Libya's Interior Minister Flees to Egypt

Guardian News ^ | 15 August 2011 | staff

[gandalftb]

Libya's interior minister and nine members of his family have flown into Cairo on their private plane in what appeared to be the highest-level defection from Muammar Gaddafi's regime in months.

Egyptian airport officials said Nassr al-Mabrouk Abdullah had entered on a tourist visa.

No Libyan embassy officials greeted him at the airport.

[gandalftb]

He was Qaddafi's top police commander. This is all trending to continued abandonment of Qaddafi's commanders that cannot be reversed. Qaddafi cannot replace this talent and gets weaker every day.

Now the remaining supply route from Tunisia is under attack.

The end is near for his regime, weeks, not months.

[no-to-illegals]

Wonder if qaddafi will pull out the chemicals?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks gandalftb.

[Del Rapier]

Good,let this war end and let this dictator be buried.

[dfwgator]

The war won’t end, the rebels will simply turn their wrath on the apostates.

[gleeaikin]

Here is an update indicating that bothe Gharan and Al Zawia are more firmly in rebel hands. Also that the next town west of Al Zawia, Surman, has also been taken. Also that moves are being made on a town south of Misrata to further block the coast road and approach Sirte.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/08/201181715442761275.html

[gandalftb]

I am reasonably aware that Libya is not entirely about oil. Thank you for reminding me of my own posts on the reasons for the uprising that I posted starting 6 months ago:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2681921/posts?page=33#33

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2691376/posts?page=12#12

This post lays out the competition between Italy and France:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2692942/posts?page=15#15

Here is what is driving Italy:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2692942/posts?page=40#40

It was Italy that set up the banking system for the rebels to prevent a pending $130 million dollar payment from the Chinese from falling into Qaddafi's hands. The original account was not actually controlled by the rebels as the article mistakenly claims, but was an escrow account held in their name by the Italians on behalf of NATO. The rebels make application to NATO for funds from that account for warfighting and governmental needs.

I stand educated.

[mewzilla]

Meanwhile....

Gaddafi’s Megrahi ‘victory’

[gandalftb]

"Wonder if qaddafi will pull out the chemicals?"

We and the Libyans negotiated the containment and disposal of the remaining 13,000 pounds of mustard gas years ago.

It was secured and is being closely watched by NATO special forces out in the storage bunkers way out in the desert.

Qaddafi knows that touching any of those stocks puts NATO troops on the ground immediately.

[gandalftb]

Lockerbie was a disgraceful affair. Qaddafi seems to have gotten his way, too bad he never counted on a rebel uprising that would bring those chickens home to roost.........

Remember Megrahi's appeal was about to be heard and would have revealed that the bomb was planted at Heathrow, not Malta. Releasing him gets the Brits off the hook big time and secured a new oil agreement. The Brits were desperate to get Libyan oil or see it go to the Chinese who had 33,000 "technicians" in Libya running the pumps and refineries.

[mewzilla]

I’m wondering what the Obama admin got outta the deal.

[Marine_Uncle]

Perhaps the colonel will blow his brains out in a few months.

[no-to-illegals]

Trust but verify.

[gleeaikin]

Some tribes were favored with these perks, but from my various readings several million people in unfavored tribes were not favored, which is part of what the fight is about. For example, the Berber peoples of the Nafusa mountains were not even allowed to use their native (non Arab) language. Meanwhile the fight goes on and it appears that the rebels have finally taken the Zawia oil refinery, the last one supplying Tripoli. Fleeing Gaddafi troups were blown up by the RAF at sea. It currently costs $200 to fill a cars cas tank in Tripoli. It will get worse.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8709510/Libya-RAF-airstrikes-sink-boat-filled-with-Gaddafi-troops-after-refinery-battle.html

And 50 miles south of Tripoli, it appears that Gaddafi trooups have withdrawn from Gharyan. Of course they might be preparing for a counterattack. Also I just heard a TV news report about this with the suggestion that Gaddafi and company might leave for Tunisia soon. When the MSM is reporting, it might actually be about to happen. They have been pretty quiet the past 2 weeks as the battles sea-sawed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/libya-video/8709089/Libyan-rebels-capture-town-south-of-Tripoli.html

[no-to-illegals]

Qaddafi knows that touching any of those stocks puts NATO troops on the ground immediately.

Substitute Assad for Qaddafi in the above sentence, as the next three ring circus begins. Think Assad will call in this poker game?

[no-to-illegals]

my apology, gleeaikin. I meant to ping you to post #18.

[gandalftb]

"Substitute Assad for Qaddafi in the above sentence, as the next three ring circus begins. Think Assad will call in this poker game?"

Turkey, particularly and Israel are the most involved players regarding Syria. Watch for Turkey's moves, they are in the lead regarding Assad and Syria.