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Libyan rebels seize British SAS troops-Sunday Times
Reuters ^ | Mar 6, 2011 | Stefano Ambrogi

Posted on 03/05/2011 10:11:55 PM PST by Doofer

Libyan rebels have captured a British special forces unit in the east of the country after a secret diplomatic mission to make contact with opposition leaders backfired, Britain's Sunday Times reported. The team, understood to number up to eight SAS soldiers, were intercepted as they escorted a junior diplomat through rebel-held territory, the newspaper said. The Foreign Office said in a brief statement it could neither "confirm or deny" the report. Earlier on Saturday the Geneva-based Human Rights Solidarity group, which employs a number of Libyan exiles, told Reuters by telephone that a team of "eight special forces personnel" had been seized by rebels. Both the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office repeatedly declined to comment on the group's report. The SAS intervention apparently angered Libyan opposition figures, who ordered the soldiers locked up on a military base, according to the Sunday Times. Opponents of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fear he could use any evidence of Western military intervention to rally patriotic support away from a two-week-old uprising against his 41-year autocratic rule. Citing Libyan sources, the Sunday Times said the special forces troops were taken by rebels to Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and epicentre of the insurrection, and hauled before one of its most senior politicians for questioning. The paper said the junior diplomat they were escorting was preparing the way for a visit by a more senior colleague ahead of establishing diplomatic relations with the rebels. The Sunday Times said Libyan opposition officials were said to be trying to hush up the incident for fear of a backlash from ordinary Libyans.

(Excerpt) Read more at af.reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: libya; sas
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To: mewzilla
UK silent on report Libyan rebels seize troops
21 posted on 03/06/2011 4:32:39 AM PST by mewzilla (Hey, Schumer, your Lockerbie report left quite a bit out.)
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To: mewzilla
Still more info, FWIW, here....

Top UK commandos captured by rebel forces in Libya: Report

22 posted on 03/06/2011 4:35:08 AM PST by mewzilla (Hey, Schumer, your Lockerbie report left quite a bit out.)
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To: Doofer
Libyan rebels have captured a British special forces unit in the east of the country after a secret diplomatic mission to make contact with opposition leaders backfired, Britain's Sunday Times reported.

UK diplomatic/political incompetence to send these brave men into a trap.

23 posted on 03/06/2011 4:36:05 AM PST by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon!)
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To: DTogo
"How do 8 SAS lads get seized by the rebels, who by most media accounts appear to lack proper training, equipment, and organization?"

Given the nature of the mission, I'll bet they had ROEs that prevented them firing on the rebels.

24 posted on 03/06/2011 4:41:13 AM PST by Truth29
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To: TomasUSMC

“sooooo....this shows that the rebels are just as anti west as Kadafi. Take their oil and the hell with em.”
You have just summed up in ten words what the MSM is about to push as foreign policy. There is a special place in hell for hypocrites


25 posted on 03/06/2011 5:01:54 AM PST by philoctetes
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To: Doofer
Irrespective of most of the interesting commentary on this, the British were truly stupid to send 8 men as bodyguards into a civil war.

I mean far left liberal loon trash stupid, as in educated by some public school system.
Sending good men into a war zone to talk.
Ever hear of preplanned discrete advance contact & mutual meetings in safe & neutral places?
This sounds like dreamy flower power hippy can't we all just get along thinking.

Public schools:

islands of liberal insanity surrounded by reality.

26 posted on 03/06/2011 5:04:07 AM PST by bill1952 (Choice is an illusion created between those with power - and those without)
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To: Doofer

Personally, if I wanted to train the rebels in order to help them topple the gov’t, I would set this up. If the rebels were smart, they would get the Brits to help.


27 posted on 03/06/2011 5:28:22 AM PST by huldah1776
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To: Doofer
Defence secretary Liam Fox today confirmed a British diplomatic team is in Libya talking to rebel forces...Sources believe the rebels who took the SAS members and junior diplomat are simply “making a point”.

Listen closely you morons. Apparently they are trying to help you. If you're not smart enough to understand that, you deserve what you get. Jeez.

28 posted on 03/06/2011 5:41:10 AM PST by McGruff (Is it time to Drill Baby Drill yet?)
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To: Doofer

Where is Monte when they need him!!! Rather, Patton is needed with a division of tanks. That’d fix it quick.


29 posted on 03/06/2011 6:24:51 AM PST by RetiredArmy (Read 1 Cor 15: 1-4. Paul's gospel explained. Read it.)
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To: Last Dakotan
The Libyan desert never did agree with British troops...

Huh? If the reports are correct and these were members of 22 SAS Regiment, they were founded in the Libyan desert! I'd say Iraq hasn't been kind, considering Bravo Two Zero.

30 posted on 03/06/2011 6:53:17 AM PST by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Gondring
German generals considered North Africa a tactician's paradise and a quartermaster's hell


31 posted on 03/06/2011 7:14:10 AM PST by Last Dakotan (Hunting - the ultimate in organic grocery shopping.)
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To: ThunderSleeps

if this is true then you can be sure the SAS will go on and kill everyone of these people now.


32 posted on 03/06/2011 7:44:45 AM PST by manc (Shame on all who voted for the repeal of DADT, who supported it or never tried to stop it. Traitors)
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To: Bronzy

so the Brits and even the Dutch have gone on and done something and OBAMA IS GOLFING

What a prize clown we have and even more sad is his cult who adore this muppet


33 posted on 03/06/2011 7:46:40 AM PST by manc (Shame on all who voted for the repeal of DADT, who supported it or never tried to stop it. Traitors)
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To: DTogo
How do 8 SAS lads get seized by the rebels, who by most media accounts appear to lack proper training, equipment, and organization?

What many forget is that Muslim forces can be willing to spend more men than an eight-man patrol has ammo for.

The Brits would have been better off dropping a satellite phone from a UAV on each rebel stronghold and chatting with them remotely. If they got somebody worth talking to, they could use another UAV to airdrop a small video conferencing system.

34 posted on 03/06/2011 8:11:37 AM PST by PapaBear3625 ("It is only when we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything" -- Fight Club)
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To: Last Dakotan

35 posted on 03/06/2011 8:27:54 AM PST by Vaquero ("an armed society is a polite society" Robert A. Heinlein)
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To: Doofer

They have now been released.


36 posted on 03/06/2011 9:59:02 AM PST by Tommyjo
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To: The KG9 Kid

Its the rebels who have siezed them. Not Gaddafi.


37 posted on 03/06/2011 10:05:12 AM PST by Vanders9
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To: Vanders9

Give it a little while.


38 posted on 03/06/2011 10:18:18 AM PST by The KG9 Kid
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To: grey_whiskers
Off the top of my head, this has more to do with BP and getting control of flowing oil.....just sayin.
39 posted on 03/06/2011 10:44:17 AM PST by Chgogal (American Mugabe, get your arse out of my bank, my car, my doctor's office & my elec. utility.)
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To: Bronzy
In the meantime from Drudge UK ‘to send team of spies’ to help oust Gadhafi... British Army readies for mission at 24 hours’ notice... Obama goes golfing... Note OBAMA goes golfing


Libyans need only read Drudge
40 posted on 03/06/2011 10:49:51 AM PST by egannacht (Inalienable rights granted by...)
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