THE DOMINO EFFECT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

REBELS HAVE TAKEN BREGA

REBELS IN THE WESTERN HALF APPEAR TO BE PULLING ALONG A ROAD WITH AN EAST/WEST AXIS

Libyan Rebel Military Leader Is Killed

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11:13am UK, Friday July 29, 2011

The head of the Libyan rebel armed forces has been shot and killed just
before arriving for questioning by rebel authorities, their political leader has
said.










The carefully worded statement gave few details on who was behind the killing
of Abdel Fattah Younes, who had defected from Colonel Gaddafi's regime where he
had served as interior minister.

Hours earlier, the
rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) had said that they had already
detained the commander over suspicions his family might still have ties to the
regime of Colonel Gaddafi.

The confusion has raised questions about whether he might have been
assassinated by his own side.

But NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil told reporters: "I ask you to refrain from
paying attention to the rumours that Gaddafi's forces are trying to spread
within our ranks."

Announcing Gen Younes' death, Mr Jalil said: "With all sadness, I inform you
of the passing of Abdel Fatah Younes, the commander-in-chief of our rebel
forces."



Abdel Fattah Younes defected from Col Gaddafi's regime



He said "the person who carried out the assassination was captured", but did
not elaborate further.

Gen Younes had been called in from the front to answer questions over the
military situation, Mr Jalil said, adding that there would be three days of
mourning in his honour.

Gen Younes was part of the coup in 1969 that brought Colonel Gaddafi to
power.

A spokesman for the Gaddafi regime claimed he was assassinated because the
rebels believed he was working as a double agent.

News of the death came as rebel forces made some advances, seizing the town
of Al-Ghazaya - used as a base by Gaddafis' troops to fire rockets - and Umm
Al-Far, both near the Tunisian border.

Colonel Gaddafi had said he was ready to "sacrifice" in
order to defeat the rebels.

"We are not afraid. We will defeat them," he said in an audio message,
referring to the Nato alliance and the insurgents.

"We will pay the price with our lives, our women and our children. We are
ready to sacrifice (ourselves) to defeat the enemy," he added in a message to
loyalists in the town of Zaltan, also near the Tunisian border

REBELS ARE TRYING TO ADVANCE TOWARDS ZAWIYAH

REBELS HAVE CAPTURED BREGA?

REBELS MAY WELL REACH TRIPOLI BY END OF MONTH,I RECKON.

REBELS HAVE CUT HIGHWAY FROM TRIPOLI TO TUNISIA AT ZAWIYAH, NOT SURE WHAT PRESENT POSITION IS NOW.

Badboy,

This is the latest News, I"m just going to have my dinner now, but If you want to copy and paste, be my guest.


Battle As Libyan Rebels Recapture Key Town... I saw this on Sky Ticker and
thought it may interest you. Click on the link below to view the full article:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libyan-Rebels-Claim-They-Have-Re-Entered-Zawiyah-Amid-Gun-Battles-In-Key-Town-Close-To-Tripoli/Article/201108216049556?f=rss&DCMP=KNC-SkyTicker2
Sky Ticker is an application which keeps you updated with feeds from your
favourite sites. If you want Sky Ticker to appear on your own desktop, you can
visit http://skyticker.sky.com to find
out more and download the application.

Panda wrote:Badboy,

This is the latest News, I"m just going to have my dinner now, but If you want to copy and paste, be my guest.


Battle As Libyan Rebels Recapture Key Town... I saw this on Sky Ticker and
thought it may interest you. Click on the link below to view the full article:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libyan-Rebels-Claim-They-Have-Re-Entered-Zawiyah-Amid-Gun-Battles-In-Key-Town-Close-To-Tripoli/Article/201108216049556?f=rss&DCMP=KNC-SkyTicker2
Sky Ticker is an application which keeps you updated with feeds from your
favourite sites. If you want Sky Ticker to appear on your own desktop, you can
visit http://skyticker.sky.com to find
out more and download the application.

thanks for that update,panda,by end of next week,will rebels be in tripoli?

Libyan Rebels: 'No Talks With Gaddafi'

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10:54pm UK, Tuesday August 16, 2011

Rebels fighting to unseat Colonel Gaddafi have dismissed reports of secret
talks with the Libyan leader - after his forces fired the conflict's first scud
missile.










The 69-year-old is becoming increasingly isolated in the capital Tripoli,
with reinvigorated rebel forces closing in from the west and south.

And the country's National Transitional Council (NTC) denied any kind of
negotiation with the dictator to resolve the six-month-old conflict.

NTC leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said: "The NTC would like to affirm that there
are no negotiations either direct or indirect with the Gaddafi regime or with
the special envoy of the United Nations."

Gaddafi must step down and leave Libya, he said. "It is unthinkable to hold
any negotiations or talks that disregard this basic principle."





It comes after forces loyal to Gaddafi fired a scud missile near Brega,
according to reports.

The launch marked the first use of a tactical ballistic weapon by Gaddafi's
troops since the conflict started last March.

A warship off the coast monitored the launch from Col Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.

No-one is believed to have been hurt in the incident after the missile
"overshot" the target by about 50 miles and fell "harmlessly in the desert", a
US official said.







The missile attack comes after the US said Libyan rebel advances are choking
off Libyan forces in the capital Tripoli and significantly increasing pressure
on Col Gaddafi.

US state department spokewoman Victoria Nuland said an envoy from the rebel's
National Transitional Council had reopened Libya's
embassy in Washington, further formalising ties between the US and rebels.

"What we are seeing is an effort by the rebels to choke off the access routes
into Tripoli and to up the pressure on Gaddafi," Ms Nuland said.

"We're encouraged by the progress that they're making, and they are
increasing the pressure on Tripoli significantly," she said.

Rebels have threatened to isolate Tripoli by cutting oil pipelines and blocking key
supply routes as they edge closer to the capital.

The group pushed into the strategic city of Zawiyah last Saturday
- within just 38 miles of Tripoli - with rebel commanders saying they controlled
the south and west of the city.

It is is the strongest position they have been in since the civil war started
six months ago.

REBELS HAVE CAPTURED ZAWIYAH OIL REFINERY

Badboy wrote:REBELS HAVE CAPTURED ZAWIYAH OIL REFINERY

I think Hilary Clinton has asked Ghadafi to stand down, there is a growing feeling that Ghadaffi will stand down and be exiled to another Country.

12am UK, Friday August 19, 2011



Libyan rebels attempting to overthrow Colonel Gaddafi have launched a
renewed assault on a town near the capital with freshly supplied
weapons and ammunition.










Sky News has witnessed the battle for the key oil town of Zawiyah,
and watched rebels being bolstered by additional fighters from
neighbouring towns and mountain areas.


New ammunition and weapons, including some handheld rockets still in
their plastic wrapping, have been handed out to fighters confronting the
Libyan dictator's forces.


The weapons are believed to have been donated by foreign allies of
the rebels, as they seek to push eastward and overrun the nearby capital
of Tripoli.






What"s the betting the "foreign Allies " are the U.S.A. ?

THERE ARE REPORTS THAT THE REBELS ARE IN TRIPLOLI AND REBELS HAVE SEIZED CONTROL OF AN ARMS DEPOT IN TRIPOLI

It appears the Rebels are much nearer to Tripoli than they have ever been. Alastair Duncan, Foreign Office Minister says Gaddafi has been given
every opportunity to leave but rejected every time. However, some of his Ministers are defecting.

REBELS REPULSED AT TRIPOLI'S WESTERN GATE,REBELS REPORTED TO BE GIGHTING IN MATIGA AIR FORCE BASE,TAJOUA,FASHLOUM AND OTHER SURURBS IN REVOLT,REBELS ALSO TRYING TO TAKE SEBHA IN THE SOUTH.

A Libyan rebel commander has told Sky News his forces south of Tripoli are
just waiting for the "green light" to move into the city.










Adel Gharyani is leading fighters in Gharyan, as other rebel forces advance towards the capitalfrom the
recently-captured western city of Zawiyah.

He said his forces had been planning to move north on Saturday night, but
were concerned it was not safe, due to nearby pro-Gaddafi soldiers.

The commander told Sky correspondent Ian Woods: "We have big tanks and cars
which will go in front, then the others will follow behind to make sure it is
safe for everyone to go to Tripoli.






Fearing collateral damage - killing civilians - he said "we have warned them
to leave their houses and move somewhere else".

The commander said Col Gaddafi has lost legitimate power and that he
believed the Libyan leader is no longer in Tripoli, even though public reports
have stated that he is.

"Gaddafi has got no chance to stay another night," Mr Gharyani said.



Rebels say they hope Colonel Gaddafi will go
peacefully



"We hope he will go peacefully."

He also hoped pro-Gaddafi soldiers will surrender and join the rebels.

The commander said: "It is never too late for these guys because, at the end
of the day, these soldiers are Libyans.

"If they did not kill anyone, they are one of us.

"If they killed people they must face justice and go to court."




Yes Badboy I think we are reaching endgame with Tripoli

Libyan rebels have taken control of Tripoli's Green Square amid major
celebrations - as Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's rule of 42 years appeared to near an
end.










:: Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford reports from Green
Square

::Keep track
off all the latest updates on developments in Tripoli by following our live
blog.

Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford was with rebels as they met no
resistance on entering the square - the symbolic heart of the capital city.

She said thousands of people there were involved in euphoric scenes of
jubilation.

"Guns are being fired in celebration," she said.

"They are wanting to show how relieved they are. They're tearing down all the
Gaddafi posters and pulling down all the green national flags.

"They are celebrating as they have never celebrated before. This is one big
party in Green Square right now."



Sky's Alex Crawford enters central Tripoli with rebels










The International Criminal Court confirmed to Sky News that Saif Al-Islam,
Colonel Gaddafi's son, has been detained. He was reportedly captured in a
western tourist village of Libya.

And the Libyan dictator's eldest son, Mohammed Al-Gaddafi, has surrendered to
rebel forces and is under house arrest.

US
President Barack Obama led world leaders in urging Gaddafi to acknowledge he is
no longer in control of the country.

"Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant," he said.

Col Gaddafi said in an audio address he was still in the capital and insisted
he would be victorious.



Thousands have gathered in the centre of Benghazi



Small pockets of resistance were encountered by rebels around the
longstanding leader's compound in Tripoli, according to Libyan rebel chief
Mustafa Abdel Jalil.

But Mr Jalil also called on fighters to show compassion when dealing with
Gaddafi loyalists.

"Today, there is no difference between (Libyan) cities, today there is no
difference between Libyans," he said.

"We will create history altogether, as we were all equal in suffering from
dictatorship for 42 years, we need to be equal now in democracy."



An abandoned Libyan state TV studio at Tripoli's Rixos
Hotel



Libya's charge d'affairs Mahmoud Nacua told Sky News: "It is a great
night.

"It is a great victory for our brave fighters. The Gaddafi era has ended. Now
we are starting a new era. It will be very different from the 42 years under
Gaddafi."

Rebels in Green Square say they will rename it Martyrs Square, as it was
known originally.

Major celebrations are also taking place in the centre of Libya's second
city, Benghazi and the coastal town of Misratah.

People have also taken to the streets in cities in Egypt and Tunisia - and
in London's Edgware Road - to show solidarity with Libya's rebels.



A firework is set off in celebration near Benghazi's
courthouse



Opposition spokesman Mahmoud Shammam told Sky News that rebels would not harm
Col Gaddafi in the event of his capture.

"There are many rumours about his location, although I believe that he might
be near the Algerian border," he said.

"If we capture him in Tripoli or in any other way, we are going to guarantee
him safety and the safety of his family.

"We want to see him tried in Libya, not in any other place in the world. We
guarantee there will be no hanging in the street, no revenge in the street."

Rebels met scenes of jubilation and no resistance from Gaddafi's troops as
they entered the capital.



Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been detained by the ICC



Alex Crawford said that as opposition fighters entered the city, their cars
gridlocked the roads and hundreds of people came out onto the streets to greet
them.

The rebels responded with celebratory gunfire, she said.

She said: "These scenes are amazing - there are hundreds of people who have
come out onto the streets to greet this convoy of rebel soldiers.

"You can hear them singing and dancing, it is an amazing scene.

"We are now just a very short distance from the centre, with more and more
people are coming onto the streets.



A man kisses the ground as rebels advance



"They (the rebels) had been expecting much more resistance but there has been
very little."

"There is absolutely no question in their minds that they have beaten Gaddafi
and it is just a question of how he will go," she added.

The quick advance came after the fighters captured the base of the Khamis
Brigade, 16 miles west of the capital.

It is said to be one of the best-trained and equipped units in the Libyan
military and is commanded by Col Gaddafi's 27-year-old son Khamis.

Aside from the main rebel movement from the west of the city, fighting also
broke out in the city's Mitiga airbase, while the suburb of Tajoura reportedly
also fell under rebel control.



Alex Crawford with rebels as they come under fire










Gunfire was also heard near the Rixos Hotel, where foreign media are staying
and where Gaddafi loyalists have now fled from.

Journalists based there photographed an abandoned Libyan state television
set.

As the rebel movement came closer to the capital, Col Gaddafi broadcast a
message on state television calling on Libyan people to come from all regions
and liberate Tripoli.

He said he was "afraid Tripoli will burn" but that he will remain in the city
until the end.

The Libyan government also earlier appealed for an immediate ceasefire and an
end to Nato's "aggression".

Spokesman for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Moussa Ibrahim, told
reporters the rebels were nothing without Nato and they would never be able to
take Libya.



Fighting reportedly broke out in several areas of
Tripoli



"Tripoli is well protected and we have thousands upon thousands of
professional soldiers ready to defend this city against any possible invasion by
rebels under the cover of Nato."

He added: "What is happening now and what is going to happen is not the power
of the rebels.







"It is the power of Nato - a major force for evil that has no heart, using
armed gangs to occupy a whole nation."

Rebels initially advancing on the capital came under sniper fire at the
western gate of Tripoli, forcing them to retreat slightly.

They then advanced again, taking in several towns along the way and then
staged large protests around the city.

::
Rebel fighters have also reportedly been engaged in gun battles in the town of
Assadah, south of Gharyan, around 65 miles south of Tripoli

One of Gaddafi"s Sons has been kidnapped and work will begin to repair the Oil pipe lines which are not too badly damaged. Once the oil begins to flow it should mean prices will fall .

Alex Crawford, special correspondent, in Tripoli

Two children are among those fighting for their lives in Tripoli's only
working hospital after being caught up in violence in Libya's capital.










The hospital has been swamped by casualties over the last few days.

And those numbers swelled overnight as
the rebels moved into the city and Green Square centre.

An 11-year-old girl has a wound to the head where a sniper bullet
entered.

And around the corner from her, a three-year-old toddler has been treated for
a bullet wound to her stomach.

The hospital is stretched beyond belief and it is crumbling under the
pressure.

There are not enough medics and those that are there are exhausted.

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Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son and one-time heir apparent Saif al Islam is
free and not being detained by rebel forces, as had been claimed.










The 39-year-old turned up at Tripoli's Rixos hotel, where journalists are
staying under the watch of government minders, as the battle for control of the
city continued.

The International Criminal Court, who have issued arrest warrants for the
39-year-old, had said Saif had been captured by Libya's opposition fighters.

:: Follow

There is desperation in the one remaining Hospital, a Surgeon is appealing to the Libyan people to come and volunteer to give blood, clean the
Hospital, and generally help where needed. He and his Staff have worked non-stop for 48 hrs and there are no Oxygen Cylinders or other equipment.

REBELS HAVE TAKEN GADDHAFI'S COMPOUND

Gaddafi Hunt Intensifies Amid Fight For Sirte

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10:33am UK, Sunday September 25, 2011

Alex Rossi, Sky News correspondent

A search for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is intensifying across Libya as
revolutionary forces appear to be gaining the upper hand in the battle for his
hometown of Sirte.










National Transitional Council soldiers have entered the pro-Gaddafi city
after a day of heavy fighting.

They are facing heavy rocket and machine gun fire inside the former leader's
stronghold from loyalists who are well dug in and well-motivated for the
fight.

Sirte is not only symbolically important - it is ousted dictator Col Gaddafi's hometown - it is also geographically and
strategically vital, as it divides the country between east and west.

Meanwhile, anti-Gaddafi soldiers are moving out into the far reaches of the
country in the hunt for the fugitive colonel.



A multiple rocket launcher fires near Sirte.



Details of his whereabouts change daily. He is hiding in the desert, he is in
Bani Walid or he has already fled to Niger - these are just some of the latest
reports.

The search is frustrating. Isolated compounds with pro-Gaddafi forces' green
flags flying dot the landscape. Nearly all of them are deserted, like their
master their occupants have fled.

Revolutionaries are also discovering more underground bunkers. Sky News was
shown a Gaddafi bolthole about 40km south of Sirte.

It has climate control and bomb-proof walls and even an escape hatch.

But inside there are no clues, just a few snapshots of the man who seized
power in a coup and lost it in a revolution.



Anti-Gaddafi fighters drive towards Sirte.



On the ground, commanders believe Col Gaddafi will turn up soon - then
justice will take its course.

NTC Commander Wagdy Tabet told Sky News the revolution has lost many good men
but more will die to see Col Gaddafi pay for his crimes.

He said: "We will give three times the men to keep him out of Libya and take
him back only to hand him to the judge."

A £1m reward for Col Gaddafi's capture, alive or dead, has been offered. But,
with more people joining the revolution, such an incentive may not be
needed.

If Col Gaddafi has not fled the country, many revolutionaries believe it is
only a matter of time before he is caught

Civilians are leaving Sirte in their cars on fears that this is endgame now the rebels have captured Gaddafis birthplace but as yet there is no evidence
that he is there, or even in Libya.