Nato operation in Libya 'finished', France says

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Daily Telegraph 9:36AM BST 21 Oct 2011

"I think we can say that the military operation is finished, that the whole of Libyan territory is under the control of the National Transitional Council and that, subject to a few transitory measures in the week to come, the Nato operation has arrived at its end," Juppe told Europe 1 radio from India.

The Libyans "have their destiny in their hands," Juppe said.

"The operation must now conclude because our objective, which was to accompany the forces of the National Transitional Council in the liberation of their territory, has now been reached," Juppe said.

"Our goal was not to kill Gaddafi. When I say us, I'm talking about the coalition, of France within Nato. Our goal was to force him to relinquish power. It was then up to the National Transitional Council to capture and judge him," he said.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8840533/Nato-operation-in-Libya-finished-France-says.html

[joshcryer]

1. What? No occupying forces? I was repeatedly told Libya would be occupied.

How strange. I guess you can't trust what some people say.

[TBF]

2. No kidding ... on to the next one. nt

[UnrepentantLiberal]

3. That would be a very good thing.

Nothing can be done to stop a civil war.

[jakeXT]

4. first time I heard about it "our objective, which was to accompany the forces of the NTC

in the liberation of their territory, has now been reached,"

[harmonicon]

5. If I couldn't laugh about this stuff sometimes, life would just be TOO tragic.

"The Libyans "have their destiny in their hands," Juppe said."

I'm pretty sure they did before; when they overthrew a monarchy, for instance. I don't think French and US bombs made that happen though - I think, in that case, it was the Libyans. In this case, when it's Libyans fighting against an international coalition, and the coalition wins, somehow I'm supposed to think that translates into a win for Libyans? Up is down, black is white, etc.

It sure is a good thing that they agreed to give up certain weapons programs though; we wouldn't have wanted a fair fight, after all.

[EFerrari]

6. Yep. NATO completely destabiized Libya.

There are armed militias crawling all over the country.

Clearly their work, protecting Libyan citizens, is done.

[krabigirl]

8. yep. and now the looting of the oil reserves can begin

[gratuitous]

7. The military operation is finished, the plunder of the oil can now begin in earnest

I like the "our goal was not to kill Gaddafi" bullshit. Yeah, I was flipping lit matches at that stack of gas cans, but I didn't mean to start a fire!

[50000feet]

9. This from a Libyan blog.

Decide if it sounds credible. It does to me considering Libya's 50 year sprint from nomadic to civilized. 50 years is not a long time.

Life in Libya with Leader Gaddafi

http://libyasos.blogspot.com/p/gaddafi.html

1. Electricity for household use is free,

2. interest-free loans
3. during the study, government give to every student 2 300 dolars/month

4. receives the average salary for this profession if you do not find a job after graduation,

5. the state has paid for to work in the profession,

6. every unemployed person receives social assistance 15,000 $/year,

7. for marriage state pays first apartment or house (150m2),

8. buying cars at factory prices,

9. LIBYA not owe anyone a cent,

10. free higher education abroad,

11. 25% of highly educated,

12. 40 loaves of bread costs $ 0.15,

13. water in the middle of the desert, drinking water,

14. 8 dinars per liter of oil (0.08 EUR),

15. 6% poor people,

16. for each infant, the couple received $ 5,000 for their needs.

[ellisonz]

11. And you could be shot for questioning Dear Leader...

What a wonderful socialist dictatorship :think:

As Libya takes stock, Moammar Kadafi's hidden riches astound
New estimates of the former leader's assets — more than $200 billion — are called 'staggering.' If they prove true, he would rank among the world's most rapacious leaders.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kadafi-money-20111022,0,5740812.story

Early in his rule, Gaddafi declared that anyone studying the Amazigh language was drinking "poisoned milk from their mother's breast," explained Fathi Anfusi, a 48-year-old Amazigh activist who escaped Tripoli and arrived in Jadu last month.

Gaddafi accused Amazigh activists of being on the payroll of Western intelligence agencies and seeking to divide the country. Berber activists were rounded up and jailed. The hero of their movement, a poet and journalist named Said Mahrooq, was paralyzed after being run down by a car. Even giving children Amazigh names was forbidden.

Anfusi, an agronomist by profession, wanted to name his daughter Tala, a Berber name meaning "fountain." He was forced to register her with the Arabic name Hala instead.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43178608/ns/world_news-africa/t/berber-culture-reborn-libya-revolt#.TqKW4uZye8k

And if you were selected for Gaddafi's guard:

Posted at 10:43 AM ET, 08/29/2011
Gaddafi’s female bodyguards say they were raped, abused by the Libyan leader
By Elizabeth Flock

Five women who were part of Col. Moammar Gaddafi’s elite team of female bodyguards say they were raped and abused by the now fugitive Libyan leader.

The Sunday Times of Malta reports that the former bodyguards said Gaddafi and his sons raped and abused them and then discarded the women once the men became “bored” with them.

Benghazi-based psychologist Seham Sergewa has collected the details for use by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating possible war crimes by Gaddafi and his associates.

----

“A pattern emerged in the stories,” the Times reports. “The women would be first raped by the dictator and then passed on, like used objects, to one of his sons and eventually to high-ranking officials for more abuse before eventually being let go.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/gaddafis-female-bodyguards-say-they-were-raped-abused-by-the-libyan-leader/2011/08/29/gIQA8TOKnJ_blog.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Fool Count]

10. They still don't understand that what is truly finished

is their corrupt imperialist oligarchic global capitalist system. They could attack and destroy few more countries and may even manage to
prolong the agony for a while by sucking the remaining blood off their conquests. But what is Libya or Syria or even Iran in the global scheme
of things? So they buy themselves a year or two or five or even a decade, and then what? They are truly at the end of their line, where the
dustbin of history awaits them as surely as day follows the night. Adios, amigos, we hardly knew you. Yours was the shortest lived economic
system in human history. I just hope you don't take the Earth with you in the process.