[Residents] also expressed their gratitude to coalition members for the United Nations-authorized coalition attack on Libyan air defense targets meant to protect civilians.I'm sure they put it just like that. Thank you coalition, I am now free to roam around in my ornithopter without fear.
Behind him his F15 Strike Eagle was a burning wreck. He had parachuted into a field of sheep somewhere near Benghazi airbase and needed to escape - his fellow crew member had landed in another field nearby.posted by ZsigE at 4:09 PM on March 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
Raising his hands in the air he called out "OK, OK" to greet the crowd. But he need not have worried.
"I hugged him and said don't be scared we are your friends," said Younis Amruni, 27.
A US military spokesman has said that American Harrier jump jets dropped two bombs in Libya on Monday close to where a US pilot parachuted to the ground after his jet suffered a mechanical failure.posted by memebake at 6:03 PM on March 22, 2011
Reports from Libya on Tuesday claimed that a US helicopter arriving to rescue the F-15E pilot near Benghazi fired on locals, injuring six.
The spokesman denied those reports, but he later conceded on Tuesday that two Harrier aircraft on the scene had dropped two 500lb laser guided bombs on armoured vehicles seen near the downed pilot.
"We did drop two GPU bombs to defend the pilot," said Captain Richard Ulsh. "There were armoured vehicles in the area, close to him, enough to be a threat."
Ulce said he could not confirm reports that the strike had been called in by the downed pilot.
"I know the vehicles were spotted by the Harrier pilots. They did a show of force, flying very low, but the vehicles continued on their path. The pilots got permission to strike because they believed they were endangering our pilot."
The Harriers flew to the scene from the USS Kearsarge off the Libyan coast. Two Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were also dispatched from the Kearsarge to pick up the pilot and returned him to the vessel where he is now being given medical treatment.
Early reports claimed those helicopters fired on locals, but Ulsh said there had been no gun fire, suggesting the Libyans may have been injured by the bomb blasts.
A second crew member who ejected was rescued by Libyans and later handed over to US officials.
"The two Ospreys went after the pilot because we had a fix on him. We did not have instructions to go after the other crew member," said Ulsh. "It must have been felt he was safe."
-Mubarak was a punk and should have slugged it out.Look at Mubarak and, especially Ben Ali today. They're both fine, still rich, with nothing to worry about. If anything the lesson should be the sooner they leave the better.
-Maybe the US has finally battered it's sword blunt and broken against the rocks of Iraq and Afghanistan and their ability to coerce compliance through killing and destruction is waning. And since lesson one is "Backing down is for losers..."
The key thing that people seem to be missing here, is that we can't really stop civilians from getting hurt, either.Well the question is which course of action would result in more civilians getting killed. There's a huge difference between picking sides in a civil war that's going on and just bombing the shit out of some random country that's currently at piece (like Iraq). We don't know if Gaddaffi was going to rampage through Benghazi and just slaughter everyone but he'd definitely hinted that was a possibility. And he's obviously not the most stable person in the world.
The mission called the weapons "a grave threat to the civilian population" and warned Gbagbo forces that the U.N. would act if such weapons are used.posted by electroboy at 11:41 AM on March 23, 2011
After the uprising, the rebels stumbled as they tried to organize. They did a poor job of defining themselves when Libyans and the outside world tried to figure out what they stood for. And now, as they try to defeat Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s armed forces and militias, they will have to rely on allied airstrikes and young men with guns because the army that rebel military leaders bragged about consists of only about 1,000 trained men.posted by gerryblog at 6:17 AM on March 24, 2011
One US official quoted by Associated Press news agency said the Libyan plane shot down by France was a G-2/Galeb, a training aircraft with a single engine. The French plane involved was a Rafale fighter, the same US official said.I read on Twitter that the plane was actually on the runway & shot with an air-to-ground missile. So we're taking potshots at trainers now.
TRIPOLI, Libya — French warplanes destroyed a Libyan combat plane on Thursday amid a ferocious round of airstrikes on Libyan ground forces, tanks and artillery that seems to have begun to shift momentum from the forces loyal to Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi to the rebels opposing him.I don't see how any reasonable person can argue against the morality of what the allies are doing for the Libyan people.
A French Rafale fighter jet fired on the Libyan warplane, “which was operating in violation of resolution 1973,” above the embattled city of Misurata, the French Defense Ministry said in a statement. A coalition AWACS aircraft had detected the presence of the Libyan aircraft in the skies above the city, and it was hit with a missile from the French warplane shortly after landing at a nearby military airbase, the Defense Ministry said.
In Misurata, rebels say they are feeling reinvigorated by a second night of American and European air strikes against the Qaddafi forces that have besieged them. The rebels say they continue to battle a handful of Qaddafi gunmen in the city but that the armored units and artillery surrounding the city appeared to have pulled back, their supply and communication lines cut off by the air strikes.
favor a no-fly zone: 70%Support for a no-fly zone in the US is actually pretty high. I'm guessing that a lot of respondents to the Gallup assumed that any US military intervention would inevitably involve long-term occupation with ground troops and "nation building" as US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq have. Many Americans opposing the no-fly zone have based their arguments on the same assumption.
using planes and missiles to directly attack Gadhafi's troops: 54%
using ground troops: 28%
On October 23, 1911, [Captain Carlo Piazza] made history’s first reconnaissance flight near Benghazi in a Blériot XI. On November 1, Second Lieutenant Giolio Gavotti carried out the first aerial bombardment mission, dropping four bombs on two Turkish-held oases. In March 1912, Captain Piazza made the first photo-reconnaissance flight in history.They used dirigibles as well. Wikipedia has a picture.
The Italian press began a large-scale lobbying campaign in favour of an invasion of Libya at the end of March 1911. It was fancifully depicted as rich in minerals, well-watered, and defended by only 4,000 Ottoman troops. Also, the population was described as hostile to the Ottoman Empire and friendly to the Italians: the future invasion was going to be little more than a "military walk", according to them.Yup. Almost exactly 100 years ago too. Just missed the anniversary by a couple months.
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It's probably impossible for our military to conceptualize Muslim villagers who are trying to help us. We've spent so long killing these people that we can't help but continue to do so.
posted by Avenger at 3:56 PM on March 22, 2011 [5 favorites]