Waasi wa Libya wathibiti mji wa Tripoli

Picha za televisheni zinaonyesha waasi katika uwanja wa Green Square katika mji mkuu, huku makundi ya watu wenye furaha wakisheherekea kuwasili kwa waasi hao katika uwanja huo.

Inaripotiwa waasi wamemkamata mwanawe Gaddafi Saif al-Islam, huku kiongozi mwenyewe akiahidi kuwa ataendelea kupigana.

Mwendesha mashtaka wa mahakama ya uhalifu wa kivita, Luis Moreno Ocampo amethibitisha Saif al-Islam, mwanawe Gaddafi, na ambaye alitarajiwa kumridhi babake amekamatwa.
Mwanawe wa kifungua mimba Mohammed Al Gaddafi naye amejisalimisha kwa waasi na anazuiliwa ndani ya makaazi moja mjini Tripoli.

Serikali ya Libya imesema takriban wanajeshi elfu 65 watiifu kwa kanali Gaddafi wamebakia mjini Tripoli lakini ni wachache tu walioonekana wakati waasi walipokuwa wakielekea kuuteka mji huo.
Mapigano yameripotiwa katika maeneo mengine ya mji. Mwandishi wa BBC mjini Tripoli amesema waasi wanajaribu kushika udhibiti wa jengo ambalo waandishi wa habari wako.

Inaaminika kuwa bado Kanali Gaddafi ana maelfu ya wafuasi waliojihami, japo ripoti zinaashiria kuwa idadi kubwa wamejisalimisha kwa waasi.

Msemaji wa serikali ya Libya , Moussa Ibrahim, amesema takriban watu 1300 wameuwawa mjini humo.
Awali Kanali Gaddafi aliwataka raia kujitokeza na kuukomboa mji wa Tripoli. '' Jitokezeni, jitokezeni niko nanyi. Msirudi nyuma. Tutapigana hadi kuikomboa nchi yetu kuzuia uthibiti. Msiwakubalie wanyakuzi kuiteka nchi yetu, nitapigana pamoja nayi kama nilivyoahidi'', Alisema Muammar Gaddafi.

Kamanda wa waasi auawa Libya

Abdel Fattah Younes alimuasi Gaddafi na kujiunga na waasi

Kiongozi wa kijeshi wa waasi nchini Libya wanaokabiliana wakitaka kumpindua Kanali Muammar Gaddafi ameuawa, baraza la mpito la Libya limesema.

Kiongozi wa baraza hilo Mustafa Abdul-Jalil amesema Jenerali Abdel Fattah Younes ameuawa na watu wanaomuunga mkono Gaddafi, na kiongozi wa watu hao tayari amekamatwa. Amesema Jenerali Younes aliitwa kwenye mkutano ambapo alitakiwa aeleze kuhusu harakati za kijeshi, lakini aliuawa kabla ya kufika kwenye kikao hicho. Taarifa zinasema kuwa Jenerali Younes alishukiwa kuwa na uhusiano na majeshi yanayomuunga mkono Gaddafi.

Jenerali Younes ni waziri wa zamani wa mambo ya ndani ambaye alikimbia na kujiunga na upande wa upinzani mwezi Februari. Wasaidizi wawili wa Jenerali Younes, Kanali Muhammad Khamis na Nasir al-Madhkur, pia waliuawa kwenye shambulio hilo, Bwana Jalil alisema.

Taarifa ambazo hazikuweza kuthibitishwa zilisema kuwa Jenerali Younes na wasaidizi wake wawili walikamatwa mapema siku ya Alhamisi katika eneo la kaskazini mwa Libya. Mapema siku ya Alhamisi, waasi walisema kuwa wameteka mji muhimu wa Ghazaya karibu na mpaka wa Tunisia, baada ya makabiliano makali na vikosi vya Kanali Gaddafi.

Libya yashtumu Uingereza kwa kutambua waasi

Kanali Muammar Gaddafi

Serikali ya Libya imeshtumu uamuzi wa Uingereza kuwatambua waasi wa Libya kama "serikali yenye mamlaka" baada ya Ufaransa na Marekani kufanya hivyo pia.Khaled Kaim, naibu waziri wa mashauri ya nchi za kigeni katika serikali ya Muammar Gaddafi,ameambia waandishi wa habari kwamba uamuzi huo si wa busara na ni wa kupotosha.Libya itaomba mahakama ibatilishe uamuzi huo, alisema.

Uingereza imeamrisha kufukuzwa kwa wanadiplomasia wanane wa Gaddafi nchini humo. Uongozi wa waasi, Baraza la utawala wa mpito (NTC), limempendekeza Mahmud Al-Naku, mwandishi wa habari, kama balozi mpya wa Libya mjini London.

Akizungumza na BBC alisema amekuwa uhamishoni kwa miaka 33 kwa sababu ya kupinga utawala wa Gaddafi.

Waziri wa mashauri ya nchi za kigeni wa Uingereza William Hague amesema baraza hilo la mpito limeonyesha nia yake ya "kuwa na Libya yenye uwazi na demokrasia... tofauti na Gaddafi ambaye udhalimu wake dhidi ya watu wa Libya umemuondolea uhalali wa kutawala nchi".

Bendera ya kijani ya serikali ya Gaddafi bado ilikuwa inapepea nje ya ubalozi wa Libya eneo la Knightsbridge mchana wa Jumatano huku waandamanaji waliobeba bendera zenye rangi nyekundu, kijani na nyeusi za waasi wakikusanyika nje ya ubalozi huo.

Kufwatia uamuzi wa Marekani wa kutambua baraza la mpito wiki mbili zilizopita, BBC imefahamishwa kuwa Marekani imepata ''ombi rasmi'' kutoka kwa waasi kufungua tena ubalozi wa Libya mjini Washington.

bendera ya waasi nchini Libya

Maafisa wa Marekani wanasema "wanatafakari" ombi hilo.
Waasi wa Libya na vikosi vinavyomuunga mkono Gaddafi bado wanapigana, miezi mitano tangu kuanza upinzani dhidi ya utawala wa miaka 42 wa Muammar Gaddafi, huku shirika la Nato likiendelea kutekeleza azimio la Umoja wa Mataifa la kutoruhusu ndege kupaa juu ya anga ya Libya.

New explosions rock Libyan capital, other areas

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Several explosions rattled Tripoli Thursday morning as Libyan state television reported bombardments in Sirte, east of Tripoli, and other areas.
A Russian envoy due to arrive in Libya Thursday raised the possibility of leader Moammar Gadhafi giving up power but remaining in the country.

"There is a possible option where Gadhafi continues living in Libya as a private individual with his people and his tribe but relinquishes power and his family stays away from taking economic decisions," Mikhail Margelov said, according to the country's Itar-Tass news agency.

Margelov said last week that the rebel Transitional National Council did not need "Gadhafi's head, and no one is going to scalp him and nail it to the wall in his office," the agency reported.
Margelov is due to meet top Libyan officials, he said before leaving Moscow, but it is not clear that Gadhafi will be among them.

He has already talked to the opposition in Benghazi, the de facto rebel capital, and consulted with Ahmed Gaddafi al-Dam, a cousin of Gadhafi's, in Cairo, he said.

His mission to Tripoli comes as critics have questioned NATO's involvement in the civil war.
U.S. lawmakers filed a suit Wednesday that challenges the nation's participation in the Libya mission.
The lawmakers have accused President Barack Obama of failing to consult with Congress over the military effort in the North African country.

The White House denied that accusation, saying Obama has not violated the War Powers Resolution by intervening militarily for more than 60 days without seeking approval from Congress.
South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday slammed the international coalition's operation in the battle.
NATO started airstrikes in Libya in March to enforce a U.N. resolution to protect civilians from forces loyal to ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

But Zuma said actions by the international coalition have exceeded the authority that the resolution granted.
"We strongly believe that the resolution is being abused for regime change, political assassinations and foreign military occupation," Zuma said at a budget vote debate before the National Assembly in Cape Town on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, rebel forces said they have made progress in recent days in the fight against Ghadafi forces.
Rebels have taken control of the mountainous Jebel Nafusa region, which is southwest of Tripoli, said Ahmed Bani, an officer with the rebel forces.

Rebels have also made gains in the western city of Zlitan, Bani said.

White House defends to Congress the U.S. military mission in Libya

Washington (CNN) -- The White House defended to Congress on Wednesday the legality, the costs and accomplishments of the U.S. military mission in Libya.

In a 32-page report titled "United States Activities in Libya," the administration says the cost of military and humanitarian operations through June 3 was about $800 million. It estimates the total cost through September 30 will be $1.1 billion.

The report was drawn up in response to a House resolution that accused President Barack Obama of failing to consult with Congress over the military effort in the North African country. It denies the accusation by some members of Congress that Obama has violated the War Powers Resolution by intervening militarily for more than 60 days without seeking approval from Congress.

"Given the important U.S. interests served by U.S. military operations in Libya and the limited nature, scope and duration of the anticipated actions, the president had constitutional authority, as commander-in-chief and chief executive and pursuant to his foreign affairs powers, to address such limited military operations abroad," it says.

"The president is of the view that the current U.S. military operations in Libya are consistent with the War Powers Resolution and do not under that law require further congressional authorization, because U.S. military operations are distinct from the kind of 'hostilities' contemplated by the resolution's 60-day termination provision."

The report was accompanied by a two-page letter jointly signed by legislative affairs officials with the departments of Defense and State and directed to House Speaker John Boehner.

"Taken in response to direct appeals from the Libyan people, and acting with a mandate from the United Nations, the United States mobilized a broad coalition, stopped an advancing army, prevented a massacre, established a no-fly zone, and limited the spread of violence and instability in a region pivotal to U.S. security interests," it says.

In response, Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said, "The creative arguments made by the White House raise a number of questions that must be further explored. Regardless, the commander-in-chief has a responsibility to articulate how U.S. military action is vital to our national security and consistent with American policy goals. With Libya, the president has fallen short on this obligation. We will review the information that was provided today but hope and expect that this will serve as the beginning, not the end, of the president's explanation for continued American operations in Libya."

The exchange of documents came after a bipartisan group of House members filed a lawsuit Wednesday that challenges U.S. participation in the Libya military mission.
Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a letter to Obama on Tuesday that the administration could be in violation of the War Powers Resolution, if it fails to get congressional authorization by Sunday, the 90th day since the mission began and a deadline that some legal experts cite as the deadline set by the resolution.

The lawsuit addresses a long-standing dispute between the executive and legislative branches -- meaning the White House and Congress -- over the powers of the president to send forces to war.
"We are intending through our presence and through this lawsuit to correct an imbalance which exists today, to correct a deficiency in the separation of powers, to correct ... and to firmly establish that Congress is a co-equal branch of government and that the founders made it unmistakably clear they did not intend for the war power to be placed in the hands of an executive," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, an anti-war liberal and one of the 10 legislators filing the lawsuit.

Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Illinois, said the legal issue was whether Obama exceeded his authority in committing U.S. forces to the Libya mission.
"Did he act illegally? The answer is yes," Johnson said.
But Wednesday's report from the White House say that U.S. operations are limited to a supporting role in a coalition whose operations are authorized by the U.N. Security Council resolution. They "do not involve sustained fighting or active exchanges of fire with hostile forces, nor do they involve the presence of U.S. ground troops, U.S. casualties or a serious threat thereof, or any significant chance of escalation into a conflict characterized by those factors." it says.

In a letter to Boehner and to the president pro tempore of the Senate, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Obama called U.S. support for the NATO-based coalition "crucial to assuring the success of international efforts to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas from the actions of the Gadhafi regime, and to address the threat to international peace and security posed by the crisis in Libya."

He noted that no U.S. ground forces have been deployed, except for operations to rescue the crew of a U.S. aircraft on March 21. But Kucinich said earlier in the day that the Obama administration must make its case in court. "They can tell it to the judge now," Kucinich said. "They can't claim this isn't a war."
The lawsuit asks the court to "declare that the war in Libya is illegal and order the White House to stop."
The goal of the administration and legislators who support the Libya mission is approval of a new resolution that backs U.S. participation, which would serve as an equivalent to congressional authorization.
The White House has said it was complying with the War Powers Resolution through frequent briefings on the Libya mission, and Wednesday's report cited dozens of them.
Boehner's letter contested that assertion.

"Since the mission began, the administration has provided tactical operational briefings to the House of Representatives, but the White House has systematically avoided requesting a formal authorization for its action," Boehner's letter said. "It has simultaneously sought, however, to portray that its actions are consistent with the War Powers Resolution. The combination of these actions has left many members of Congress, as well as the American people, frustrated by the lack of clarity over the administration's strategic policies, by a refusal to acknowledge and respect the role of the Congress, and by a refusal to comply with the basic tenets of the War Powers Resolution."

Such political wrangling over war powers is common in Washington, with presidents frequently seeking to expand their freedom to commit U.S. forces and Congress battling to exert influence on the process.
Congressional opponents of the mission say that its objective of civilian protection fails to match the stated U.S. goal of Moammar Gadhafi's resignation or ouster and that the Libya situation could become a stalemate.
The White House says incremental progress is occurring through increasing diplomatic, political and military pressure on Gadhafi to step down.

In a coincidence of scheduling, Obama and Boehner are set to play golf together for the first time Saturday, a day after Boehner's deadline for information from the administration and the day before he says it could be in violation of the War Powers Resolution.

10 congressmen sue Obama over strikes in Libya

WASHINGTON (AP) - A bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers is suing President Barack Obama for taking military action against Libya without war authorization from Congress.

The lawmakers say Obama violated the Constitution in bypassing Congress and using international organizations like the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to authorize military force.

The lawmakers want a judge to issue an order suspending military operations without congressional approval. They said they were filing their lawsuit Wednesday against Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The plaintiffs are Democratic Reps. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, John Conyers of Michigan and Michael Capuano of Massachusetts and Republican Reps. Walter Jones and Howard Coble of North Carolina, Tim Johnson of Illinois, Dan Burton of Indiana, Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee, Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland and Ron Paul of Texas.

NATO: Time to plan for post-Gadhafi Libya

(CNN) -- It is time to start planning for what to do in Libya after leader Moammar Gadhafi's departure "because Gadhafi's reign of terror is coming to an end," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday.

Rasmussen, talking with reporters in Brussels, insisted that NATO bombing had saved lives in Libya.
Pressed by reporters on why airstrikes will be able to dislodge Gadhafi when "the history of the last 30 years" shows that air attacks alone do not win wars, Rasmussen offered no clear answer, saying only, "We have no intentions to put troops on the ground."

He said the alliance had agreed to extend its military mission for another 90 days past the end of June and had the resources it needed to keep up the campaign for that long.

But he refused to predict how long it would take, saying: "We will keep up the pressure for as long as it takes to bring this crisis to an early conclusion."
Gadhafi vowed Tuesday that "we will not surrender," even as NATO airstrikes bombarded his compound in Tripoli.
"I am now speaking as planes and bombs fall around me," Gadhafi said in a live audio broadcast on state television. "But my soul is in God's hand. We will not think about death or life. We will think about the call of duty."

At least three explosions rocked Tripoli late Tuesday night; it was not immediately clear what they hit.
Earlier in the day, NATO targeted a military base and Gadhafi's compound, state television reported. A spokesman for the Libyan government said that at least 31 people were killed, including a number of civilians, and dozens more were wounded after 60 missiles struck the capital city.

Rasmussen reiterated Wednesday that the alliance was doing all it could to avoid civilian casualties.
The Gadhafi compound was under "intensive continuous bombardment," according to state TV, which reported buildings and infrastructure were destroyed.

The blasts Tuesday, and others Monday that Libyan officials said hit state television buildings, elicited heated responses from the government spokesman.
"We believe NATO understands that its military campaign is failing miserably," said spokesman Musa Ibrahim. "No one has the right to shape Libya's future except for Libyans."
Ibrahim said Tuesday's morning blasts hit the popular guard compound and revolution compound, which are military barracks near Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound.

The spokesman said the attack on the television network killed two people and wounded 16.
NATO disputed the account.

"We did not target or hit the Libyan broadcast facilities. What we did target was the military intelligence headquarters in downtown Tripoli," the alliance said. "The story coming from Libyan officials that we targeted and hit the state broadcaster's building is bogus."
The back and forth between Libyan officials and NATO continues a public relations war between the two sides. Libyan officials have continually charged that NATO airstrikes have damaged civilian facilities and killed hundreds of civilians.

This week, the Libyan government said it had evidence that alliance airstrikes were harming civilians.
Officials took journalists to Tajura, a city east of Tripoli, to show them a small crater that held what appeared to be the remains of a rocket.

The reporters were also taken to nearby homes that the government said had been damaged by airstrikes.
NATO said it had been active in the area hitting military sites but could not say whether the attacks had caused the damage in the residential area.

Reporters were also taken to a nearby hospital to see Nasib, a comatose baby who was a victim of the airstrikes, the government said.

A woman, who the government said was Nasib's mother, cried over the child's listless body.
Journalists were not allowed to talk to the woman or to the doctors. But one doctor quietly slipped a note to one of the journalists that said the girl was injured in a car accident, not a bomb attack.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, speaking Tuesday to British lawmakers, said the European Union has added six additional ports controlled by pro-Gadhafi forces to its sanctions list in an effort to starve Gadhafi's troops of military supplies.

He said the United Kingdom intends to push for additional sanctions against Gadhafi's regime.

"Any political settlement in Libya requires an end to violence and Gadhafi's departure," Hague said.

Fresh strikes in Libya as Zuma says Gadhafi is ready for cease-fire

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Fresh explosions rang out early Tuesday near Tripoli, hours after South African President Jacob Zuma held talks with Moammar Gadhafi and signalled he was ready to accept an African Union plan for a cease-fire.

Around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, a pair of large blasts were heard about five minutes apart, as jets flew over the capital of Tripoli.

A Libyan government official said the first strike hit Abu Sita, a former military turned construction site about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the city center. There was no immediate indication of where the second explosion occurred. Nor was there an immediate response from NATO, which has conducted regular strikes as part of its stated mission to halt Libyan leader Gadhafi's forces from killing innocent civilians.

Hours before the blasts, Zuma emerged from a meeting with the longtime Libyan strongman convinced that Gadhafi was ready for an end to hostilities, including such airstrikes and the ongoing fight with the Benghazi-based opposition movement. But he gave no indication that Gadhafi was prepared to step aside, as rebel leaders have insisted is their primary demand.

"Brother leader took the position today that he is ready to implement the decision of the AU (that) there must be a cease-fire," Zuma told a scrum of reporters on the tarmac at Tripoli's Mitiga International Airport before boarding a jet. "The view is that that must include -- bombing by NATO must also come to an end," he said in the news conference, which was broadcast on Libyan state television.

Zuma added that Gadhafi said any cease-fire must apply to all parties, "but also, he makes the point that: Let the Libyan people be given a chance to talk among themselves. And therefore, he's ready to implement the road map of the AU."

Unlike some other world leaders, Zuma has not called for the longtime Libyan leader to step down. Neither has Zuma's African National Congress party nor the African Union, which he was representing and which Gadhafi once led. In fact, the AU has criticized the NATO airstrikes.

In April, Zuma led an AU delegation to Tripoli, where hopes were raised briefly when it was announced that Gadhafi had agreed, in principle, to the African Union's "road map" proposal for peace. But Gadhafi continued his attacks and the Libyan opposition rejected the proposal because it did not meet its demand that he give up the power he has held for 42 years.

A government official said Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi also attended Monday's meeting. Baghdadi greeted Zuma upon his arrival at the airport, where dozens of Gadhafi supporters carried posters, some of which said, "May the leader be victorious" and "Thanks for great Africa."
The African Union has helped mediate peace talks before, including ones in Kenya and Zimbabwe that left the ruling powers in control.

It was not clear whether Zuma used the opportunity to press Gadhafi for information on the whereabouts of South African freelance photographer Anton Hammerl. Hammerl has been missing in Libya since April and is believed dead. South Africa has said it got assurances from Libya that the journalist was alive. But a Libyan government spokesman has said his whereabouts were unknown. "We never had him with us at any stage," spokesman Musa Ibrahim has said.

The meeting came as Gadhafi's grip on power appeared to continue to loosen. Eight generals from his army have defected to Italy, the Italian Foreign Ministry told CNN Monday. The generals were accompanied by more than 100 Libyan soldiers, a senior Italian official with firsthand knowledge of, and responsibility for, the operation said.

An exit strategy for Moammar Gadhafi

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma is reportedly to travel to Libya to discuss an exit strategy for Moammar Gadhafi