day after Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered police to protect all demonstrators after two were killed late Tuesday night in the capital city of San'a. The recent protests have been relatively peaceful in San'a, despite occasional conflict between pro- and antigovernment demonstrators hurling rocks and firing assault rifles.

'President Ali Abdullah Saleh instructed all security services to thwart all clashes and prevent direct confrontation between pro- and antigovernment protestors,' a presidential aide said in a statement late Wednesday night. 'In addition, the directive demanded security services to offer full protection for the demonstrators' he added.The statement said the government will 'continue to protect the rights of its citizens to assemble peacefully and their right to freedom of expression.'"


Gaddafi is ecccentric but the firm master of his regime, Wikileaks cables say

Posted On 14:15 by El NACHO 0 comments

The Green Book: The Solution to the Problem of Democracy, The Solution to the Economic Problem, The Social Basis of the Third Universal TheoryGaddafi is ecccentric but the firm master of his regime, Wikileaks cables say: "Moammar Gaddafi, Libya's strongman ruler, is commonly portrayed as an egomaniacal buffoon - an autocrat with an affinity for incomprehensible speeches and a flair for the melodramatic.

But as seen through a trove of confidential U.S. diplomatic cables disclosed by the anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks, the Libyan leader has another side: a master schemer who has dominated the country and its fractious tribes for four decades by successfully manipulating everyone around him.

Since reopening an embassy in Tripoli two years ago, U.S. diplomats have gradually come to express an understated admiration for Gaddafi's political skills. Even as they describe him as 'mercurial' and 'notoriously erratic,' embassy officials document example after example of how the 68-year-old strongman has maintained his authority by skillfully marginalizing allies and rivals alike, including his power-hungry children."


Soldier faces international scrutiny, death penalty

Posted On 14:12 by El NACHO 0 comments

Soldier faces international scrutiny, death penalty: "An Indiana soldier charged with murder is making international headlines. I-Team 8 investigated how the Indiana soldier is sitting within two of the more controversial aspects of the war in Afghanistan. It includes the controversy of the strained relationship between the U.S. and Afghan President Karzai and how the military treats soldiers with mental instability in the war zone.

Indiana soldier Pfc. David Lawrence faces the death penalty for killing a top Taliban commander in a prison cell last October. The I-Team 8 investigation however, begins a full month before the killing and a soldiers request for help.

Brett Lawrence, the step-father of David Lawrence remembers the first indication that something had gone wrong.

'A text message saying I am being charged with premeditated murder — 8:30 in the morning on a Wednesday,” Lawrence said."


Wednesday 16 February 2011

Afghanistan violence to rise in 2011: U.S. military

Posted On 17:33 by El NACHO 0 comments

Afghanistan violence to rise in 2011: U.S. military | Reuters: "The prediction by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signals an escalation in the nearly decade-old conflict even as the United States prepares to start withdrawing troops in July.

'We expect the violence coming in 2011 to be greater than last year,' Mullen said in a statement submitted to the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, without saying whether this implied a rise in U.S. military casualties.

'The fighting will be tough and often costly, but it is necessary to sustain and even increase the pressure we have been placing on the insurgent groups.'"


Exposed: The lie that led us into Iraq - The Week

Posted On 17:28 by El NACHO 0 comments

Exposed: The lie that led us into Iraq - The Week: "IRAQ WAR


Exposed: The lie that led us into Iraq
The Iraqi defector who claimed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction has finally confessed that he made the whole thing up. An instant guide
POSTED ON FEBRUARY 16, 2011, AT 10:12 AM


Eight years after then–Secretary of State Colin Powell used harrowing stories of Saddam Hussein's alleged biological and chemical weapons programs to make the Bush administration's case for invading Iraq, the man who supplied intel agents with those stories admits he made them up. Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, known to U.S. and other Western spy agencies as 'Curveball,' tells The Guardian that he 'fabricated' the whole WMD tale in the hopes of bringing Hussein down. He certainly helped, but what's his real story?"


Pregnant soldier on front line

Posted On 17:25 by El NACHO 0 comments

The Press Association: Pregnant soldier on front line: "British soldier served on the front line in Afghanistan while she was seven months' pregnant, it has been revealed.
Sources said Private Kayla Donnelly, 21, did not know she was carrying her baby while fighting in Helmand province from March to September last year.
The machine gunner from 12 Logistic Support only discovered she was pregnant with her son Josh when her contractions began while on holiday in Tenerife.
Pte Donnelly, of Penrith, Cumbria, gave birth just two weeks after leaving Afghanistan.
According to The Sun, Josh's father, Pte Aaron McMillan, was in Afghanistan at the same time as Pte Donnelly, but is now back home in Manchester.
It is Army policy not to send pregnant soldiers to the front line and to return them home immediately if they become aware they are carrying a baby."


Blast photographer wounds 'severe'

Posted On 17:19 by El NACHO 0 comments

The Press Association: Blast photographer wounds 'severe': "The family of a London photographer blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan have said in a statement that his injuries are 'severe and complex'.
Giles Duley, 39, underwent multiple amputations after the blast in Kandahar on Monday last week, before being flown back to the UK.
He had been embedded with US troops when he was critically injured by an improvised explosive device.
He was brought back to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for further surgery, and was said to be in a stable condition on Saturday.
In a statement, his family said: 'Giles has been through an extremely traumatic experience over the past week.
'His injuries are severe and complex but his doctors ensure us his progression is as would be expected.
'It will be a long road ahead for Giles but, knowing him as we do, we are sure he will face this enormous challenge with the determination he has always demonstrated."


UK soldier killed in Afghanistan blast named

Posted On 17:16 by El NACHO 0 comments

BBC News - UK soldier killed in Afghanistan blast named: "A soldier killed in a blast in southern Afghanistan on Monday has been named by the Ministry of Defence.

L/Cpl Kyle Cleet Marshall, of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, died after being caught in a roadside bomb blast in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

The 23-year-old, from Newcastle upon Tyne, had been due to marry his fiancee, Hayley, in July.

The UK death toll since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001 is 357.

Lt Col Andrew Harrison, commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, said: 'He died as he lived, at the front, guiding his men, surrounded by friends and at the very tip of the battalion spear.'"


Army parade protesters lose appeal

Posted On 17:05 by El NACHO 0 comments

The Press Association: Army parade protesters lose appeal: "The focus on minority rights 'should not result in overlooking the rights of the majority' when it comes to freedom of speech, the High Court has said.
Two judges were rejecting appeals by five Muslim men who staged a protest as British soldiers who had recently returned from Afghanistan paraded through Luton.
They ruled the protests, which included accusing the troops of being 'rapists, murderers and baby killers', went well beyond 'legitimate expressions of protest'.
The five demonstrated against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as the Second Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Poachers, made its way through the city on March 10 2009.
The group was all convicted of public order offences by Luton Magistrates' Court. Jalal Ahmed, 22, Munim Abdul, 29, Yousaf Bashir, 30, Shajjadar Choudhury, 32, and Ziaur Rahman, 33, all from Luton, were found guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress."


Villagers fear RAF cuts

Posted On 17:02 by El NACHO 0 comments

Villagers fear RAF cuts: "One North Yorkshire community has expressed concerns about the impact of RAF cuts on their village.
The RAF is facing a 25% cut in trainee pilots as part of the defence review.
It is not known how many trainees at RAF Linton-on-Ouse will lose their jobs, but villagers say many local services depend on the base.
Many customers in the village shop, the local pub and some of the children at the local school are from, or have connections to, military families.
RAF Linton-on-Ouse opened in the late 1930s and remains one of the busiest airfields in the country. The base currently serves as a major training centre for RAF pilots.
The latest announcement follows news that around 25,000 civilian posts in the armed forces will be cut"


Fire death soldiers in Afghanistan named

Posted On 16:50 by El NACHO 0 comments

BBC News - Fire death soldiers in Afghanistan named: "Two British soldiers who died on Monday in a fire at Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan have been named by the Ministry of Defence.

Early signs suggested Pte Robert Wood and Pte Dean Hutchinson, both of The Royal Logistic Corps, died after a domestic fire at the base in Helmand.

The cause is being investigated but it is not thought to be the result of enemy action, the MoD said."

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