Zawiyah

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4 Italian Journalists Abducted in Libya, Driver Killed

Journalists were on highway between Zawiyah and Tripoli

(Newser) - Italy's foreign ministry says four Italian journalists have been kidnapped and their driver killed, apparently by Libyan regime loyalists, as they traveled down the highway to Tripoli. The abductions occurred today on a stretch of highway between Zawiyah, 30 miles west of Tripoli, and the Libyan capital. Italian news...

Libyan Rebels Take Crucial Port City Near Tripoli

They now control Zawiyah and its oil refinery

(Newser) - This one sounds like a serious blow to Moammar Gadhafi: Rebels have taken control of the port city of Zawiyah and its all-important oil refinery, report the New York Times and Reuters . The rebels routed Gadhafi's troops last night, evident by the uniforms seen scattered about today by deserting...

In Dramatic Advance, Libya Rebels Re-Enter Zawiya

Rebels battle Gadhafi loyalists in key city

(Newser) - Libyan rebels in pickup trucks mounted with weapons and troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi battled in the streets of Zawiya today, a day after opposition forces pushed from the western mountains into the strategic city in their most dramatic advance in months. Pro-Gadhafi snipers shot at rebels from an overpass...

In Libya, Photos Bear Witness to Gadhafi's Torture

Meanwhile, ICC claims Libya ordered killing of civilians

(Newser) - In pictures uncovered by journalists in Zawiyah, the dead prisoners of Moammar Gadhafi's forces are shown naked or clad only in underwear, hands bound, backs scarred. Other pictures depict ominous scenes: Puddles of blood, a saw. The pictures were discovered in a burned-out police station, where one worker pointed to...

Gadhafi Forces Drive Rebels From Oil Port

Also re-take Zawiya, sealing off eastern third of nation

(Newser) - After days of dogged shelling, forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi today drove rebels from the key oil port of Ras Lanouf, a day after they recaptured Zawiya and effectively reclaimed control of the eastern third of the country. Reports out of scarred Zawiya said rebel bodies were being bulldozed away,...

BBC Team Detained, Beaten by Gadhafi Forces

Journalists subjected to mock executions

(Newser) - A team of BBC journalists has been flown out of Libya after being detained, beaten, and subjected to mock executions by Libyan security forces. The three were taken to a military barracks near Tripoli after being stopped at a checkpoint near Zawiyah, scene of fierce fighting between rebels and pro-Gadhafi...

Gadhafi Sics Tanks on Women, Children

People are trapped as tanks, troops descend, say witnesses

(Newser) - Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi has sent in tanks in a bid to crush the rebellion in the refinery town of Zawiyah, cutting down women and children, witnesses report. Defeat of rebel forces in the town just 30 miles from Tripoli—already claimed twice by the government—could mark a turning...

As Gadhafi Forces Gain, Libya Stalemate Looms

Country could be looking at an east-west divide

(Newser) - After dramatic successes over the past weeks, Libya's rebel movement appears to have hit a wall of overwhelming power from loyalists of Moammar Gadhafi. Pro-regime forces halted their drive on Tripoli with a heavy barrage of rockets in the east and threatened today to recapture the closest rebel-held city to...

Gadhafi Ups Airstrikes as Rookie Mistakes Trip Rebels

Their forces are untrained, and barely organized

(Newser) - Moammar Gadhafi’s forces launched at least three new airstrikes against Libyan rebels today near the oil port of Ras Lanouf, and one witness says the Gadhafi loyalists also recaptured Zawiyah, the city closest to Gadhafi’s stronghold in Tripoli, the AP reports. Meanwhile, in the rebel-held east, a spokesperson...

Number of Libyans Needing Aid: 1M

Rebels reject Gadhafi associate's call for dialogue

(Newser) - Government forces have launched new attacks on rebel-held towns of Zawiyah and Ras Lanuf amid UN calls for increased aid to the region, Reuters reports. More than a million people—both those inside Libya and fleeing the country—now need humanitarian assistance, the UN said. Its aid coordinator is particularly...

A 'Massacre' as Gadhafi Forces Re-Take Town
 A 'Massacre' as 
 Gadhafi Forces 
 Re-Take Town 
BRUTALITY THE NEW NORM
Mar 5, 2011 6:53 AM CST

A 'Massacre' as Gadhafi Forces Re-Take Town

Violence against armed, unarmed becoming commonplace

(Newser) - An elite pro-Gadhafi militia used brutal force to re-take swaths of rebel-held Zawiyah yesterday, in what rebels tell the New York Times was a "massacre." “I am watching neighbors dying unarmed in front of their homes,” one said via phone. At least 35 rebels were among...

Libya Protests, Tear Gas Hit Tripoli; Gadhafi Loyalists Launch Air Raids
 Protests, Tear Gas Hit Tripoli 
Mar 4, 2011 10:30 AM CST

Protests, Tear Gas Hit Tripoli

Military planes attack rebel territory

(Newser) - Planned protests have erupted on the streets of Libya’s capital following today's prayers, and security forces are using tear gas to break up the demonstrations. Secret police had sat in wait outside mosques; as demonstrators began to call for an end to Moammar Gadhafi’s rule, police unleashed the...

Gadhafi Loyalists Beat Back Rebels in Key Areas

Clashes increase as loyalists retake some areas

(Newser) - Libyan protesters are fighting to keep control of the areas they've taken as they increasingly clash with pro-Gadhafi forces. The latest:
  • The two sides are fighting over a key oil installation and airstrip, the AP reports. They are located on the coast of eastern Libya, most of which is held
...

Yemen President: This Is a Secret US-Israeli Plot

Ally against al-Qaeda is apparently an ally no more

(Newser) - The president of Yemen lashed out at the US and Israel today and accused them of secretly controlling the democratic uprisings in the Arab world, the Los Angeles Times reports. Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key ally of the US in the war on al-Qaeda and the recipient of billions in...

In 6-Hour Battle, Libya Rebels Hold City

Pro-Gadhafi forces reportedly attacked Zawiyah from six directions

(Newser) - In a long night of fighting, Libyan rebels armed with tanks, machine guns, and anti-aircraft guns have managed to hold on to Zawiyah, the city they seized on Sunday that happens to be nearest to Tripoli. Residents passed out sweets and cold drinks to fighters today and celebrated with a...

City Closest to Tripoli Falls
 City Closest to Tripoli Falls 
Feb 27, 2011 8:31 AM CST

City Closest to Tripoli Falls

Anti-Gadhafi rebels now in control of Zawiyah

(Newser) - Moammar Gadhafi is down one nurse and another city: Zawiyah, the city closest to Tripoli, has been seized by his opponents, reports the LA Times . An AP reporter who reached the city, located a slim 30 miles west of the capital, has confirmed the anti-government rebels are in control and...

Gadhafi Forces Dig In as Uprising Nears Tripoli

A major city near the capital falls

(Newser) - Foreign mercenaries and Libyan militiamen loyal to Moammar Gadhafi tried to roll back the uprising against his rule that has advanced closer to his stronghold in Tripoli, attacking two nearby cities in battles that killed at least 17 people. But rebels made new gains, seizing a military air base. The...

First Western City Falls to Libyan Protesters
 First Western City Falls 
 to Libyan Protesters 
1K THOUGHT DEAD
Feb 23, 2011 7:56 AM CST

First Western City Falls to Libyan Protesters

More than 1,000 believed dead

(Newser) - Libyan opposition forces seized control of Misurata today, raising flags that predate Moammar Gadhafi’s reign in celebration. It’s the first city in the western part of the country to fall, the Wall Street Journal reports; much of the East is already under protester control. Those flags were also...

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