Posted on 02/22/2011 1:50:49 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
CAIRO — Units of Libya's military were said to be defecting to the opposition in the war to oust the regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi.
Opposition sources said Libyan Army soldiers have refused orders to fire on anti-regime demonstrators while pilots have flown their aircraft abroad. They said in some cases entire Libyan units, despite threats of execution, have joined the protesters in their effort to topple Gadhafi, reported to have already found asylum. The sources said Gadhafi could no longer rely on his military and much of his police. They said the remaining loyalists were his Presidential Guard and special units comprised of foreign mercenaries, many of whom are from the former Soviet Union.
"They are just firing at everybody with everything they have, including machine guns and anti-tank missiles," another opposition source said.
The defections within the military were said to have alarmed Gadhafi.
"There have been several cases which a Libyan Army unit attacked Gadhafi's security forces rather than join them," an opposition source said.
[On Feb. 21, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague reported that Gadhafi was seeking asylum abroad. Hague said the Libyan leader has escaped and was heading for Venezuela. Later, a Libyan official said Gadhafi was still in Tripoli.]
The Qatari satellite channel A-Jazeera reported that Libyan military officers issued a statement that called on their colleagues to defect. It was not clear how many officers signed the statement.
One Army unit that joined the anti-regime forces was identified as the Thunderbolt Battalion. The sources said Thunderbolt attacked the Presidential Guard, the personal force of Gadhafi, in Benghazi, the second largest city in the North African state.
"Thunderbolt played a significant role in the opposition takeover of Benghazi," the source said.
The sources reported the first defections of Libyan soldiers on Feb. 20 in Benghazi. They said both soldiers and officers refused orders by the military brass to shoot protesters and were instead allowing them to take over facilities and seize weapons.
So far, more than 600 people have been killed in the opposition campaign against the 68-year-old Gadhafi. The sources said protesters have taken over several cities and torched parliament, government buildings, police stations in the capital of Tripoli.
The sources said Gadhafi has demanded that both the Air Force and Navy fire on units that refuse orders to battle protesters. At the same time, two Libyan Air Force aircraft, identified as the French-origin Mirages, landed in Malta and their pilots requested asylum.
For its part, the regime has maintained that the military remained under control but acknowledged the opposition seizure of military bases and heavy weapons. The son of Gadhafi, Seif Al Islam, appeared on state television and asserted that his father would not leave office. Seif warned of a civil war in which Libya's oil fields would be destroyed.
"The armed forces are with him," Seif, his first public appearance in months, said. "Tens of thousands are heading here to be with him. We will fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet."
If I were Moammar, I would G.O.O.D. right quick.
Pics I have seen on youtube suggest Africans, not Soviets. At least the ones who are claiming to be captured mercs on that Save Libya youtube channel.
As I predicted on another thread, Gaddafi will go down in history with Mussolini and Ceaucescu, as a leader remembered mostly for the photos of his mutilated body.
Not sure but I remember that his Presidential guard was made up of a few hundred really hot women. It would be a shame to see something bad happen to them, but hey if you’re dumb enough to hang with someone like this you get what you deserve.
Piano wire or rope ?
Reagan tried but failed years ago to send this maggot to hell.
Just last night, I posted that I hope to see Libyans using Gadhafi’s head as a soccer ball in the streets of Tripoli.
Chances are looking good.
His regime has split.
Its now Gaddafi vs. half his former regime, not a bunch of disorganized protesters.
He may decide to fight it out if he still has some muscle under his control. But now we are talking thousands or perhaps tens-of-thousands dead.
I anticipate he’ll be dangling from a lampost shortly.
A friend of mine just sent e-mail from Tripoli. She is nurse in private hospital.
She said that there are no fightings in Tripoli and that situation is calm, there are no riots in capital and that Gaddafi holds situation under control there.
2 planes from an airforce of a hundred doesn’t make the air force splitting. Lets say this creep goes who replaces him may be way worse as we pay $7 for gas.
"The sources said Obama could no longer rely on his military and much of his police."
True.
Also several other people said from Tripoli that there are no fighting and that citizens are safe. My friend finished her shift in hospital and went home.
Some of Serbian citizens went to airport, but since there were no planes came back. She also said that there are no “piles of bodies” actually she sough not a single dead body in hospital.
Foreign nationals are walking streets and no one attacks them.
Russian railroad monopoly Russian Railways said Monday it was evacuating its employees from Libya. "A special group of Russian Railways representatives will fly to Libya to organize evacuation," the company said. Earlier Monday, it said there are 204 employees of Russian Railways and its subsidiaries in Libya. Russian energy giant Gazprom's subsidiary Gazprom International will also evacuate its employees, a source said.
The last woman? Only a cowardly Islamic POS who has no respect for women or appreciation for brave men would order a woman to die fighting to save his worthless yellow hide. The former subjects of that Satan worshiping mass murderer (remember Lockerbie?) should hang him from the highest minaret in that wretched sandpile they call a nation and let the buzzards party hardy.
Except for a few other minor unpleasantries like that I don't wish the guy any bad luck.
“The sources said Obama could no longer rely on his military and much of his police.”
Big, big difference: The US Military is NOT “his military”, nor is it the military of any president. We support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Colonel, USAFR
I doubt that all of Gadhafi's, uhhh, shall we say non-essential body organs, are operational at this particular point in time.
As officers we know that, does he?
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