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    Senior Member AirborneSapper7's Avatar
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    US rescue chopper shoots 6 villagers as they welcome pilots

    U.S. rescue chopper shoots six Libyan villagers as they welcome pilots of downed Air Force jet

    By Daily Mail Reporter
    Last updated at 7:28 PM on 22nd March 2011
    806 Comments

    ~ Both crewmen injured after ejecting but in safe hands

    ~ Villagers told them 'Don't be scared, we are your friends'

    ~ Father of boy whose leg may have to be amputated bears coalition troops no malice

    ~ Minister refuses to rule out use of ground troops

    ~ Friction between allies as Italy brands command structure 'anarchic' and threatens to withdraw use of air bases

    ~ Algeria calls western military intervention 'disproportionate'

    ~ Gaddafi snipers on murderous spree in Misarata and guns turned on rebels in Adjabiyah

    ~ Qatari jets joining no-fly zone nearly run out of fuel and have to land in Cyprus


    Six Libyan villagers are recovering in hospital after being shot by American soldiers coming in to rescue the U.S. pilots whose plane crash-landed in a field.

    The helicopter strafed the ground as it landed in a field outside Benghazi beside the downed U.S. Air Force F-15E Eagle which ran into trouble during bombing raid last night.

    And a handful of locals who had come to greet the pilots were hit - among them a young boy who may have to have a leg amputated because of injuries caused by a bullet wound.


    Crashed: Onlookers surround the wreckage of a U.S Air Force F-15E fighter jet after it crashed near the eastern city of Benghazi


    Ruins: The fighter jet crashed in Libya overnight after apparent mechanical failure. Both men ejected safely and escaped with only minor injuries

    The first confirmed casualties of the allied operation, the Channel Four's International Editor Lindsey Hilsum confirmed the civilian casualties.
    The crew of the fighter plane had enjoyed a miraculous escape after suffereing suspected mechanical failure during the third night of air strikes on Colonel Gaddafi's military positions.

    As one crew member was surrounded by locals, he held his arms out, calling 'okay, okay', according to the Evening Standard - but the grateful Libyans queued to thank him and give him juice.

    Younis Amruni told the newspaper: 'I hugged him and said "Don't be scared, we are your friends". We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies.'

    The plane, based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, had set off from Aviano in Italy but came down at Bu Mariem, some 24 miles east of Benghazi.
    The jet's wreckage is set to be recovered or destroyed by the Americans, to prevent the plant coming into Gaddafi's hands, while the crew were seen by a doctor in the rebel stronghold before being taken to a U.S. ship.


    Downed: F15E Eagle fighter jet, similar to that lost in Libya last night and anti-aircraft fire lighting up the night sky over Tripoli

    The U.S. military confirmed an Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle crashed in Libya but it was not shot down, while Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Africa Command, said both crew members ejected and sustained minor injuries.

    Gauging the reaction of locals in the area, Hilsum said 'the local Libyans do not seem resentful, they still want the coalition forces to keep operating'.

    The incident is an embarrassment all round for the coalition, which had been met by strong anti-aircraft fire over Tripoli last night.

    However, the U.S. did managed to fire 20 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya in the past 12 hours, a military spokeswoman confirmed today.

    Details also emerged of Britain’s Tomahawk cruise missile attack on Gaddafi’s presidential compound in Tripoli, destroying a military command and control centre, while up to 800 Royal Marines were placed on standby to move to the Mediterranean.

    A total of 159 Tomahawks have been fired by the United States and the United Kingdom since the mission -- called Operation Odyssey Dawn -- began on Saturday.

    'We think we have been very effective in degrading his ability to control his regime forces,' said General Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command.

    Gaddafi went on the offensive today on the ground in Libya. A doctor in Misarata said loyalist tanks were in the streets and snipers controlled the main roadway in Misarata, with international forces not implementing the no-fly zone in the coastal city.


    Locals check out the wreckage of the F15E and pick up mementos from the crash site


    People look at components of AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles from the F-15E fighter


    Young boys wearing old Libyan flags climb on the wreckage in their dungaree fatigues

    The doctor, speaking anonymously, said nine people were killed this morning, including a fellow medic and his four children who were shot by snipers.

    'Snipers are everywhere in Misarata, shooting anyone who walks by while the world is still watching. There is no protection for civilians,' he said.
    Mokhtar Ali, a Libyan dissident in exile, said he was in touch with his father in the town and described increasingly dire conditions.

    ''Residents live on canned food and rainwater tanks,' he said. Gaddafi's brigades storm residential areas knowing that they won't be bombed there. 'People live in total darkness in terms of communications and electricity.'

    In Ajdabiyah, a rebel commander who defected from the Libyan special forces said professional ex-soldiers had poured into the area and the nearby oil port city of Brega, encircling the Gaddafi forces to disrupt their supply lines under Western air cover.

    'If not for the West we would not have been able to push forward,' said Ahmed Buseifi. 'I'm pinpointing where their forces are and their tanks and passing it up the chain of command.'

    Today, a British Government minister refused to rule out the deployment of ground troops in Libya.

    Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey said there was a clear distinction between sending in a full-scale occupation force - which is banned under the terms of the United Nations mandate - and a more limited intervention.
    He insisted the air strikes were aimed at military targets.

    Asked on BBC Breakfast how long the conflict was likely to last, Mr Harvey answered: 'How long is a piece of string?'.

    He then added: 'We don't know if this is going to result in a stalemate. We don't know if his capabilities are going to be degraded quickly. Ask me again in a week.'


    Rebellion: Rebel fighters firing missiles against the Libyan leader's forces in a desert near Ajdabiya


    Show of unity: Dr Liam Fox, Secretary of State for Defence, arrives in Downing Street today ahead of a Cabinet Meeting alongside General Sir David Richards

    He also accepted that Libya could be left with a stalemate in which left the country divided and Col Gaddafi still holding power in Tripoli.

    'That is one possible outcome,' he said.

    'If it is, so be it, that wouldn't be desirable. But a stable outcome where they weren't killing each other would in a sense be one way of achieving the humanitarian objective.'

    It was a stance echoed by the lead U.S. commander Army Gen. Carter Ham, who said it was possible that Gaddafi might manage to retain power.
    'I don't think anyone would say that is ideal,' the general said, foreseeing a possible outcome that contrasts with his President's opinion that Gaddafi should be toppled.

    The coalition is finding it difficult however, to present a united front over the vexing question of who should continue to lead the operation.
    Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini reiterated a warning today that Italy would take back control of airbases it has authorised for use by allies for operations over Libya unless a NATO coordination structure was agreed.

    Italian officials have described the current three-way command structure involving France, Britain and the United States and the resulting bombing campaign as 'anarchic'.

    Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also added to the calls for the operation to be handed over to NATO and said: 'For us it is essential the mission of the no fly zone is clearly defined, from the embargo to the protection of civilians.

    'The operational command must pass to NATO or be coordinated differently from how it is at the moment.'

    U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates has already said Britain or France could take charge of the air operation, or NATO could lead it, if sensitivities in the Arab League over working under NATO leadership were assuaged.


    A Libyan rebel vehicle in front of billowing smoke as Libyan forces loyal to Leader Muammar Gaddafi attack the road between Ajdabiya and Benghaz

    [quote][b][color=darkred]HAGUE: DESIRE FOR FREEDOM WILL SPREAD THROUGH AFRICA

    William Hague today predicted other countries in Africa would see uprisings similar to those in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

    The Foreign Secretary pulled no punches as he predicted the regimes in Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast might be undone by their unhappy peoples.

    'Just as Gaddafi is an obstacle to the peaceful development of Libya, there are some others who stand in the way of a brighter future for their countries,â€
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  2. #2
    Senior Member AirborneSapper7's Avatar
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    http://drudgereport.com/


    GOAL OF LIBYA OPERATION: INSTALL A 'DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM' http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/15 ... ion?page=1

    France wants 'Political Steering Committee' To Oversee No-Fly Zone in Libya... http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20110322/twl ... d0ae9.html

    Allies expand military campaign, debate command... http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-2 ... -risk.html

    NATO members squabble; no one wants to run war... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ddafi.html

    Stalemate Feared... http://www.cnbc.com/id/42203612

    Putin: All responsible should pray 'for salvation of their own souls'... http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/ ... CB20110322

    US rescue chopper shoots 6 villagers as they welcome pilots of downed Air Force jet... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... raids.html

    CNN has some fun with Obama's war... http://www.cnn.com/video/?utm_source=fe ... venirs.cnn

    DEFENSE SECRETARY: FIGHTING SHOULD 'RECEDE IN NEXT FEW DAYS'... http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/ ... 4I20110322

    HOLDER: Gadhafi's Presence In Libya 'Has Got To End'... http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/ ... o_end.html

    Russia calls for immediate ceasefire... http://nationaljournal.com/nationalsecu ... e-20110322

    China, too... http://www.haaretz.com/news/internation ... s-1.351113

    Emerging powers join in opposition... http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOil ... 22?sp=true

    US fighter crashes... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ghazi.html

    Crew members eject safely... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... TopStories

    NYT photog sexually assaulted and told 'You'll die tonight'... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... orces.html

    Bolivian president asks Nobel Committee to strip Obama of Peace Prize... http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article ... 92071&vId=

    Russian leader joins call, says US airstrikes 'shocking act of aggression'... http://en.rian.ru/world/20110321/163134252.html

    Oil tops $105 per barrel... http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Oil-tops- ... et=&ccode=
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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