Thanks gandalftb.
A map of the Sahel region showing where Al Qaeda operates (AFP/Graphic)
Posted on 08/30/2011 9:56:20 PM PDT by gandalftb
BRITISH AND French special forces are in eastern Libya, calling in air strikes and helping co-ordinate rebel units preparing to assault Sirte.
The soldiers have taken a leading role not only in guiding bombers to blast a path for opposition fighters but also in planning the offensive that broke the six-month Misurata siege, said Mohammed Subka, a communications specialist in the Al Watum brigade.
“We are with the England team,” he said. “They advise us.”
Subka, flipping open his laptop to show a map – apparently provided by Nato – of artillery positions threatening the route. “We don’t worry about those units. They are Nato’s concern,” he said.
Defence sources have confirmed that British special forces have been on the ground in Libya for several weeks, along with special forces from Qatar, France and some eastern European states.
Subka said British and French units had been in Misurata for several weeks, based near the city’s port, Kasa Ahmed.
A common complaint among Misurata commanders earlier in the conflict was that Nato had no ready way to answer requests for air support when lightly-equipped forces were attacked by tanks and heavy artillery.
Subka, who was given the job of liaising with the British unit because he once worked as an aircraft despatcher at Tripoli airport, said that had now changed.
The alliance has provided sophisticated means of sending in requests for air strikes: “Sometimes e-mail, sometimes VHF [radio],” he said. “You send [the air strike request] to Misurata port.” The Nato team also helped plan the first breakout of the rebels two weeks ago when they cut through the government ring around the city, capturing the town of Tawarega.
The British and French units also helped opposition fighters assault Zlitan last weekend in the first stage of the offensive that took rebel units into Tripoli.
(Excerpt) Read more at irishtimes.com ...
If we had boots on the ground this woulds have been finished much sooner.
Sirte will soon be finished, the deadline for surrender is this Saturday. Sabha and the south Sahara will take much longer.
Is this a case of NATO in the service of the Muslim Brotherhood?
Starve 'em out. They are totally dependent on resupply from the coastal strip.
The Brits can be an underhanded people—read about the war of Independence. If its oil they want—they will get it by hook or by crook—and the French are, if anything, worse.
A map of the Sahel region showing where Al Qaeda operates (AFP/Graphic)
'Heck', you don't even have to read that far back.
Just really dig into how WWII worked with our 'Brit ally'.
But here's a hint, two words: Cannon Fodder.
What makes you think the US does not have boots on the ground?
Yes, we can.
And so the hell can you. Just as much. So kindly dismount from that high horse.
We have contractors and some teams for specific ops like securing their mustard gas, etc. After the drones arrived they weren't needed, the Brits and French have done a passable job.
We have had a number of State Dept. personnel that have security with them.
Our boots and air support would have finished this a long time ago.
We trained the Qatari's and Jordanian Spec Ops teams that are there, so not much difference. I would expect that we have some trainers there.
No, the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood is greatly overstated in the press. They have a strong presence in Egypt socially and politically, and an active gun-running franchise in Syria. Beyond that minimal.
The north of Africa doesn't have the arab influence throughout, many ethnic Italians, Berbers, French. Too much of a tribal melting pot for the MB to get established beyond Egypt.
The U.S. has had boots on the ground since before this thing started; advisors. And now I suspect Blackwater is in there; saw a photo of a guy with the Rebels; blonde, flat-top haircut; looked very “Marine”.
Of course, it doesn’t matter; this thing will blow up in our faces when a mini-Iran erupts from the ashes.
"We're only sending advisors." Hmmmm, where have I heard that one before?
Good point. BTW here is the best article I’ve seen so far about the location of Qaddafi:
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16060032
‘No, the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood is greatly overstated in the press. They have a strong presence in Egypt socially and politically, and an active gun-running franchise in Syria. Beyond that minimal.
The north of Africa doesn’t have the arab influence throughout, many ethnic Italians, Berbers, French. Too much of a tribal melting pot for the MB to get established beyond Egypt.’
I agree. But many on here and in the conservative half of America have already decided that all of North Africa, from Spanish Morocco to the Egypt-Israel border, is going to be one big Al Queda state.
The world is too complex for most Westerners and Jihadists to understand.
Libya: SAS leads hunt for Gaddafi
They’ll all be kicked out when the rebels are in charge of the country.
I predict Iran 2, excepth that Libya will look to Iran for leadership.
Storming Tripoli
Members of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, experts in covert intelligence gathering, were part of the 30-strong British special forces team. They linked with their French counterparts at Zuwaytinah, the command headquarters for the eastern front, 90 miles southwest of Benghazi. The French troops are believed to be members of the Commandement des Operations Speciales (COS), which draws from the elite parachute regiments of the French army.
In the air Nato sharpened its information gathering by deploying RAF Sentinel aircraft which can use radar imagery to track the smallest vehicle from 100 miles away. They overflew the battle zones, mapping the positions of Gadaffi forces.
The RAF lost its Nimrod R1 signals intelligence aircraft to government cuts early in the campaign, but began flying alongside American air force crews in two RC-135 Rivet Joint spy planes based at Souda Bay in Crete. They can monitor mobile and satellite telephones as well as standard military radio frequencies.
In a decisive move on August 18, the RAF was called in to sink a boat filled with soldiers loyal to the dictator on their way to defend Libya's last functioning oil refinery at Zawiyah, 30 miles from Tripoli. Once the refinery had fallen, Gadaffi had no fuel for his regime.
The next day rebels enacted the plan to take the capital, when RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft attacked the Baroni Centre, a key communications base in Tripoli.
...snip...
As he barked commands over his radio on the opposite side of the road, a bullet smacked into my helmet, sending me flying into the dirt. I checked for blood and was surprised to find none.
Soon afterwards another bullet knocked the camera out of the hands of Paul Conroy, the Sunday Times photographer. He was also unhurt. We were lucky. But for the Libyans, the battle for Bab al-Aziziya was going to be brutal.
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