Libyan qualified women military

Libyan women train for military, hope for equality

Moammar Gadhafi famously surrounded himself with a personal coterie of female bodyguards during the decades he ruled Libya. But it was more a sign of his eccentricities than a real commitment to equality for women in this conservative Islamic society.

Now the revolutionary forces that swept the longtime leader from power last month are offering military training to scores of women, some of them housewives, others high school teachers. On Sunday at a military compound in the eastern city of Benghazi, dozens of women with machine guns slung over their shoulders listened attentively to instructions in shooting and martial arts. They are the latest group of trainees as Libya's new leaders work to build a national army.
Women were at the forefront of the protests that launched the anti-Gadhafi uprising in February, demanding democracy for the country and justice for loved ones who had been killed. Many women now hope the revolution will herald full equality.
"We should be equal and we're fighting for the same goal, so why should the men have to carry the burdens of this fight while we sit and watch?" said Amal al-Obeidi, 35, who teaches business management at a high school in Benghazi.
"The least we can do is learn to protect ourselves so the men can focus on fighting Gadhafi on the front lines knowing that we have their back," added al-Obeidi, who wore a headscarf and was brimming with enthusiasm.
She said Islam doesn't forbid women from fighting alongside the men.
"The men have died on the front lines as they had to fight with no weapons and they sacrificed their lives to protect us ... while we were at home doing nothing to help like a piece of a valuable antique furniture," she said as she struggled to hold a heavy machine gun with two hands at the school.

At least 200 women have graduated from the program since it began at Benghazi's Technical Military Compound in late March. They are given the choice of joining the National Security Force, which operates like the U.S. National Guard and allows them to operate in their own cities. There's currently no talk of sending women to the front lines. 

Abdul-Basit Haron, a military commander in Benghazi, said all revolutionary fighters, including the women, would get a one-time fee of $5,000.
Col. Mohammed Garaboli, the commander of the compound where the training takes place, said women's involvement in the military is important for morale.
"Women feel like they are neglected and they came here to prove that they are equal to men in this society," he said. "They want to show the world what the Libyans are made of and how open-minded they are as well."
Female soldiers — a rare sight in most Arab countries — were a trademark of Gadhafi's regime, patrolling roadside checkpoints in khaki uniforms and Muslim headscarves and often sporting sunglasses and heavy makeup. One group of women even reportedly ran their own interrogation center for suspected female anti-Gadhafi activists.

Col. Sabriya Mohammed al-Shraidi, a Benghazi native who graduated from the military school in the city in 1986 and specialized in military intelligence, said eight officers were training 36 volunteers in the current class, which she said would be the fourth group to graduate.
"Most of these women are housewives and working ladies. They have no experience in the military and they don't know how to use guns so they come here to get the training in case they have to defend themselves and their children," she said. "You never know when you need these skills."
She said they're given training in all types of light arms and self-defense. Those who join the force will help provide security for demonstrations, banks and other institutions.
"Women have contributed to this revolution in many ways," she said. "But they are still neglected and isolated and we are trying to show ... it is not a shame to be a part of the army and the society unlike during the Gadhafi era when military women had a very bad reputation."

Prince William, Catherine visits

Prince William, Catherine visits in California

        Prince William and his wife, Catherine, will start their last day in Los Angeles a visit to the city's Skid Row.

        William and Catherine's last public event "aims to strengthen" the ties between British and U.S. military, according to a news release.

        The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge combined commerce and charity work during their three days in Southern California following a visit to Canada.

        Prince William and his team won the match after he scored four goals in the final game. His reward? A sterling silver and gold trophy, along with a kiss from his wife.

        Proceeds from the match go to a foundation supported by the prince and his brother that helps disadvantaged youth, sustainable development and military families.

        The royal couple has had included a meeting Hollywood's elite during an event by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on Saturday night.

        Neighbors surrounding the residence, where the royals also spent the night, gave police permission to arrest photographers caught on private property.

South Sudan's independence today

All set for South Sudan's independence today

Just hours before south Sudan becomes independent, a mood of joyful expectation swept through its capital yesterday, with crowds dancing in the streets amid last-minute preparations for today's historic ceremony.

World leaders started to arrive on the eve of independence, including UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

"The people of south Sudan have achieved their dream. The UN and the international community will continue to stand by south Sudan. I am very happy to be here," Ban told reporters at the UN airport in Juba.

The main ceremony will include military parades, prayers, raising the newly proclaimed Republic of South Sudan's flag and the country's first president, Salva Kiir, signing the transitional constitution.

Millions of southern Sudanese, and foreign dignitaries including 30 African leaders, will mark the birth of the world's newest nation.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir repeated his claim to stand by the new nation on Thursday, while adding that good future relations between the two countries depends on secure borders and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Syrian troops near Turkey border

Syrian troops near Turkey border

Syrian refugees walk as they enter the Turkish side of

the border at the border zone between Syria and Turkey,

near the Turkish village of Guvecci.

          Syrian troops massed near the Turkish border, witnesses said on Thursday, raising tensions with Ankara as the president, Bashar al-Assad, uses increasing military force against a popular revolt.

          Hundreds of terrified refugees crossed into Turkey to escape an army assault, witnesses said. Syrian troops stormed the village of Managh, in a rural region.

          ‘I was contacted by relatives from Managh (15 km south of the border). Armoured personnel carriers are firing their machineguns randomly

          Sunni Turkey has become increasingly critical of Assad, from Syria’s Alawite minority, an offshoot of Islam, after previously backing him in his drive to seek peace with Israel and improve relations with the United States.

          A Turkish Red Crescent official told reporters about 600 Syrians had crossed the border on Thursday morning.

                    He was referring to a scorched earth military campaign in the arable hill region southwest of Aleppo, during which rights groups say Syrian security forces have killed more than 130 civilians and arrested 2,000.

          The Syrian troops hauled down the Turkish flag and replaced it with a Syrian one. They stayed through the morning and then withdrew shortly before noon.

halt to hostilities in Libya

halt to hostilities in Libya, Italy calls

China, France back rebels; Arab League voices concern

Italy called yesterday for a halt to Libyan hostilities to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid as the civilian death toll mounted and state media said Nato was bombing highway traffic checkpoints.

   On the diplomatic front, China said it recognises Libya's opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) as an "important dialogue partner."

          "We have seen the effects of the crisis and therefore also of Nato action not only in eastern and southwestern regions but also in Tripoli," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told a parliamentary committee meeting in Rome.

          France, which has taken the lead in military operations against Muammar Gaddafi, immediately ruled out any pause in the Libya campaign.

          The outgoing head of the Arab League Amr Mussa too voiced concerns about Nato's bombing campaign, in an interview with a British newspaper yesterday.

        "When I see children being killed, I must have misgivings. That's why I warned about the risk of civilian casualties," he said.

        
       Libyan state television and official news agency JANA meanwhile reported that Nato warplanes had carried out raids on the towns of Khoms and Nalut in western Libya.

Nato denied the allegation.

"I believe an immediate humanitarian suspension of hostilities is required in order to create effective humanitarian corridors," while negotiations should also continue on a more formal ceasefire and peace talks, he said"I think this is the most urgent and dramatic point," Frattini continued.

      France, which has taken the lead in military operations against Muammar Gaddafi, immediately ruled out any pause in the Libya campaign.

Libya War: US lawmakers file suit against Obama

Libya War

US lawmakers file suit against Obama

Barack Obama

John Boehner

          US lawmakers filed suit against President Barack Obama yesterday, saying US military operations in Libya are "illegal" because they do not have congressional approval.

Democrat Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and nine other members of the House of Representatives signed the lawsuit challenging what they described as Obama's circumvention of Congress in authorising the use of military force in a protracted effort to oust longtime Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

The US Constitution stipulates that only Congress has the right to declare war.

The suit "challenges policy that any president can take the US to war unilaterally," said the lawmakers, who included Republicans Walter Jones of North Carolina and Ron Paul of Texas.

Earlier President Barack Obama's top critic in the US Congress, Republican US House Speaker John Boehner, warned him over the issue.

          In a letter made public by his office, Boehner also gave Obama until Friday to share his legal justification for not seeking explicit congressional approval.

Syrians flee northern town

Syrians flee northern town

 Tanks deployed in east

A Syrian girl smiles as she stands behind the border fence with

a group of women waiting to cross into Turkey from Syria, near

the Turkish village of Guvecci, 50 km from Hatay city centre,

on Wednesday. More than 8,500 Syrians have already fled

to neighbo

          Thousands of Syrians fled the historic town of Maarat al-Numaan to escape troops and tanks thrusting into the north in a widening military campaign to crush protests against president Bashar al-Assad.

          In the tribal east, where Syria’s 3,80,000 barrels per day of oil is produced, tanks and armoured vehicles deployed in the city of Deir al-Zor and around Albu Kamal on the border with Iraq, a week after tens of thousands of people took to the streets demanding an end to Assad’s autocratic rule.

          Witnesses said residents assisted by deserting security forces had attacked a police compound in Jisr al-Shughour 10 days ago after police killed 48 civilians. About 60 police, including 20 deserters, were killed.

          A statement issued after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday also said Syria’s Red Crescent aid organization would coordinate with Turkey ‘to facilitate the return of Syrian citizens.’

          More than 8,500 Syrians have sought sanctuary in Turkey, which has set up four refugee camps across the border from Jisr al-Shughour.

          A Turkish Red Crescent official, who requested anonymity, said more tent camps were being prepared at the eastern end of the 800 km border, near the Turkish city of Mardin, far from where the current influx of refugees is concentrated.

Gaddafi amid deadly clashes

Gaddafi offered way out amid deadly clashes

                        Moamer Gaddafi guarantees to leave Libya but has yet to receive a reply, while rebel forces say his forces have killed 20 people in a fierce assault on Misrata. Fresh NATO-led strikes on Friday sent up plumes of smoke in Tripoli, where Gaddafi has his residence, but US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned the air war on the strongman's forces could be in peril because of military shortcomings. 

                       The British defence ministry said its fighters had destroyed four tanks "hidden in an orchard" near the town of Al-Aziziyah, southwest of Tripoli. Tornado and Typhoon jets also bombed a military base at Al-Mayah on the western outskirts of the capital, it said. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government had offered exit "guarantees" to the embattled 

                      Gaddafi "has no other option than to leave Libya-with a guarantee to be given to him," Erdogan said on NTV television. "We have given him this guarantee. We have told him we will help him to be sent wherever he wants to go," he added, without elaborating. "Depending on the reply we will get from him, we will take up the issue with our (NATO) allies, but unfortunately we have received no reply so far." His comments came after a day of deadly fighting near the port city of Misrata, the rebels' most significant enclave in western Libya, some 200 kilometers from Tripoli. Gaddafi's forces had bombarded the Dafnia area on Misrata's outskirts with Grad rockets, heavy artillery and tank shells, a rebel said. 

                                "Twenty people, both civilians and rebels, were killed and more than 80 wounded," in the sector, 35 kilometres from Misrata city centre, he added. But they had beaten back an attack by loyalist troops, leaving "dead and wounded among the Gaddafi forces," he said. In Tripoli, residents reported several waves of blasts had rocked the city on Friday. 

                            Mikhail Margelov said he would visit Tripoli to try to find a solution to the conflict, having met the opposition in their Benghazi stronghold.

NATO, Russia clash again

NATO, Russia clash again on missile defense plan

  British Defense Secretary Liam Fox, Denmark's Defense Minister Gitte Lillelund Bech, Canada's Defense Minister Peter MacKay and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at a NATO-Russia defense ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS: NATO and Russia clashed again Wednesday over the alliance’s plan to build a missile defense system, but NATO’s leader said he is optimistic the two sides can iron out their differences in time for a summit next May.

NATO’s Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the military alliance and Russia “are coming closer to reaching agreement” on principles for cooperating by creating two separate missile defense systems — one NATO and one Russian — that could exchange information.
But Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told the Interfax news agency that the idea of linked Russian and NATO missile shields “doesn’t suit us” and could spark a fresh arms race.
The US says the shield would fend off Iranian missile threats and isn’t aimed against Russia, but Moscow wants legal guarantees on that.
Russia sees the US-led missile defense plans as a potential threat to its security. It agreed to consider NATO’s proposal last fall to cooperate on the missile shield, but insisted the system be run jointly. NATO rejected that demand and no compromise has been found yet.
The ITAR TASS news agency quoted Serdyukov saying that the NATO system will “neutralize Russia’s strategic capabilities.” Fogh Rasmussen and Serdyukov spoke separately after their meeting.
Fogh Rasmussen urged Russia to “engage in positive cooperation with NATO and focus on real security challenges instead of some ghosts of the past that do not exist any longer.” “It will be hard work, but I am still optimistic — I think at the end of the day we can reach a solution,” he said.
Despite his warnings, Serdyukov said the talks will continue.
“We haven’t yet tried every possibility with NATO,” Serdyukov said.
“There should be ways that meet the demands of Russia and the other side,” he said. “There is simply no other way otherwise we could find ourselves back in the times that we were developing the arms race.”