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Tripoli fighting is "zero hour": rebel official

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A building Libyan officials described as a civil engineering office lies flattened after being bombed overnight by NATO in Tripoli, August 20, 2011. REUTERS/Paul Hackett

A building Libyan officials described as a civil engineering office lies flattened after being bombed overnight by NATO in Tripoli, August 20, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Paul Hackett

BENGHAZI, Libya | Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:09pm EDT

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Opponents of Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli have risen up in coordination with rebels encircling the capital, a senior official in the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Sunday.

"The zero hour has started. The rebels in Tripoli have risen up," said Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice-chairman of the NTC, based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

"There is coordination with the rebels in Tripoli. This was a pre-set plan. They've been preparing for a while. There's coordination with the rebels approaching from the east, west and south."

Ghoga said NATO warplanes were launching raids to distract Gaddafi's forces. "The next hours are crucial. Many of their (pro-Gaddafi) brigades and their commanders have fled."

(Reporting by Robert Birsel; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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Comments (4)
oxen wrote:
US says rebels should prepare to take power soon! Another way to put it is: “we(NATO) will soon finish the fighting, so rag-tags, get ready to show up in Tripoli shoot around and say you have won. Then take positions in offices and follow to the letter whatever we tell you to do” Yes, this was a war of NATO against Libya in particular and Africa in general. The most sad fact is that the UN was manipulated to pass a resolution to cover up this attack to control Libya. Shame on UN,shame on USA,UK, France. Qatar, UAE for ganging up to destroy Libya under the guise of protecting civilians. There were ways of getting a better solution with the UN resolution dis-abused. Whatever outcome NATO gets now will not be credible despite the oil and contracts o rebuilding they will get. They will share the oil cities like they shared Africa during colonization, the rag tags will get the spoils. The rest of Libyans cannot expect much–NATO has no credibility after this, worse still, the UN.

Aug 20, 2011 5:06pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
ContiUK wrote:
Wow! Oxen, must be Gaddafi in disguise. Let me elucidate the facts as Oxen completely ignore some important facts. The majority of existent oil exploration contracts that Libya has are with European companies. So, according to Oxen’s very limited logic, there were absolutely no reason to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to secure something is already secured. Actually, any war outcome would be a big question mark for those European companies / NATO, therefore, according to Oxen’s misleading sort of logic, it would much better for Europe to stay as it is and not fully support the change in Libya. Oxen also forgot over 30 countries around the world support the NTC. All of them must be nasty countries …..

Not to mention, Reuters, Al Jazeera, AFP, BBC, NBC, etc. are reporting LIBYAN PEOPLE upraising against Gaddafi as I write. Tripoli right now reached its boiling point with Libyans going to the street to protest and fight for freedom. Some minor details Oxen is totally disregarding.

For whatever emotional reason Oxen doesn’t like NATO / western intervention in Libya, Libyans will be eternally grateful for NATO support. Oxen, you need urgently to reassess your values and review your logic. Or perhaps you work for Gaddafi media group …. How sad.

Aug 20, 2011 6:42pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
renceD wrote:
According to non-western propaganda sources Ghaddafi’s soldiers are purging through groups of Al-Qaida-CIA operatives inside of Tripoli.
Although Gahddafi is not liked by many Lybians due to his tyrannical ruling style the NATO mercinaries dressed in smiley T-shirts will bring the most brutal and tyrannical opression the Lybians have ever experienced. Just look at the countries where NATO tried spreading Democracy: Iraq, Afganistan, Somalia – they are all failed states with an avarage life expectancy of 40. Not any better in Egypt either where a military junta replaced the “tyrant Mubarak.”

Aug 21, 2011 10:38am EDT  --  Report as abuse
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