Friday, March 25, 2011

"The human and medical situation is awfully serious, you can't imagine what's happening here


  1.  Libyan health ministry says at least 114 people have died and 445 have been injured in air strikes by international forces

  2. 2143: More from the Misrata resident - whose account cannot be independently verified: "The human and medical situation is awfully serious, you can't imagine what's happening here. Some bodies comes to the polyclinic without head or arms or legs, some are totally burned, and the injured people don't have a place or space for treatment."
  3. 2137: The BBC has been in touch with a resident in the western city of Misrata who says Gaddafi forces have taken control of new areas there, and have been launching fireworks to celebrate. "It appears they're celebrating and the local libyan TV is there to record that, to make it seem that Misrata is under control of Gaddafi again."
  4. 2127: And here's the commander of US Africa Command, Gen Carter Ham, on the challenge of protecting civilians in Libya: "It is the most difficult mission that we have, when we have the regime forces attacking civilians and they're in very close contact... We try to the very best that we can to attack with precision and we are always conscious about limiting, not causing civilian casualties."
  5. 2119: In light of those claims by the Libyan health ministry, here's some analysis by the BBC's John Simpson in the Libyan capital. "In Tripoli the war is a propaganda one and the authorities here want to persuade the world that large numbers of civilians are dying in coalition raids. It's a strategy that's worked well in the past - in 1986, for instance, when the United States bombed Tripoli. Now it's proving less effective. The coalition countries know that killing civilians would be disastrous in this war and they're plainly making big efforts to avoid it. Libyan television often shows pictures which purport to be those of civilian victims but they're impossible to verify."
  6. 2114: The Libyan health ministry says at least 114 people have died and 445 have been injured in air strikes by international forces, AFP reports.
  7. 2050: More on Ajdabiya from al-Jazeera: Libyan rebels say they have entered the government-controlled city from the east, and many pro-Gaddafi fighters were held hostage after fierce fighting.
  8. 2033: More on Qatar's first mission over Libya: the French military's website says two Mirage fighter planes took part, accompanied by two French jets.
  9. 2022: Jordan's PM, who we heard from earlier, goes on TV to accuse "brother Muslims" of "receiving instructions from Egypt and Syria to execute plans against Jordan", following clashes in Amman between pro-monarchy and pro-reform protesters.
  10. 2012: Reuters' rebel source, Saadoun, also says: "We had an encounter with snipers today and some were forced to leave the buildings. Some were killed and others fled. We do not have exact figures of their casualties but three of our fighters were killed."
  11. 2010: And more from Reuters on the violence in the Libyan city of Misrata, quoting a rebel named Saadoun - whose claims cannot be independently verified - as saying: "There was shelling this morning and almost all of the day. It targeted a residential area in the outskirts of Misrata called al-Jazeera. Six people were killed including three sisters aged two, five and 12 years old. This residential compound is northwest of Misrata and they attacked it with mortars and tanks."
  12. 2001: Amnesty also says reports on Friday suggested Syrian security forces had again opened fire on protesters in al-Sanamayn and carried out arrests in Damascus, a day after the authorities pledged to investigate the violence.
  13. 2000: Philip Luther, Amnesty International's deputy director for Middle East and North Africa, on Deraa: "The excessive force apparently again being used by security forces is the latest example of the Syrian authorities' appalling and brutal response to recent dissent, and makes their pledge to investigate the violence sound rather hollow. If the words we heard from the Syrian government yesterday are to mean anything, they must immediately issue clear orders to restrain the security forces to prevent further loss of life."
  14. 1958: More from Amnesty International on Deraa. It says the names of 55 people who were killed in the area before Friday's protests have been passed on by "credible organisations and contacts".
  15. 1955: Anonymous Syrian in London, writes: "I'm a Syrian journalist doing my postgraduate studies. I am anti-government to the core - I've been arrested three times in Syria due to my views and works. I'm glad that my people finally woke up from their coma and broke the barriers of fear. Yet, I'm against the way they are conducting the demonstrations. They lack an agenda with specific goals and demands. It is not only about marching in the streets and calling for such elusive things like freedom or democracy. They should organize themselves more and establish political agenda with strong tools to apply it, because certainly copying the Egyptian and Tunisian model won't work in Syria. We need to start the process of building a state with healthy political life and institutions, a state that can guarantee citizens' rights. The Syrians are fed up with empty slogans. We need actions." Have Your Say
  16. 1953: More from the restive Syrian city of Deraa. Reuters quotes Amnesty International as saying that 55 people have died there in the past week.
  17. 1939: Reuters quotes a rebel source in Misrata as saying that tank fire has killed six people on the outskirts of the Libyan city, while separate clashes in the city have left three rebel fighters and "some" government snipers dead.