Bani Walid Destroyed - 11/11/2012 - Militias Make Presidential House Call - He Won't Resign (Yet)

Another Official from Tarhouna killed....

A member of Libya's former ruling council was found dead in a locked car after he went missing for a day, a security official said on Tuesday. . .

Bin Naama was the National Transitional Council representative for Tarhouna . .

[link to www.jpost.com]

But we Already Trained (and Armed) Them...

U.S. officials in Libya are looking for recruits for a commando force which they plan to train to fight militants...

Reportedly, a team of about 10 Americans visited a paramilitary base in the eastern city of Benghazi 10 days ago to identify potential recruits...

This should go well...

[link to touch.chicagotribune.com]

Respected Member of Warfalla Tribe Murdered in Benghazi

A retired colonel from the Qaddafi-era, Abdel Kareem Warfalli, has been found murdered at his farm in Benghazi’s Venice Street. . .

Warfalli, who was 60, was known to be a good man, added the source. He was believed to have backed the revolution from the beginning, lending his military expertise to the rebels.

It is commonly supposed in Benghazi that there is a hit list of military officials, particularly those who served the former regime. If Warfalli’s death (is included on that list) it would raise to 17 the number of murdered security personnel. . . .

On Monday, Hamid Al-Hassi, the military head of Cyrenaica’s transitional council, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Benghazi. The assault by unknown gunmen, caused the death of one of his guards and injured two others.

[link to www.libyaherald.com]

Did Granny Spill the Beans?

Barack Obama's Kenyan Grandmother Visited Gaddafi

The controversial trip recently made to Tripoli, Libya by Mama Sarah Obama, the step grand mother of US President Barack Obama Jnr has caused jittery and big split within the Obama family in Alego Kogelo Nyang’oma backyard in Kenya.

Mama Sarah Obama, the 88 year old step grand mother who sprung into fame immediately soon after the election victory of her step grand son Barack Obama jnr as the President of the United States of America, the most powerful nation on earth has visited other countries including Saudi Arabia and Rwanda. . .

Mama Sarah Obama visited Tripoli last month in the company of her youngest son Saidi Obama, a main and other person and were lavishly entertained by President Gadhafi in his Tripoli Palace.

The motive of the visit to Tripoli by Mama Sarah Obama remained unclear, but other unconfirmed reports says President Obama got the wind of the visit and appeared to have been embarrassed as he is said to have phoned his cousin Saidi Obama expressing his disappointment at what was going on around his Kenyan ancestral home backyard. . .

Visitors at the Obama rural home in Alego Kogelo at the weekend were shown a huge album of containing a series of photographs of Mama Sarah Obama, her host Gadhafi and her entourage. It is believed some niceties had changed hands during the visit. . .

She should be placed in the highest esteem as the grand mother of President Obama and as grand old lady whose life is so important to the Luo community and the entire Kenyan society.

(Gaddafi also paid for medical treatment for Ms. Obama and reportedly entered into secret business arrangements with leaders of President Obama's Luo tribe.)

[link to blog.jaluo.com]

About the whole civil war possibility....

Hadeel Al-Shalchi (@hadeelalsh)
11/7/12, 6:13 AM
#Libya court orders war time NTC chief Mustafa Abdeljalil to military prosecution for questioning re: Abdel Fattah Younes' death last year.

(The de facto "president" during Libyan revolution to be questioned over murder of head to transitional military at hands of Islamists)...

Now everyone gets to be a Gaddafi...

Man walks his "looted" lion down the street...

[link to twitter.com (secure)]

But the gasoline shortage had ended...

has the mainstream news been reporting on Libya of late? has it sunk into anarchy yet? Of course it would look very bad on our own to have that happen, since we supplied many of the rebels and helped overthrow the Q.

Will we never learn....

New Footage from Bani Walid...
November 8, 2012

second Bani Walid video from 11/8/2012

Hello DD, very sad videos!:(
Jihad is getting out of hand in Libya, 2 Greek churches have been attacked, one of them twice in a month and last week the desecrated and destroyed a Greek cemetery in Tripoli.

Last Edited by insertfunnyusername on 11/09/2012 09:01 PM

I too think that we've only heard 1/10 of what happened in Bani Walid. I also think that TPTB don't want to stop the disintegration, they want Libya dismembered and i fully expect this to keep going until this happens.

Five Officers Sentenced to Death...

Five officers have been sentenced to death for crimes committed during last year’s revolution, while three others face ten years’ imprisonment each. The judgement, passed by Benghazi’s Permanent Military Council, relates to charges of war crimes, human rights violations and rape in eastern Libya in the early days of the conflict.

[link to www.libyaherald.com]

Background - The NTC (Libya's original transitional gov't) granted full immunity to all rebels for any crimes committed during the revolution.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi loyalists have been arrested (by militias) simply because they did not support the revolution.

This is the first trial of officials in the prior gov't. It would be interesting to see if evidence was presented at these tribunals or if any semblance of due process was afforded. My guess is that these verdicts were issued by the Libyan version of a kangaroo court - would that be a camel court?
But I didn't follow the trial (if there was one - I seem to remember several adjournments but no trial)...

Also note, Libya Herald is going off-line for a few days...That always happens when their staff is threatened or something interesting is about to happen. Looks like I need to follow my twitter feed this weekend...

Islamists, the threats of Islamists, and Islamist violence permeate this thread... Just a reminder - these guys are some of the most honest people in Libya...

Remember this?

LIFG Members Abroad Warn of a Return to Violence in Libya

January 12, 2011

LIFG members abroad issue a statement expressing concern that the delays and disruption by the Libyan authorities in releasing the remaining prisoners from the group may cause a return of violence.

The student signatories of the statement of the members of LIFG abroad. The Statement called on Libyan authorities to release all prisoners of the group and the other prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally....

[link to translate.google.com]

Note: The Libyan revolution is called the February 17th Revolution (it actually began on February 15). While the Arab Spring reportedly began with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, protests were a regular occurrence in the Middle East. The Arab Spring did not become a major force until Tunisia's government fell on January 14, 2011 (until a protest movement putatively caused change).

As soon as violence started in Libya, Saif al Islam Gaddafi released all remaining LIFG members & other prisoners of conscience in Libya. It didn't help - they promptly joined the fight and were basically the revolutionaries' only effective fighting forces (until Qatari mercs joined in).

Okay, the Islamists were only half honest. Violence was returning to Libya... But the delays in releasing prisoners was really not the key factor....

It's over... Washington Post publishes honest article on Libya.

[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

After committing $8 million to help build a counterterrorism force in Libya, the United States faces a difficult choice: work through a weak government that has so far proved unable to build a national army and police force... — or work with the militias themselves.

The deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi underscored what many here say is a growing extremist problem amid Libya’s lawlessness....

The Libyan government remains largely ineffective, with its military and police force still in the embryonic stage. Many militia members are armed, disciplined and ready to work. But Libyan officials and analysts say their participation in such a force could undermine the very goal of establishing a strong and unified post-war Libya...

Last month, the acting defense minister, Osama al-Juwali, said his ministry had no control over Libyan Shield forces from Misrata who had seized Bani Walid, a former Gaddafi loyalist town, and were blocking displaced residents from returning.

Violent clashes between rival militias, including those that fall within larger umbrella groups such as the Libyan Shield and SSC, are near-daily occurrences. Last weekend, gun battles shut down a neighborhood of the capital as the SSC used machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades to tame one of its own groups, which had begun arresting and torturing members of the community....

New low in Libya - President & his family threatened by militia in his home for visiting wrong town. Anti-aircraft weapons fired at President's home...

I'm combining multiple tweets..

Asma Magariaf (@LibyanBentBladi)
11/11/12, 11:27 AM
speaking of national reconciliation, a delegaton of angry Zintanis demanded audience with GNC pres to demand public apology or resignation.

Why? because Dr. Magariaf visited rival Mshashiya a few days ago.

@Abssi I was present bc I came to have lunch w/ dad at his residence, only to hear sound of 14.5 right outside

@MohamedAlHamali these were city representatives too, not just ff's
(FF = freedom fighter - new term for militia members)

@Libyan4life for accompanying a delegation of 15 GNC members as a gesture of good faith to town of Mshashiya, which is historical rival to Zintan

@Eljarh @MohamedAlHamali this was a tense meeting..one guy threatened that if he doesn't leave w/in hour from place, his 14.5 will respond.

@Libyan4life he told them "I think about resigning every day, staying in this post is no luxury, but when I leave it will be my decision"

@MohamedAlHamali @Eljarh another said, 1/3 of libya's oil is pumped through our territories and we can stop it..

Within the last week, both GNC President & PM have faced heavily armed militia men who demanded they resign... In both cases, the militia members were accompanied by members of the GNC (legislature)... In both cases, armed security were able to evacuate the official before they were harmed. The fiction of Libyan democracy is hanging on by thread...

Probably more important to the West, oil resources & pipelines have also been threatened...