Russia calls for end to Libya invasion

A bus burns on a road leading to the outskirts of Benghazi on March 20, 2011, when American and British ships and submarines fired dozens of cruise missiles at more than 20 coastal targets

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170907.html

The Russian government has called on the Western military alliance in Libya to stop the attacks, since they resulted in civilians casualties almost immediately after invasion.

The Russian foreign ministry called on the United States, Britain and France on Sunday to stop air strikes against non-military targets in Libya.

"In that respect we call on countries involved to stop the non-selective use of force," Foreign Ministry's spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

Libyan state television announced that 48 people were killed and 150 were wounded in the strikes, including civilians.

China and the African union have also condemned the military action.

Moreover, Americans have taken to the streets in their thousands to protest against US military intervention in Libya.

They also rallied against the American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Press TV correspondent reported from Los Angeles.

The developments come as US and European forces have unleashed airstrikes and cruise missile attacks against forces loyal to embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Nineteen US planes, including three B2 stealth bombers, took part in a dawn raid.

Scores of people, many of them civilians, were killed in the attacks.

However, top US military commander, Michael Mullen, has described the first stage of the war as successful.

The action follows a Thursday UN Security Council resolution which endorsed intervention in Libya.

Canada is also sending warplanes to the region, while Italy has offered the use of its military bases.

Gaddafi has promised retaliation, saying he will open arms depots to people to fight the allied forces.

"We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits," Gaddafi said on state TV on Sunday morning.

It is the biggest Western military intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Chavez: US, allies want Libyan oil

This file photo shows Libyan embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi (L) and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170846.html

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has denounced the Western-led military operation on Libya, saying that the West's intervention is aimed at seizing the North African country's huge oil reserves.

"They want to seize Libya's oil and they care nothing about the lives of the Libyan people," Chavez said on state TV on Saturday as a five-country coalition, including the United States, France, Britain, Canada and Italy, launched strikes on Libya aimed to cripple the country's ruler Muammar Gaddafi's air defenses.

"These are the men of war ... what irresponsibility. Behind this is the hand of the United States and its European allies, instead of taking the path that we have modestly proposed," he added, Reuters reported.

Chavez announced a peace plan this month for crisis-hit Libya and said his friend Gaddafi supported foreign mediation.

Chavez's plan fizzled after Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, said they did not need help from friends in the South American oil exporting nation who lived very far away and had “no idea” about Libya.

Meanwhile, France said allied warplanes launched operations to stop Gaddafi's forces from attacking the city of Benghazi.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the military operations by France, Britain, the United States and Canada, and backed by Arab nations, would continue unless the Libyan leader's forces cease fire.

Chavez denounced the military operations as a "pulverization" of international law and as a dangerous and unwarranted intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.

"Another imposition of the warmongering policies of the Imperial Yankee and its allies is unfortunate, and it is unfortunate that the United Nations endorses the war, in contravention of its fundamental principles," Chavez said.

Libyan anti-government forces, inspired by revolutions that toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are fighting to unseat Gaddafi after suffering under his despotic rule for over 41 years.

Late February reports by human rights groups said that more than 6,000 people were killed in the first two weeks of crackdown on the anti-government protesters.

Pro-Gaddafi forces have launched airstrikes against revolutionary forces in the past weeks claiming the lives of hundreds more.

India regrets military attack on Libya

A US F-16 plane takes off from the Aviano air base on March 20.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170993.html

India has expressed regret about the airstrikes on Libya carried out by France, Britain and the United States, calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

"It regrets the airstrikes that are taking place. The measures adopted should mitigate and not exacerbate an already difficult situation for the people of Libya," a statement by the Indian foreign ministry said on Sunday.

"India views with grave concern the continuing violence, strife and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Libya," the statement added, AFP reported.

China and Russia have taken the same stance on the attacks on Libya.

The Arab League also condemned the aerial attacks, saying the aim of the UN resolution was to protect civilians, but the West's military action has worsened the humanitarian conditions.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed opposition to the airstrikes on Libya, saying they could have dangerous consequences.

However, the strikes continued on Sunday and four Danish fighter jets took part in the operation. The administrative building of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly been destroyed completely.

Libyan state television announced on Sunday that 48 people were killed and 150 were wounded in the strikes, including civilians.

With the Western allies pounding targets in Libya from the air, clashes continue on the ground between Gaddafi troops and revolutionary forces.

More than 94 people were reportedly killed by Gaddafi loyalists in the opposition-held city of Benghazi on Sunday, even now that the Libyan government halted air attacks, medics said.

Arab League slams Western invasion of Libya

Amr Moussa

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170927.html

The Arab League has strongly criticized the West's military air strikes on Libya, since they resulted in civilian casualties almost immediately after invasion.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa says the military intervention in Libya differs from a UN resolution that authorizes imposing a no-fly zone over the country.

"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," he said on Sunday.

Moussa said last week's UN resolution was meant to protect civilians against troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

The attacks on Libya started after US, European and Arab leaders backed military action against Libya following an emergency meeting in Paris on Saturday.

Moussa has called for an emergency AL meeting to discuss the situation in the Arab world.

The remarks come as the US and European forces have unleashed massive airstrikes and cruise missile attacks on oil-rich Libyan cities.

France initiated the war hours before US and UK warships and submarines joined in.

Libyan state television announced that 48 people were killed and 150 were wounded in the strikes, including civilians.

It is the biggest Western military intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Experts say the main motive behind the Western allies' attack is the vast oil reserves in the North African country.

US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen has acknowledged that the US-led military invasion of Libya could lead to a deadlock in the North African country.

The top military commander said told CBS news on Sunday that the end-game of military action in Libya was "very uncertain."

Russia 'regrets' Libya invasion

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170813.html

Russia says it regrets that the Western countries decided to take military action against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who has been cracking down on revolutionaries in the country.

A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich on Saturday said, "Air force units from a host of countries began military actions in Libya on March 19. Moscow regrets this military action," Reuters reported.

On Thursday, Russia, along with four other nations, abstained from the UN Security Council's vote to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

The UN resolution granted permission for necessary action against Gaddafi and his loyal forces including military intervention.

Reports say Gaddafi declared a ceasefire on Friday as a response to the Council's resolution.

On Saturday, French warplanes launched an attack on the Libyan territories. France says the attacks are aimed to protect the Libyans from Gaddafi's strikes.

Earlier in the day Colonel Gaddafi intensified attacks on the eastern city of Benghazi, killing more than two dozen revolutionaries.

The regime's troops also downed an aircraft operated by revolutionary forces.

On March10, Moscow banned any supply of weapons to Libya and suspended its arms contracts with Tripoli in response to Gaddafi's brutal crackdown on revolutionary forces.

48 dead, Gaddafi wants 'revenge'

Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170834.html

Embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi has pledged to take revenge in response to the US-led war alliance's airstrikes and ship-launched missile attacks against the country.

Speaking in a brief audio message broadcast on state television early on Sunday morning, Gaddafi described the attacks as a "barbaric, unjustified Crusaders' aggression," AFP reported.

"Now the arms depots have been opened and all the Libyan people are being armed to fight against Western forces," he said.

Foreign forces launched airstrikes against Libya after officials of a number of countries meeting in Paris on Saturday ordered a large-scale military intervention into Libya in order to end the assaults on civilians launched by Gaddafi's forces.

Representatives of the United States, Britain, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar attended the meeting.

Libyan state media has reported that at least 48 people have been killed in the attacks.

There have been reports that French warplanes have begun firing on Libyan government troops in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is the stronghold of anti-government forces.

The French intervention came after forces loyal to the Libyan ruler began closing in on revolutionaries in eastern Libya, despite a ceasefire declared by Gaddafi on Friday.

In addition, US and British forces fired a barrage of at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libya targeting Gaddafi's air defenses on Saturday. The missiles reportedly struck pro-government forces.

Libyan anti-government forces, inspired by revolutions that toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are fighting to unseat Gaddafi after suffering under his despotic rule for over 41 years

'French jet shot down over Tripoli'

A French Mirage 2000 jet fighter takes off for Libya at the military base of Dijon, central France, Saturday, March 19, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170822.html

A French fighter jet has reportedly been shot down in Libya after several countries agreed on a large-scale military intervention into the North African country.

Libyan state television said late on Saturday that the French warplane went down in the Njela district of the Libyan capital Tripoli, AFP reported.

However, the French military swiftly denied the report.

Foreign forces launched airstrikes against Libya after officials of a number countries meeting in Paris on Saturday ordered a large-scale military intervention into the country in order to end the assaults on civilians launched by Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

Representatives of the United States, Britain, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar attended the meeting.

There have been reports that French warplanes have begun firing on Libyan government troops in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is the stronghold of anti-government forces.

The French intervention came after forces loyal to the 68-year-old Libyan ruler began closing in on revolutionaries in eastern Libya, despite a ceasefire declared by Gaddafi on Friday.

In addition, US and British forces fired a barrage of at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libya targeting Gaddafi's air defenses on Saturday. The missiles reportedly struck pro-government forces.

Speaking to reporters in Brazil, US President Barack Obama said Washington is united with its international partners on the need to take action.

"Our consensus was strong and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected, and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians, our coalition is prepared to act and act with urgency," he said.

Libyan anti-government forces, inspired by revolutions that toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are fighting to unseat Gaddafi after suffering under his despotic rule for over 41 years.

Bombs hit near Gaddafi compound

Bab al-Azizia, situated in the southern suburbs of Tripoli, is a military barracks and Gaddafi's main compound

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170835.html

Bombs have been dropped in close proximity to the headquarters of embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli.

The bombs went off in the capital early on Sunday as a foreign aircraft flew over the Bab al-Azizia military compound, situated in the southern suburbs of Tripoli.

However, it was not immediately known what targets had been struck, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) has asked for an "immediate stop" to all assaults on Libya in the Western-led operation against the North African country.

On Sunday, the AU called on the Gaddafi regime to secure "humanitarian aid to those in need," and the "protection of foreigners, including African expatriates living in Libya."

The AU also drew attention to the need for the "necessary political reforms to eliminate the causes of the present crisis."

Foreign forces launched airstrikes against Libya after officials of a number of countries meeting in Paris on Saturday ordered a large-scale military intervention into Libya in order to end the assaults on civilians launched by Gaddafi's forces.

Representatives of the United States, Britain, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar attended the meeting.

There have been reports that French warplanes have begun firing on Libyan government troops in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is the stronghold of anti-government forces.

The French intervention came after forces loyal to the Libyan ruler began closing in on revolutionaries in eastern Libya, despite a ceasefire declared by Gaddafi on Friday.

In addition, US and British forces fired a barrage of at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libya targeting Gaddafi's air defenses on Saturday. The missiles reportedly struck pro-government forces.

Libyan anti-government forces, inspired by revolutions that toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are fighting to unseat Gaddafi after suffering under his despotic rule for over 41 years.

Spain, Norway, Denmark join war party

A Spanish Air Force F-18 fighter jet

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170829.html

Spain, Norway, and Denmark have announced that they are joining the large-scale military intervention into Libya.

The Spanish Defense Ministry said on Saturday that the country has sent four F-18 fighter jets and a refueling aircraft to Italy to take part in the operation over Libya starting on Sunday, AFP reported.

"These planes will carry out patrol missions and will be operational from tomorrow (Sunday)," a statement issued by the Spanish Defense Ministry read.

On Saturday, Norway announced that six Norwegian F-16 fighter jets will be joining the Western-led military operations against Libya over the next few days.

The warplanes will take off right at the beginning of next week and will be based in Sicily, Italy, according to the announcement.

Denmark has announced that it will be contributing up to six F-16 warplanes and a transport plane for the Western-led intervention into Libya.

On Saturday, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said parliament supports the decision to deploy warplanes to Libya.

Foreign forces launched airstrikes against Libya after officials of a number countries meeting in Paris on Saturday ordered a large-scale military intervention into the country in order to end the assaults on civilians launched by Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

Representatives of the United States, Britain, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar attended the meeting.

There have been reports that French warplanes have begun firing on Libyan government troops in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is the stronghold of anti-government forces.

The French intervention came after forces loyal to the 68-year-old Libyan ruler began closing in on revolutionaries in eastern Libya, despite a ceasefire declared by Gaddafi on Friday.

In addition, US and British forces fired a barrage of at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libya targeting Gaddafi's air defenses on Saturday. The missiles reportedly struck pro-government forces.

Libyan anti-government forces, inspired by revolutions that toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are fighting to unseat Gaddafi after suffering under his despotic rule for over 41 years.

French forces attack Libya

A French Dassault Rafale combat aircraft, seen in this photo released by ECPAD (French Defense communication and audiovisual production agency), takes off from Saint-Dizier military base, eastern France, March 19, 2011, on a mission to Libya. Reuters Phot

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170788.html

French warplanes have reportedly launched an all-out attack on the Libyan territories as violence continues to haunt the North African country.

Around 20 French aircraft bombed the positions of forces loyal to embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The French plane fired the first shot in Libya at 1645 GMT and destroyed its target, according to a military spokesman.

A statement by the French Army says that a military vehicle belonging to Gaddafi forces has been targeted, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, witnesses were quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying that four Libyan tanks have also been destroyed by French warplanes.

The military spokesman said Paris is sending its Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Libyan coast.

The US and several other western countries' air forces and navies are expected to join the French.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the US would use its "unique capabilities" to reinforce its European allies.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says a naval blockade is also being put in place around Libya's coastal areas.

Canada, Norway and Denmark say they are ready to send their F-16 warplanes, while Italy, Spain and Britain will provide airbases and other military assistance.

France is also providing a major air base in the port city of Marseille.

Meanwhile, NATO members have met in Brussels for details of a military action plan.

The attack comes hours after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Paris would lead an attack on Libyan territories in a bid to protect the civilian population.

Earlier in the day Colonel Gaddafi intensified attacks on the eastern city of Benghazi, killing more than two dozen revolutionaries.

The regime's troops also downed an aircraft operated by revolutionary forces.

'Britain seeking to launch new war'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170760.html

The UK government has been accused of launching a new war in North Africa despite failing to secure Iraq and Afghanistan, where Britain participated in their occupation.

The British-based Stop the War Coalition condemned Britain and its allies for launching a "new war" after the "bloody and failing" occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Air attacks on Libya will not help end the civil war but will escalate it and could be the prelude to a much wider war,” said a spokesman for the campaign.

“They will not help bring the downfall of Qaddafi. He is already portraying the UN's decision as an act of western colonization and himself as the defender of Libyan sovereignty. Air strikes by the US and Britain will strengthen, not weaken, his position," he added.

"History shows us that the consequences of western intervention are almost always disastrous and not in the interests of those it claims to support.”

Andrew Murray, national chair of the coalition, wrote that the decision to "attack Libya and impose regime change" was "instigated by the despots of the Arab League, desperate to secure deeper western involvement in the region to save them from their own peoples".

Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Paul Flynn and the Green Party's only MP, Caroline Lucas, supported the Stop the War Coalition's stance.

"Is the prime minister now suggesting we should develop a foreign policy that would be prepared to countenance intervention elsewhere where there are attacks on civilians, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman or Bahrain? I hope he has thought this whole thing through," Corbyn, MP for Islington North, told the House of Commons.

MP McDonnell also told the Commons, "I support the freedom struggle and I'm a supporter of the United Nations but I have grave and serious concerns about the use of force by western powers in this region, both the short-term and long-term consequences. In the short term, in the interest of conflict resolution, is there to be a final offer from the United Nations to Gaddafi for peace talks?"

Lucas said Britain had "lost the moral authority" when it came to military intervention in the wake of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I very much worry that this would be portrayed by Qaddafi as yet more neocolonial exploits," whether there is a UN resolution or not, she said.

The Stop the War Coalition said it has organized a series of protests in London and across the UK to warn the government against rushing to military intervention elsewhere in the world.

UNSC orders no-fly zone over Libya

Members of the Security Council vote in favor of the resolution to impose a no-fly zone on Libya at the United Nations on March 17, 2011 in New York Ci

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170484.html

The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution ordering a no-fly zone over Libya, while suspending the country from the Human Rights Council.

Resolution 1970 authorizes a no-fly zone over Libya and to allow "all necessary measures" to be taken "to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in (Libya), including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force," Reuters reported on Thursday.

Thousands of Benghazi residents have gathered in a central square immediately following the passing of the UNSC resolution to celebrate.

It allows for airstrikes to halt Gaddafi's offensive against the revolutionary forces in Libya.

The vote passed 10-0 with five abstentions in the 15-member council. The permanent council members of China and Russia did not use their veto powers, but instead abstained.

Addressing the Security Council, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the world had to act to support Libya.

"The world is living one of its great revolutions that changes the course of history. In North Africa, the Persian Gulf, the Arab people are calling to breathe democracy," he said.

"In Libya, alas, for a number of weeks the people's will has been shot down to its feet by Colonel Kadhafi," the French top diplomat said.

"We are ready and willing to act together, including with Arab members. We have very little time left. It is a matter of days. Perhaps it is a matter of hours," Juppe said. "We should not arrive too late.”

'Gaddafi funded Sarkozy's election bid'

Saif al-Islam

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170262.html

The son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi claims Tripoli funded the election campaign of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi says the Libyan regime has details of the 2007 transfer.

"We funded it and we have all the details and are ready to reveal everything," he said, threatening to publicize the details.

Gaddafi's son made the remarks while expressing outrage over Sarkozy's recent stance against the Libyan regime, demanding that the French president return the money.

"But he's disappointed us," Saif al-Islam said.

"Give us back our money. We have all the bank details and documents for the transfer operations and we will make everything public soon."

The move seems aimed at punishing Sarkozy for throwing his weight behind revolutionary forces in Libya.

The funding scandal could further deteriorate the already declining approval ratings of the French president.

A recent opinion poll showed that more than seven out of ten French nationals are unhappy with Sarkozy's performance. This has been Sarkozy's worst approval rating since he took office.

Meanwhile, thousands have been killed in Gaddafi regime's continuing crackdown on opposition protesters ever since the Libyan uprising began in mid-February.

The developments come as popular revolutions continue to sweep Western-backed autocratic regimes in the Middle East and North Africa.

US, UK reach consensus on Libya action

US President Barack Obama (R) talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168919.html

US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed on a “full spectrum” of actions on Libya as violence in the North African country continues.

"The president and the prime minister agreed to press forward with planning, including at NATO, on the full spectrum of possible responses," the White House said in a statement.

Obama and Cameron plan to call for a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi from conducting aerial attacks on opposition forces, AFP reported on Tuesday.

The transatlantic leaders also reached consensus on an arms embargo, humanitarian assistance, and surveillance of the country.

The plan to impose a no-fly zone on Libya, now being pushed forward by Britain and France at the UN Security Council, has led to disagreements among world powers.

Russia has expressed opposition to military action against Libya that could be included in the no-fly zone initiative.

Experts say that imposing a no-fly zone would require assaults on Libyan air defenses and the Libyan air force.

Meanwhile, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has once again rejected the calls for foreign military intervention in Libya. OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu announced the stance at an emergency OIC meeting on Libya in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

In the latest developments, pro-Gaddafi forces have stepped up attacks on revolutionary forces in several towns currently under the control of the opposition.

The situation in Zawiyah, 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of Tripoli, is critical, with tanks surrounding the town and aircraft bombing civilians.

Airstrikes were launched in the eastern port of Ras Lanuf on Tuesday, and jets also struck two hotels in Benghazi where reporters were staying.

Two major Libyan oil ports closed

Revolutionary forces take cover as a bomb dropped by a Libyan air force fighter jet explodes near a checkpoint on the outskirts of the oil town of Ras Lanuf

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168784.html

Ras Lanuf and Brega, two major oil ports in eastern Libya, have been closed as pro-regime forces intensify attacks on the revolutionary forces.

Embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's warplanes have launched fresh airstrikes on anti-regime positions around the port city of Ras Lanuf, Reuters reported late Monday.

Reports say at least three people have been killed in the attacks. The violence resulted in the closure of two oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Brega.

"Ras Lanuf is not operating. It's the same in Brega," an official in a shipping company in Ras Lanuf said.

The revolutionary forces have begun pulling back from Ras Lanuf and the nearby city of Ben Jawad after the regime resorted to heavy use of air attacks.

According to an anti-government official, beleaguered Gaddafi could attack oilfields like a "wounded wolf."

Meanwhile, reports say fighting erupted in the Libyan city of Zawiyah as forces loyal to the incumbent ruler launched a renewed attempt to capture the city.

Three of the revolutionary forces and over 30 pro-Gaddafi soldiers lost their lives in the clashes.

Earlier on Sunday, Gaddafi's tanks shelled the civilian population in the western city of Misratah. According to medics, at least 21 people, most of them unarmed civilians, were killed in the clashes.

Battles rage for control of Libya

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168603.html

Located at the western tip of Jebel Nefusa, the mountain range that runs parallel to the coast west of Tripoli, Nalut joined the anti-Gaddafi forces early on. Locals and refugees told Press TV that nearby towns such as Jadu, Zintan and Rogbane are also no longer under Gaddafi regime's control.

Repeating the pattern of other population centers, the revolutionary forces have held on to the towns, but have conceded much of the road network linking the cities.

The Libyan military, meanwhile, has reclaimed the Tunisian border post and have patrols around the city's perimeter.

While no counterattack has yet materialized, border crossers told Press TV that they have been erecting fortifications. Residents on the Tunisian side of the border are also concerned as they have significant contacts with Nalut, both social and commercial.

While not as busy as the main western border town of Ras Jedir, 250 kilometers north, more than 3,000 refugees from nearly 20 different nations have passed from Libya into the once sleepy town of Dehiba.

The Libyan army has imposed a blockade on the border, but that hasn't stopped many from skirting the checkpoint and delivering humanitarian aid.

Despite their proximity to Ghadaffi's forces around Tripoli, some towns in northwestern Libya have declared their independence. Their situation is precarious, but they are holding their ground

'US seeks strategic change in Libya'

Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168632.html

A senior Iranian lawmaker has warned the United States against its possible military intervention in Libya, saying Washington seeks a strategic change in the North African country.

“Libya currently is in need of humanitarian aid and not military interventions by certain powers, including the United States, which are based on their own interests,” a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said in a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

“We believe that the objective of such ideas is not based on defending the Libyan people but is a bid to change the strategic situation in this North African country,” he added, ISNA reported.

He pointed to the ongoing bloody events in Libya and expressed regret that the United Nations and its affiliated bodies failed to play their role within the framework of the UN Charter.

The Iranian lawmaker said the current developments in Libya and the savage killings of the country's people have created a fresh wave of concern in the world, particularly in the Islamic Republic.

He warned that certain powers are making efforts to prepare ground for military intervention in Libya and called on the chief of the United Nations to require responsible bodies to defend the rights of the Libyan people and condemn and bring the country's dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his allies to trial.

Falahatpisheh also asked Ban to pave the way for the Libyan people to determine their own fate without the interference of other countries.

The remarks came after media reports suggested that the United States and its allies may be preparing the ground for a military intervention in Libya.

The US Senate has unanimously passed a resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Libya.

The US Senate Armed Services Committee said all options, including the military option, should be on the table.

8 British troops captured in Libya

Libyan opposition forces during a training session

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168409.html

Eight British soldiers have been captured in eastern Libya as they escorted a senior diplomat through territory under the control of revolutionary forces.

According to a report published by The Sunday Times, the unexpected presence of a British special forces unit along with the diplomat "angered Libyan opposition figures, who ordered the soldiers to be locked up on a military base."

The Britons have reportedly been taken to Benghazi in eastern Libya. The diplomat they were protecting had wanted to contact the anti-government forces.

The British newspaper added that anti-government forces “fear Muammar Gaddafi could use any evidence of Western military interference to rally patriotic support for his regime."

On Saturday, Gaddafi said he wanted the United Nations or the African Union to investigate the anti-government protests in the country.

On the same day, pro-Gaddafi forces backed by tanks launched an assault on Zawiyah, 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, firing heavy mortar rounds at houses and attacking a hospital.

The clashes began hours after revolutionary forces repelled an effort by government forces to retake the city.

Reports by human rights groups say over 6,000 people have been killed so far in the government's harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters.

The Libyan revolution came in the wake of the monumental events in Tunisia and Egypt, where dictators who led undemocratic and repressive regimes were driven out of power.

However, Gaddafi does not want to see the writing on the wall, and the bloody conflict in Libya drags on.

Waves of demonstrations have rocked several other Middle Eastern and North African countries in recent weeks.

Protests, gunfire hit Gaddafi stronghold

A recent photo of an anti-Gaddafi protest

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168254.html

Gunshots have rung out in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where anti-government protesters staged rallies against the crumbling regime of Libya's ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Tripoli residents demanding Gaddafi's downfall held rallies after the Friday prayers in the capital, where they were met with pro-Gaddafi forces that used teargas to disperse the crowd.

"They fired teargas. I heard shooting. People are scattering," a Reuters reporter at the scene of the protests in the east of the Libyan capital said.

Reports indicate that Gaddafi's secret police waited outside mosques as demonstrators began to call for an end to the ruler's 42 years of autocracy.

Pro-regime forces unleashed the gas and baton rounds to suppress the anti-government protests.

Meanwhile, the regime's troops kept a heavy military presence on main roads around the capital, where pro-Gaddafi forces have been searching cars at numerous checkpoints.

In the Libyan city of Benghazi, which is under the protesters' control, a massive rally was held after the day's prayers.

Clashes also erupted in the town of Zawiyah and the oil port of Ras Lanuf, with reports of heavy casualties after the regime unleashed fire on anti-government protesters in an area near the oil port of Ras Lanuf.

Libya's revolutionary forces have vowed to continue with their rallies until achieving victory.

The Libyan situation continues to dominate the world oil markets. The uprising in the oil-rich North African nation has increased crude prices worldwide.

New York's light sweet crude for April delivery, known as West Texas Intermediate, rose 72 cents to reach above 102 dollars a barrel.

Libya produces over one and a half million barrels of oil a day. About 85 percent of Libya's oil goes to Europe.

Gaddafi forces open fire on protesters

Anti-Gaddafi protesters shout slogans and hold signs during a rally after the Friday Prayers in Benghazi on March 4, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168174.html

Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi's troops have opened heavy fire on anti-regime protesters in an area near the oil port of Ras Lanuf.

Heavy shelling has been heard from the city some 600 kilometers east of the capital, Tripoli. At least four people were killed during heavy clashes between Gaddafi loyalists and defectors, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Reports say Gaddafi's military forces have bombed the eastern oil-rich town of Brega for the third consecutive day.

Similar air strikes have also been reported in the northeastern town of Ajdabiya 160 kilometers south of Benghazi.

This comes as reports say Gaddafi's regime has stepped up the recruitment of mercenaries from other African countries. Revolutionary forces say they have already captured scores of Gaddafi mercenaries.

The anti-regime forces say they are ready to hold talks if the Libyan ruler steps down or goes into exile.

Reports say several-thousand Libyans have been killed and many others have been injured after the protests began in the North African nation on February 17.

Anti-government protests have been held across Libya as tensions remain high in the North African nation.

In the Libyan city of Benghazi, demonstrators marched after the Friday Prayers, demanding the ouster of Gaddafi.

A Press TV correspondent says revolutionary forces have promised to continue with their rallies until achieving victory.

In Tripoli, anti-Gaddafi protesters took to the streets. Police used teargas to disperse demonstrators after the Friday Prayers. Gunshots were also heard in the city.

Opposition forces claim they have taken control of an airport in the oil port of Ras Lanuf, after heavy fighting with Gaddafi forces.

Reports say scores of people have been killed in the fighting.

Libya's state television, however, claims that Gaddafi forces have seized back the city of Zawiyah, near Tripoli.

The city was taken by protesters two weeks ago.

At least 50 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the fresh fighting.

The Libyan situation continues to dominate the world oil markets. The uprising in the oil-rich North African nation has increased crude prices worldwide.

New York's light sweet crude for April delivery, known as West Texas Intermediate, rose 72 cents to reach above 102 dollars a barrel.

Libya produces over one and a half million barrels of oil a day. About 85 percent of Libya's oil goes to Europe.