European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 30 June | 82 comments (82 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

French military air-dropped arms to Libya rebels - FRANCE - LIBYA - FRANCE 24

The French military confirmed Wednesday that it had air dropped "light weapons" earlier this month to Libyan rebels fighting Moamer Kadhafi's forces in the highlands south of Tripoli.
Earlier, the Le Figaro newspaper and a well-placed non-government source had said that France had dropped several tonnes of arms including Milan anti-tank rockets and light armoured vehicles to the revolt.
But Colonel Thierry Burkhard, spokesman for the French general staff, told AFP that the shipments were essentially light arms such as assault rifles to help civilian communities protect themselves from regime troops.
Burkhard said France had become aware in early June that rebel-held Berber villages in the Djebel Nafusa highland region south of the capital had come under pressure from the Libyan strongman's loyalist forces.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Wed Jun 29th, 2011 at 05:16:18 PM EST
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Re: World (none / 0)

Libya rebels seize Kadafi arms depot

Reporting from Ghaaa military base, Libya-- Nothing but a flimsy barbed wire fence surrounds a massive arsenal of ammunition and weapons stockpiled here in the desert by Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi.
No further fortifications were necessary. Until it was seized and pillaged by rebels Tuesday, local people were too terrified of Kadafi's wrath to come anywhere near it.
"There was no need even for the barbed wire," said Mostafa Mohammad, a scholar in Britain who returned to his hometown of Zintan, about 15 miles to the north, after the uprising against Kadafi's rule began in February.
He was among hundreds of rebel fighters and onlookers from all parts of the opposition-held Nafusa mountain range visiting the military base after a quick battle that killed at least two opposition fighters and sent dozens of government soldiers fleeing.
....
Though a lot of ammunition was stored at the site, there were few guns to fire it. Some said that was a result of Kadafi's mistrust of even his closest aides. "He's got missile parts everywhere, but no full missiles and rockets anywhere," said Dhaer Abdul Ali, a Ministry of Justice employee who has joined the rebels. "This makes it harder for us to use the weapons, but also harder for him to use them."

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Jun 29th, 2011 at 10:50:06 PM EST
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European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 30 June | 82 comments (82 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)