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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Insomnia Gaddafi Today

Posted by Charles Mudede on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 2:51 PM

Libya's defected ex-prime minister Abdes Salam Jalloud:

I believe the regime has a week left, 10 days at most. And maybe even less.

He has no way of leaving Tripoli. All the roads are blocked. He can only leave with an international agreement and I think that door is closed.

I think it would be difficult for Gaddafi to give himself up. And he is not like Hitler who had the courage to kill himself... I don't think the evolution of the situation in Tripoli will allow him to survive.

If Gaddafi goes down, Bashar al-Assad will need to take a hard look in the mirror. There's plenty to see in this mirror.

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Charles,
Should Tripoli be captured it would come as a bit of a surprise to me. To be sure, I would welcome it. However, a mere few weeks ago, I read that there were tribal divisions in the ranks of the rebels (a rebel commander was murdered by his own troops) and a few of the captured sites were held shortly but eventually retaken by Gaddafi loyalists. So, indeed it would be remarkable. Alas, there will be bloodshed. But, in the end there now is a good chance Gaddafi will be exiled at least. An extraordinary development.

Posted by lark on August 21, 2011 at 3:53 PM

Gaddafi's gone, and Tripoli is in the hands of the rebels. Anyone able to access the al Jazeera English Web site? The Livestation feed is working, but the Web site has been bunged up since Saturday night.

Posted by Toe Tag on August 21, 2011 at 4:08 PM

It's sure looking like a done deal on Al Jazeera Live. Apparently much of the Tripoli population was against Gadhafi and just waiting for the rebels to advance enough to support them to come out. The scenes in Tripoli are of jubilation, two of his sons have been captured (including Mr. Turtleneck, Seif al-Islam), they've captured the main military base and they're meeting with little resistance. I just heard an audio from Gadhafi urging people to come from the countryside to fight. He sounds desperate. There's word that the presidential guard has surrendered and there's now fighting at Green Square, in the heart of the city.

It looks like the real thing this time. Here's hoping for victory and then for a transition into a functional government, and not civil war.

Posted by Lynx on August 21, 2011 at 4:09 PM

Yep, it looks like this is it. Lynx was right about one thing, though - 1,700 dead today.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on August 21, 2011 at 4:13 PM

Courage? Really?

Posted by The Wretched Harmony on August 21, 2011 at 4:51 PM

Two of Gaddafi's sons have been captured, opposition forces are in control of most of Tripoli, and the presidential guard has defected to the rebels. This is their Battle of Endor.

Posted by venomlash on August 21, 2011 at 4:56 PM

@6 So in that analogy the Ewoks are the Presidential Guard?

Posted by Zander on August 21, 2011 at 5:04 PM

Thanks to NATO there will be a new Libya. A better Libya is the unknown. This is NOT Star Wars nor the "Rebel Alliance" fighting some Evil that has super powers. These Muslim North Africans could turn out to hate more on Women, kill Gay folk even faster, and be just like Gaddafi, with a twist.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn on August 21, 2011 at 5:12 PM