Armed US Drones To Start Libya Missions

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
21 Apr 2011
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Armed US Drones To Start Libya Missions 21 Apr 2011 Armed US Predator drones will start missions in Libya as 'rebels' take control of a key post on the border with Tunisia. US President Barack Obama has given the go-ahead to use the unmanned aircraft which have already seen action in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Predator is an example of the unique US military capabilities that Mr Obama is willing to contribute to the campaign in Libya.

US begins to use armed Predator drones in Libya, Gates says 21 Apr 2011 The United States is starting to use armed Predator drones in Libya to target Muammar Gaddafi's forces after US President Barack Obama approved their use, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday. The unmanned aircraft, already used to target militants [and civilians] along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, will allow for more precise attacks against Gaddafi's forces, Gates told a news conference. "He (Obama) has approved the use of armed Predators," Gates said.

US gives Libyan 'rebels' $25 million 21 Apr 2011 President Barack Obama of the United States plans to provide rebels in Libya with up to $25 million in urgent, non-lethal aid, a senior US diplomat told lawmakers in a letter obtained by AFP on Wednesday. "I wish to inform you that the president intends to exercise his authority to draw down up to $25 million in commodities and services from the inventory and resources of any agency of the United States government," Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Joseph MacManus wrote in a letter to US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. [? I thought there was a deficit and a debt ceiling. Oh, that's right. No billion$ will be spared in order to secure oil for Exxon Mobil and BP.]

Russia: Nato has overstepped UN mandate on Libya (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia) 21 Apr 2011 As Nato members met to rally forces in the Libya operations, Russia kept up pressure on the alliance to adhere to its UN mandate. Old concerns about missile defences were close behind. At a Berlin meeting of Nato foreign ministers, Russia reiterated its stance that the western alliance's Libya campaign has overstepped its UN mandate through use of excessive force... "We consider that certain actions by Nato in Libya do not correspond to its mandate, and we would like to investigate this," Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said after Friday's talks.

Warning of a 'new Vietnam' in Libya as British military advisers go in --Ten strong team will help set up opposition headquarters to fight Gaddafi --Government forced to deny claims of 'mission creep' --Officials admit they are sending advisers because war is not going to plan --MPs demand recall of Parliament to discuss conflict 20 Apr 2011 David Cameron was accused last night of risking a Vietnam-style quagmire in Libya by sending military advisers to help the country’s rebels. The first official deployment of troops on the ground marks a significant escalation in the war and immediately invited charges of 'mission creep'. A ten-strong team of intelligence, signals and logistics experts will help set up an opposition headquarters to take on Colonel Gaddafi's forces.
Oscar Nominated Documentary Filmmaker And Photographer Killed In Libya 20 Apr 2011 Oscar nominated director Tim Hetherington and Pulitzer Prize nominated photographer Chris Hondros were killed earlier today in Libya. Two other photographers were injured, one seriously. The four photographers were reporting from the Libyan town of Misurata, which has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks. Apparently the journalists had accompanied rebel fighters to Tripoli Street in the city center.
Pakistani MPs urge NATO supply cutoff [It's about time!] 20 Apr 2011 A high-level panel of lawmakers in Pakistan has demanded the cutting off of NATO's supply lines for the US-led forces in the neighboring Afghanistan through its borders. During an important parliamentary meeting, the Pakistani MPs called for the government to pressure the US to stop the indiscriminate US drone attacks. The lawmakers also urged the government to take more actions, such as suspending the supply to NATO forces, on these unauthorized strikes on Pakistan's tribal belt, a Press TV correspondent reported.

US: Strikes on Pakistan to continue 20 Apr 2011 The United States says it will not halt its drone attacks in Pakistan, defying repeated calls from Islamabad and Pakistani people for an end to the non-UN-sanctioned strikes. The program is something that we have said we go ahead on. The question is how. And that process is going to be something that's going to be one of the main tasks that our intelligence and our military guys have,” Reuters quoted a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying on Wednesday.

'CIA agents still operating in Pakistan' 21 Apr 2011 Despite Pakistan's calls for a drastic cut in the number of CIA agents on its soil, a large number of such agents are still operating in the Asian country, a Pakistani lawyer says. "There is a large number of people who are non-Pakistanis most [of whom] are from the US. [Their] papers are not in order, some of them are expired; their visas might have expired and they are still in Pakistan," Yasmeen Ali, lawyer and university lecturer from Lahore, told Press TV.
Afghan blast leaves 10 NATO casualties 20 Apr 2011 Taliban-linked militants have attacked US-led forces in eastern Afghanistan, killing and wounding ten foreign troops in the war-torn country. The militant attack took place on Wednesday when a car bomber hit US-led forces' a convoy in Bati Kot district in the east of Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan, a Press TV correspondent reported. Taliban spokesman has claimed responsibility for the attack. NATO has yet to confirm the attack.
US-led airstrike kills Afghan civilians 21 Apr 2011 A US-led airstrike in eastern Afghanistan has killed three civilians, including two women and a child, amid a growing public discontent over such attacks. A provincial governor said they died in a missile strike in the Dangam district of Kunar Province late Tuesday. He added that 14 militants have also been killed in the bombing. NATO has confirmed that its troops had carried out air and ground operations in Dangam.

French soldier killed in Afghan war 20 Apr 2011 A French soldier has been killed and nine others were injured in Afghanistan's Kapisa province in the latest spate of attacks against US-led soldiers in the country. According to a Wednesday statement by the French presidency, the incident took place after an improvised explosive device (IEDs) went off during foreign soldiers' operation in the northeastern province of Kapisa, AFP reported. The soldier was a corporal with the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment.

Four killed, hundreds injured in Yemen 19 Apr 2011 Yemeni regime forces have killed at least four anti-government protesters during fresh nationwide rallies demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh's resignation. At least three people were killed in the capital city of Sana'a and another in the southern city of Taizz on Tuesday when government forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, reports said. Hundreds more were wounded in the violent crackdowns.

Protest over accused WikiLeaker disrupts Obama fund-raiser --'Each of us brought you $5,000. It takes a lot of Benjamins to run a campaign. I paid my dues, where's our change?' 21 Apr 2011 A high-end fund-raiser for President Obama in San Francisco was disrupted Thursday by a protest over Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, accused of leaking classified information to the site WikiLeaks. A table of 10 attending the $35,800-a-ticket fund-raiser broke into a song in the middle of the president’s remarks, held at a downtown hotel, criticizing the administration’s treatment of Manning. The group passed around signs that read "Free Bradley Manning."

Accused WikiLeaks informant arrives at Fort Leavenworth prison 20 Apr 2011 Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, the man charged with leaking classified military information to WikiLeaks, arrived at a Fort Leavenworth prison facility this afternoon, officials have confirmed. Department of Defense General Counsel Jeh Johnson on Tuesday announced the decision to move Manning. "Army Corrections Command has reviewed the new facility and determined that it has the expertise and capability to provide continued long-term pre-trial confinement for Private Manning," Johnson said.

Military choppers startle downtown Miami 21 Apr 2011 Residents in the neighborhood saw and heard several military-style, "pitch-black" helicopters flying around and hovering on top of Brickell buildings Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. It was a training exercise by the Southeast Regional Domestic Security Task Force. A Homeland Security operation that few other authorities apparently knew about -- including the U.S. Coast Guard. Lt. Russ Tippett, spokesman for the coast guard happens to live in Brickell -- and said the choppers didn't make it easy to sleep, as the drill went on for hours.

U.S. unveils new terrorism alerts, scraps colours 21 Apr 2011 The Obama administration on Wednesday unveiled a new warning system to alert Americans about specific terrorism threats, formally pushing the much-ridiculed colour-coded warnings into the trash bin. The new alerts will warn of either an "imminent threat" or an "elevated threat" with a summary of the potential threat as well as an expiration date. They could be extended, but unlike the old system there will not be an over-arching warning.

False flag: FBI: Pipe bomb was 'domestic terrorism' 21 Apr 2011 (CO) The FBI identified a person of interest in what they are calling a case of domestic terrorism in Jefferson County. A pipe bomb and two propane tanks were found at Southwest Plaza Mall after a fire started just before noon on Wednesday. Police released surveillance photos of the man FBI agents are looking for. They are not calling him a suspect, but, instead, a person of interest.

Photos Released of 'Person of Interest' in Southwest Plaza Bomb Scare 21 Apr 2011 A surveillance video shows an older man with gray hair as a "person of interest" in the discovery of two bombs Wednesday at Southwest Plaza mall in Littleton, the FBI said. Neither of the devices -- one a pipe bomb and the other rigged with two propane canisters -- ignited. They were discovered after a small fire broke out in a service hallway near the food court. Jefferson County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said investigators weren’t classifying the person as a suspect.

FBI hunts suspected domestic terrorist after bomb found on Columbine anniversary --Authorities seek public's help identifying person of interest in Colo. mall case 21 Apr 2011 Law-enforcement officials asked the public's help Thursday in determining the identity of a suspicious looking man shown in images at a suburban Denver mall following a fire on the 12th anniversary of the Columbine massacre. The FBI is investigating the Wednesday incident as a case of domestic terrorism, NBC station KUSA reported.

Homemade bomb found at mall near Columbine high 21 Apr 2011 A busy shopping mall near Columbine High School was evacuated on Wednesday after authorities responding to a small fire at the retail complex found two propane tanks and a pipe bomb, officials said. Twelve years to the day after two Columbine High School students shot dead several people and themselves on April 20, 1999, the devices were discovered at Southwest Plaza Mall, about a mile from Columbine. Jacki Kelley, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said the security scare began when a small blaze broke out in the mall's food court around noon on Wednesday.
Bomb, propane tanks found at Colorado mall 21 Apr 2011 Investigators want to question a person of interest about a pipe bomb and propane tanks found after a fire at a Littleton mall, a discovery that raised the possibility of a connection to the Columbine massacre anniversary. Firefighters found two propane tanks and the bomb near the Southwest Plaza Mall's food court after a small fire broke out Wednesday that was quickly squelched. The mall was evacuated around noon.
Fukushima evacuees face arrest if they return home --Japanese government declares 12-mile no-entry zone around nuclear plant, with residents facing arrest or fine if they go back 21 Apr 2011 Tens of thousands of people who were evacuated from near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant risk arrest if they return home, after the government declared the area a no-entry zone due to high radiation levels. Under the order, which goes into effect at midnight local time, people living within a 12-mile (20km) radius of the atomic plant will be given up to two hours to enter the area to collect belongings.
Japan's PM declares no-go zone --Radioactive iodine levels in seawater near Fukushima plant hit new record of almost 5,000 times legal limit 21 Apr 2011 Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has declared a plan which prevents people from returning to evacuated areas around the disaster-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. Kan made the announcement on Thursday saying the no-go zone covers an area of 20 kilometers (12 miles). However, the UN nuclear monitors say the safety-zone is not sufficient enough to protect the public from health hazards. They have advised Japanese authorities to double the radius of the no-go area to 40 kilometers.

Team to probe oil market fraud, manipulation: Obama 21 Apr 2011 President Barack Obama said on Thursday the U.S. attorney general was assembling a team to root out any fraud and manipulation in the oil markets that might be contributing to higher U.S. gasoline prices. "The truth is, there's no silver bullet that can bring down gas prices right away," Obama said in prepared remarks for his opening statement at a town hall-style meeting in Nevada. [Well, actually, there is. Wait until Exxon Mobil's eye-popping profits are announced for the quarter. The Libya bullsh*t is providing cover for Wall Street speculators to pillage the US once again, with impunity. Obama and his GOP overlords are poised to give the corpora-terrorists more tax cuts while eliminating Medicare and gutting Social Security. Obama will burn us as he did with his single-payer health care campaign lie, which morphed into the insurance cartel giveaway. *Primary Obusha in 2012.* --LRP]

US air traffic controllers sacked 21 Apr 2011 Two American air traffic controllers who fell asleep on the job with potentially catastrophic consequences have been fired by the Federal Aviation Authority. The sackings followed a series of high-profile incidents involved narrowly averted disasters, including the aborted landing of a plane carrying Michelle Obama, the First Lady, because it was too close to a military cargo aircraft.

First lady's aborted landing classified as serious error 20 Apr 2011 An investigation probing the aborted landing of an Air National Guard plane carrying first lady Michelle Obama earlier this week has been given the Federal Aviation Administration's most serious classification for operational errors, CBS News confirmed Wednesday. The incident, in which the plane carrying the first lady had to perform what officials described Tuesday as a routine "go around" because it was too close to a 200-ton military cargo plane in front of it, has prompted two investigations, one by the FAA and another by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Nevada Sen. John Ensign to resign 21 Apr 2011 Embattled Nevada Sen. John Ensign (R) will resign from office as soon as Friday according to two senior Republican sources, a move that comes amid an ongoing ethics investigation into his conduct. Ensign’s resignation, which was first reported by Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston, comes six weeks after he announced his plans to retire at the end of his current term, which expires in 2012.

Report on Sheriff Arpaio's top aides subpoenaed by feds 21 Apr 2011 The U.S. Attorney's Office has subpoenaed the sensitive investigative report detailing findings about alleged misconduct involving Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's three top commanders, The Arizona Republic has learned. Arpaio's Deputy Chief Jack MacIntyre confirmed Thursday that the U.S. Attorney's Office subpoenaed the report Tuesday or Wednesday. The Sheriff's Office has not yet publicly released the report or given any indication when it or its findings will be released.

House panel taking up anti-strike bills Wednesday (Michigan Education Association) 18 Apr 2011 The House Education Committee on Wednesday will take up bills to punish teachers and unions who engage in an illegal strike. House bill 4465, sponsored by Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, would strip a striking teacher's license for two years. House Bill 4466, sponsored by Rep. Paul Scott, R-Grand Blanc, would increase the penalties to fine unions $5,000 per day. MEA vigorously opposes these bills that seek to further silence the voices of school employees -- especially given lawmakers' unprecedented attacks on public education and Michigan's middle class.

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