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NEWS ABOUT: Benghazi

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Eastern Libya Declares Itself Semi-Autonomous

Oil-rich region makes move against NTC's wishes

(Newser) - Thousands of civic leaders gathered in Benghazi today to declare that Eastern Libya would become a semi-autonomous region known as Cyrenaica—a move strenuously opposed by Libya's official interim government, the National Transitional Council. The conference elected Ahmed al-Zubair, an NTC member and the longest-serving political prisoner under Moammar... More »

Gadhafi Loyalists Take Town Near Tripoli

Uprising marks most serious security challenge yet for Libya

(Newser) - The Libyan war may not be over after all; fighters loyal to the old regime seized the town of Bani Walid yesterday, hoisting the green flag of Moammar Gadhafi's Libya after an eight-hour battle with the revolutionary brigade that had been holding the city. "They control the town... More »

Libyan Protesters Raid NTC Offices

Deputy council chief resigns amidst fresh unrest

(Newser) - Don't look now, but protests are still raging in Libya—only now, they're against the new interim government. Protesters ransacked the government's offices in Benghazi yesterday, capping off months of demonstrations across the country, and prompting the resignation of the government's second-highest official, the New York ... More »

After 42 Years, Libya Declares Itself Liberated

Jubilant event celebrates end of Gadhafi regime

(Newser) - The rebels have become rulers, as Libya today declared itself free after 42 years under the iron grip of Moammar Gadhafi. "We declare to the whole world that we have liberated our beloved country, with its cities, villages, hill-tops, mountains, deserts, and skies," said an official at the... More »

Foreign Firms Helped Gadhafi's Online Spies

Phone, online monitoring aided by advanced tech

(Newser) - As the Arab Spring swept around the Middle East in February, Moammar Gadhafi's regime stepped up its online spying of Libyan citizens thanks to a lot of technical support from Western companies, reports the Wall Street Journal . On February 15, the day uprisings started in Benghazi, Libyan officials met... More »

Rebel Government Heads to Tripoli

Celebration on streets of Benghazi

(Newser) - Aiming to prevent a “vacuum” in Libyan leadership, rebel leaders from the Transitional National Council are traveling from the country’s east to Tripoli, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "We have to be there at the moment of liberation. We can’t leave any opportunities for remnants of... More »

Libya Rebels Show Signs of Division

Tensions emerge amid questions over military commander's final hours

(Newser) - Libyan rebels' battle yesterday against fighters they said were undercover Gadhafi loyalists was part of a larger trend of divisions among the rebels, following the death of their military leader , the New York Times reports. The rebels launched yesterday’s attack in an effort to root out armed groups... More »

Clash Between Rival Libya Rebel Factions Kills 4

Six wounded in Benghazi fight

(AP) - Clashes between rival factions of the Libyan rebels killed four people today in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, deepening the worst crisis so far for the movement after its chief military commander was killed , possibly by fighters from his own side. One group of rebels overran the base of another... More »

Turkey Recognizes Libya Rebels, Promises More Aid

Some of the money will be used to rehab the Benghazi airport

(AP) - Turkey's foreign minister recognized Libya's rebel leaders as the country's legitimate representatives today, joining countries like France, Qatar, and Italy in doing so. Ahmet Davutoglu also promised the rebels an additional $200 million in aid during the visit. The meeting is the most powerful signal to-date that... More »

Libya Rape Victim en Route to US

Iman al-Obeidi had been expelled from Qatar, returned to native Benghazi

(Newser) - Iman al-Obeidi, the Libyan who broke through Moammar Gadhafi's media control to accuse his troops of gang rape, is headed to the United States. Al-Obeidi had been staying in Qatar until that nation inexplicably expelled her Thursday, and she ended up back in her native Benghazi. Al-Obeidi's sister... More »

Qatar Deports Alleged Rape Victim Back to Libya

Iman al-Obeidy says they beat her and forced her onto plane

(Newser) - Qatar has sent Iman al-Obeidy back to Libya kicking and screaming, despite objections from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Obeidy tells CNN that Qatari guards took her and her parents from their hotel in Doha; took their cell phones, laptops, and money; beat her and handcuffed her; and then... More »

Ex-Gadhafi Interrogators Turning Up Dead in Benghazi

Some suspect death squads out for revenge

(Newser) - People once connected to Moammar Gadhafi’s oppressive regime have been turning up dead in Benghazi, giving a jittery city a new case of nerves at the thought of death squads out for revenge, the New York Times reports. Three weeks ago, for example, a man was found lying in... More »

Libyan Rebels Seek $3B in Loans

Benghazi leaders warn funds are running low

(Newser) - The rebels who have set up an interim government in eastern Libya say they're running out of money to fund operations and are seeking up to $3 billion in loans. The rebel operation warns that it may soon be unable to pay public employees or provide food and medicine... More »

Libyan Kids as Young as 8 Raped: Aid Group

British charity collects accounts from four different refugee camps

(Newser) - A British charity working with Libyan citizens fleeing the violence issued a harrowing report today of children as young as 8 being raped in the conflict, reports Reuters . The families involved are not even sure which side the assailants were on, according to aid group Save the Children. The group... More »

Mullen Sees 'Stalemate' in Libya

But coalition strikes have knocked off 30% to 40% of Gadhafi's forces

(Newser) - The conflict in Libya is “certainly moving towards a stalemate,” the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff told US troops in Baghdad today, adding that there were some reasons for optimism. “We’ve attrited somewhere between 30% and 40% of his ground forces,” Admiral Mike... More »

Gadhafi Thwarting NATO Strikes With Human Shields

NATO says that's why air support has seemed lacking

(Newser) - Libyan rebels have been complaining in recent days about the decline in air support from NATO, but there’s a good reason for it, American and European diplomats tell the Washington Post : Moammar Gadhafi’s forces have positioned themselves in densely populated areas, and NATO doesn’t want to risk... More »

Libyan Rebels Consider Two- State Solution

Rebels creating their own government, infrastructure in east

(Newser) - The Libyan rebels insist they want one state, with Tripoli as its capital, but as the fighting drags on, Benghazi is starting to look an awful lot like the capital of a separate state, with its own government and even its own oil business , the Washington Post observes. “We... More »

Gadhafi Plants Mines as Libya Rebels Flee

Gadhafi's forces continue to force Libyan rebels' retreat

(Newser) - Moammar Gadhafi’s forces have taken their fight against the Libyan rebels to the next level, sowing land mines around the city of Ajdabiya. The mines include both anti-personnel mines, which much of the world banned in the 1997 Mines Ban Treaty, and anti-tank mines; Gadhafi’s troops likely planted... More »

Libyan Rebels Surge, Near Crucial City

Decisive battle looms in Sirte

(Newser) - Rebel forces appeared to regain their momentum yesterday, capturing at least three important towns and two major oil refineries in a march that brought them just outside Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte, the Washington Post and New York Times report. In Benghazi, rebels celebrated as rumors spread that Sirte had... More »

Friendly Libyans Injured in US Jet Rescue

Bombs dropped during mission to rescue downed airmen

(Newser) - The US military is facing questions over this week's mission to rescue two airmen following reports that several Libyan civilians were injured in the operation. The airmen ejected after their F-15 malfunctioned and landed in separate locations in rebel-held territory. Villagers claim shots were fired during one rescue and bombs... More »

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