Tuesday, 22. March 2011

The Netherlands participate in Odyssey Dawn Libya with F-16, KDC-10 tanker and the Minehunter HNLMS Haarlem


Nederland stuurt F16's en tankvliegtuigen naar Libië. Ook wordt de mijnenjager Hr. Ms. Haarlem ingezet.

Het kabinet vergadert vanavond speciaal over deelname aan een actie tegen Libië. De ministers praten dan over de zogeheten artikel-100-brief aan de Tweede Kamer.


Netherlands sends F-16s and refueling aircraft to Libya. Also, the mine hunter Hr. Ms. Haarlem deployed. The Cabinet meets tonight specifically about participating in an action against Libya. Ministers are talking about the so-called article 100 letter to the House.

nos.nl

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Analysis of Libyan no-fly zone mission by former First Sea Lord


Lord West - the former First Sea Lord and Security Minister under the previous government - has been assessing the military mission to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.

He spoke to Forces News presenter Kate Gerbeau who asked him about the handover of control from America to NATO and what the future shape of Libya could be if a stalemate ensues between the Gaddafi regime and rebel forces.

bfbs.com

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French jets launch Libya mission


Two French planes launched their first missions in Libya from the aircraft carrier Charles deGaulle today, France's armed forces spokesman said.

The two Rafale jets were on a reconnaissance mission and did not fire any shots, Colonel Thierry Burkhard said.

irishtimes.com

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Libyan city in 'catastrophic situation' as Gaddafi attacks continue


Doctors in Libya's rebel-held city of Misrata are operating on people with bullet and shrapnel wounds in hospital corridors after attacks by government forces killed dozens and wounded many more, residents said.

A resident reached by telephone told Reuters 40 people were killed in shelling on Monday. Tanks in the centre of the city were firing again on Tuesday and four young children were killed when the car they were in was hit, the resident said.

guardian.co.uk Caller to BBC from Misrata describes situation as “a catastrophe”.

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NATO has now decided to launch an operation to enforce the arms embargo against Libya.


All Allies are committed to meet their responsibilities under the United Nations resolution to stop the intolerable violence against Libyan civilians.

nato.int

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Ministry of defence briefing on libya conflict - Mar 22, 2011


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Sarkozy opposes Nato taking control of Libya operation


guardian.co.uk

reuters.com

NATO Sources: French want to protect their 'leadership' of air raids #Libya

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US says rate of attacks on Libya slowing


BUILDING on what US officials called a successful first stage of international military action in Libya, the focus is shifting to widening a no-fly zone across the North African country while continuing smaller-scale attacks on Libyan air defences and setting the stage for a humanitarian relief mission.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates and others said the US military's role will lessen in coming days as other countries take on more missions and the need declines for large-scale offensive action such as the barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired on Saturday and Sunday mainly by US ships and submarines off Libya's coast.

news.com.au

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Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces retreat from Benghazi


COLONEL Muammar Gaddafi has suffered a massive personal setback with one of his sons reportedly killed in a suicide air mission on his barracks.

Khamis, 27, who runs the feared Khamis Brigade that has been prominent in its role of attacking rebel-held areas, is said to have died on Saturday night.

A Libyan air force pilot crashed his jet into the Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli in a kamikaze attack, Algerian TV reported following an unsubstantiated claim by an anti-Gaddafi media organisation.

perthnow.com.au

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YemenipPresident Ali Abdullah Saleh told army commanders


that the current crisis is being escalated by the media. ''The nation is facing a crisis and this crisis has been escalating for two years, which has caused congestion among different political forces and reached a climax and tension," he said on speech boradcast on state television. It also led to the creation of an internal and external agenda against the military institution. Media plays an important role. People only watch satellite channels, they only respond to information from them [and] they also take decisions based on what they see on these channels."

4:14pm

Reuters - Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, says he is concerned about instability in Yemen but declined to say whether Yemen's leader should step down immediately. 4:54pm

6:16pm

Arab League representatives meeting in the Egyptian capital condemn "crimes against civilians" in Yemen and urge the government to deal with the people's demands in a "peaceful manner". <a href="blogs.aljazeera.net"target="_blank">aljazeera.net

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The UNHCR is advising anyone who can get out to LEAVE Libya now. It is possible the current conflict could cut off access to safe places and passage out of the country.


The UN refugee agency said on Friday it was ready to work with the Egyptian government to prepare for a massive influx of people fleeing the violence in Libya.

"The events in the coming days will be critical in determining whether mass displacement from the eastern part of Libya takes place," UNHCR's chief spokesperson, Melissa Fleming, told journalists in Geneva. She added that it was possible the current conflict could cut off access to safe places and passage out of the country.

UN Refugee Agency

Refugees middle-east-online.com

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Ex-Israeli President Sentenced to Prison for Rape


An Israeli court sentenced Moshe Katsav, the country’s former president, to seven years in prison for rape on Tuesday. The sentencing is the latest stage in a sordid drama that Israel’s leaders point to as proof of the principle of equality before the law, but one that has also seen the prestige of Israel’s highest office brought to a historic low.

nytimes.com

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