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Libyan rebels launch Sirte offensive
The Guardian ^ | Thursday 15 September 2011 | Chris Stephen

Posted on 09/15/2011 7:36:25 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

Rebel forces head towards the frontline near the coastal city of Sirte, where troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi remain in control.

Libyan rebels claimed on Thursday night to have captured Sirte, the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi and the last of his coastal strongholds.

The city was said to have fallen after an attack involving 900 "technicals" – armed pickup trucks – that attacked loyalist positions from three directions.

"Thwar Misrata [the Misrata revolution] now control the entrances to Sirte city," said a statement from the Misrata military council. There was no independent verification that Sirte had fallen.

The council, which controlled the operation, said the attack began at dawn on Thursday with an assault on the front line, 30 miles west of the city.

Gaddafi loyalists resisted with artillery, mortars and long-range Grad rockets, but frontline positions collapsed in the early afternoon and rebel units surged eastwards towards the city. Rebel surces said 11 of their fighters had been killed and they had captured 40 Gaddafi loyalists.

More street fighting followed, but by nightfall rebel units said they were in control of Sirte centre and the exit roads, and were "combing" urban areas for key Gaddafi officials believed to be in hiding.

Pockets of resistance remained, with loyalist forces surrounded in the city centre base of an insurance company. Units of the 32nd brigade, led by Gaddafi's son Khamis, were reported to be barricaded into a line of villas along the beachfront.

Nato reported destroying eight targets on Wednesday night during part of a bombing campaign that has seen it strike 292 targets, including tanks, ammunition dumps, command centres and barracks, in the past three weeks. Alliance jets were in the air during the battle though it is not known if they struck targets.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: launch; libya; libyan; offensive; oup; rebels; sirte

1 posted on 09/15/2011 7:36:28 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks MinorityRepublican.
Gaddafi loyalists resisted with artillery, mortars and long-range Grad rockets, but frontline positions collapsed in the early afternoon and rebel units surged eastwards towards the city.

2 posted on 09/15/2011 7:45:08 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: MinorityRepublican

I wonder who does their “detailing” - Achmed’s Auto Detailing and Camel Currying Center?


3 posted on 09/15/2011 9:09:45 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: MinorityRepublican

Libya: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”


4 posted on 09/15/2011 9:19:03 PM PDT by montag813 (http://www.StandWithArizona.com)
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To: MinorityRepublican
Now the reports will slowly leak out of atrocities and mass murders by the rebels of loyalists and Sirte citizens.. NATO will look away and claim their hands are clean.
5 posted on 09/16/2011 3:19:09 AM PDT by Truth29
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To: MinorityRepublican

>Nato reported destroying eight targets on Wednesday night during part of a bombing campaign that has seen it strike 292 targets, including tanks, ammunition dumps, command centres and barracks, in the past three weeks.

Without these nato enablers of muzzy nutcases Lybia would still have someone in control that at least would have kept
the goat raping, woman abusing pedophiles out of leadership.


6 posted on 09/16/2011 4:03:19 AM PDT by soycd
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To: Truth29

I fully agree with your post. The rebels have already accomplished a mass eradication of the town of Tawergha, and no doubt will carry on the same way in this Sirte, and other places.


7 posted on 09/16/2011 11:35:52 PM PDT by BlackVeil
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To: soycd; All

Gee, and here I thought it was the Viagra inspired Gaddafi mercenaries who were the goat and woman rapers.


8 posted on 09/17/2011 12:13:23 PM PDT by gleeaikin
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To: MinorityRepublican

Thouught it’ll be over by now?


9 posted on 09/28/2011 8:10:06 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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