Libya: Missile strike destroys Gaddafi 'command centre' 21 March 2011Last updated at 11:53 Libyan government spokesman Ibrahim Musa said the strike had targeted an "administrative building" A missile strike has destroyed a building in Libya's capital, Tripoli, which Western officials say was one of Col Muammar Gaddafi's command centres. Journalists were shown the wrecked building but it was not clear if there were any casualties. Countries including the US, UK and France are continuing strikes after the UN authorised action to protect Libyan civilians from government forces. Col Gaddafi has been fighting a rebellion that broke out last month. US and UK officials say Col Gaddafi himself is not a target of the air strikes, which they insist are aimed at his troops and air defence systems. The chief of the UK defence staff, Gen Sir David Richards, told the BBC that targeting the Libyan leader was "not allowed under the UN resolution".
A Libyan official said 64 people had been killed in strikes at the weekend, but the figure could not be verified. Mohammad Nabbous, face of citizen journalism in Libya, is killed | World news. The death has been announced of Mohammad Nabbous, described as the "face of citizen journalism in Libya". Nabbous was apparently shot dead by Gaddafi forces in Benghazi on Saturday. Known as "Mo", Nabbous set up Libya al-Hurra TV, which broadcast raw feeds and commentary from Benghazi, on Livestream. Allies Split Over Final Goal of Libya Mission. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters Rebel fighters take cover during a shelling near Ajdabiyah, Libya on Thursday. A New Arab Generation Finds Its Voice Video interviews with more than two dozen people under 30, from Libya to the West Bank, talking about their generation’s moment in history and prospects for the future.
The United States has all but called for Colonel Qaddafi’s overthrow from within — with American commanders on Thursday openly calling on the Libyan military to stop following orders — even as administration officials insist that is not the explicit objective of the bombing, and that their immediate goal is more narrowly defined. has gone further, recognizing the Libyan rebels as the country’s legitimate representatives, but other allies, even those opposed to Colonel Qaddafi’s erratic and authoritarian rule, have balked. That has complicated the planning and execution of the military campaign and left its objective ill defined for now. But even that agreement — brokered by Mrs.
Mr. Libya declares immediate ceasefire - Africa. Libya's government has announced an immediate ceasefire against pro-democracy protesters, hours after the United Nations Security Council authorised a no-fly zone over the country. In a statement televised on Friday, Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister, said his government was interested in protecting all civilians and foreigners. "We decided on an immediate ceasefire and on an immediate stop to all military operations," he said, adding "[Libya] takes great interest in protecting civilians". Koussa said because his country was a member of the United Nations it was "obliged to accept the UN Security Council's resolutions".
Despite the announcement, there were reports late on Friday that government forces were closing in on the eastern city of Benghazi, where witnesses reported a loud blast followed by anti-aircraft fire. But Libya's deputy foreign minister told reporters that the presence of forces around Benghazi did not constitute a violation of the ceasefire. 'Buying time' Arab states seek Libya no-fly zone - Africa. The Arab League has called on the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in a bid to protect civilians from air attack in the ongoing battle against the more than 41-year rule of leader Muammar Gaddafi. Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman's foreign minister, announced the decision at a press conference on Saturday following a meeting of the bloc's ministers in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Abdullah, who chaired the meeting, said the decision was agreed upon by all of the member states that attended Saturday's talks.
Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, said the main goal of the decision is to protect the civilian population of Libya. "The Arab League has officially requested the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone against any military action against the Libyan people," Moussa said. Earlier, in an interview with a German magazine, Moussa acknowledged that he did not know "how nor who [would] impose this zone, that remains to be seen". Arab League backs Libya no-fly zone. 12 March 2011Last updated at 20:42 Rebel fighters have tried to fight off warplanes with whatever weapons they have The Arab League has backed the idea of a no-fly zone over Libya, as rebels continue to be pushed back by Colonel Gaddafi's forces. A special meeting in Cairo voted to ask the UN Security Council to impose the policy until the current crisis ended.
The UK and France have pushed for the idea, but have failed so far to win firm backing from the EU or Nato. Libyan rebel forces have meanwhile suffered fresh setbacks including the loss of the key oil port of Ras Lanuf. Reports suggested that the rebel front line had been pushed back even further back, towards the town of Ujala. The Arab League vote for a no-fly zone was opposed only by Syria and Algeria, reports from the Cairo meeting said. Nato has previously cited regional support for the idea as a key condition before it could possibly go ahead. Pascale Harter reports from Benghazi on the scale of protest. Obama signals willingness to intervene militarily in Libya if crisis worsens.
President Obama said Thursday that he had ordered plans giving the U.S. military "full capacity to act, potentially rapidly," in Libya if the situation there deteriorates. "I don't want us hamstrung," Obama said. He cited the possibility of a humanitarian crisis, or "a situation in which defenseless civilians were finding themselves trapped and in great danger," or "a stalemate that over time could be bloody" if Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi continues to resist international demands that he step down. Gaddafi "has lost legitimacy to lead, and he must leave," the president said. But in his first public statement on Libya since the outbreak of widespread armed conflict between opposition forces and those loyal to Gaddafi, Obama expressed several notes of caution, stressing that the United States must act only "in consultation . . . with the international community.
" Activists in Benghazi, the eastern city that serves as the rebel capital, were calling for a million people to protest. Libyan Rebels, Invoking U.N., May Ask West for Airstrikes. Lynsey Addario for The New York Times New volunteer fighters loyal to the opposition movement attended their first day of training at a base in Benghazi, in eastern Libya, on Tuesday.
More Photos » By invoking the United Nations, a council of opposition leaders made up of lawyers, academics, judges and other prominent figures is seeking to draw a distinction between such airstrikes and foreign intervention, which the rebels said they emphatically opposed. “He destroyed the army; we have two or three planes,” said a spokesman for the council, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga. He refused to say if there would be any imminent announcement about such strikes, but he wanted to make it clear: “If it is with the United Nations, it is not a foreign intervention.” That distinction is lost on many people, and any call for foreign military help carries great risks. “If he falls with no intervention, I’d be happy,” one rebel leader said. The United States acknowledged the sensitivity concerning outside intervention. Gaddafi loses more Libyan cities - Africa.
Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's long-standing ruler, has reportedly lost control of more cities as anti-government protests continue to sweep the African nation despite his threat of a brutal crackdown. Protesters in Misurata said on Wednesday they had wrested the western city from government control. In a statement on the internet, army officers stationed in the city pledged "total support for the protesters". The protesters also seemed to be in control of much of the country's east, and an Al Jazeera correspondent, reporting from the city of Tobruk, 140km from the Egyptian border, said there was no presence of security forces. "From what I've seen, I'd say the people of eastern Libya are the ones in control," Hoda Abdel-Hamid, our correspondent, said.
She said there were no officials manning the border when the Al Jazeera team crossed into Libya. 'People in charge' "People tell me it's also quite calm in Bayda and Benghazi. "We are on the side of the people," he said. Defiant Gaddafi. Libya revolt spreads to Tripoli - Africa. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will fight a popular revolt to "the last man standing," one of his sons said on Monday as people in the capital joined protests for the first time after days of violent unrest in the eastern city of Benghazi. Anti-government protesters rallied in Tripoli's streets, tribal leaders spoke out against Gaddafi, and army units defected to the opposition as oil exporter Libya endured one of the bloodiest revolts to convulse the Arab world.
Speaking on state television on Monday, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said: "Our spirits are high and the leader Muammar Gaddafi is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army. "We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing ... we will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks. " In the coastal city of Benghazi protesters appeared to be largely in control after forcing troops and police to retreat to a compound. 'Gunshots in the street' 'Tribal revolt' Army 'defects'