Sahel drug gang battle - 4 dead

 

Four people were killed when drug traffickers clashed in the desert zone between Mali and Algeria, over the spoils from a massive drug sale, officials said on Monday. A source from the governor's office in Timbuktu in northern Mali said the deceased were from Mali and Niger. "Four people were killed during a fight between drug traffickers which is under way in the Sahel. It is about the haul from a ton of  Indian hemp [dagga] and cocaine," the source said on condition of anonymity. The information was confirmed by an advisor to the governor. "The battle is going on at the moment on the border between Mali and Algeria between an armed group of drug traffickers from Mali and Niger, and another group aligned with the Polisario Front," the independence movement in the Western Sahara, said the advisor. "They don't agree on how to share the sale of a ton of drugs."

Moroccan maids may ‘spell’ trouble, warn some women

 

Saudi women have voiced reservations against recruiting domestic helpers from Morocco as suggested by the chairman of the Saudi recruitment committee. This is due to an old belief that Moroccan women use black magic to lure men to marry them. Some Saudi women urged the Shoura Council to intervene, while others threatened to quit their jobs to look after their homes if housemaids from the country were brought in. Najla, a 32-year-old teacher at a private school, said she felt threatened by the news, pointing out that Moroccan women are known for being pliant and willing to adjust to varying situations, and this posed a threat to a working wife who is not at home most of the day. Raja is a housewife who hopes the move falls through. She said Moroccan women are known for their black magic and could use it in Saudi homes. “It is better to be safe than sorry,” Raja said. “It all depends on the upbringing of the man,” said Nuha, a physician and mother of three young children. She expressed support for the initiative to bring in Moroccan workers and pointed out that any threat can come from workers of any nationality and not only one. Sawsan, a 40-year-old housewife, sees no harm in the initiative as she believes Saudi women should have confidence in themselves. “If a woman knows how to keep her husband satisfied, nothing can threaten her home.” Sameer, a divorced businessman, believes that “black magic” is the key phrase frightening people. “However, other nationalities, as we have experienced in the Kingdom, use black magic to control families.” “I am against having a live-in domestic helper in general,” said Majed, a single lawyer, adding that having a stranger live in anyone’s home is not healthy and can cause many problems, especially in marriages. “It is like bringing in an alien seed and planting it in your garden. No one can predict the outcome.” Umm Fahad, a 27-year-old mother of three, has worked with a Moroccan maid for seven years, and she thought it was the best experience. “She was so clean, quiet and kind, and since she left I have been suffering with workers of other nationalities,” she said, adding that at least the maid spoke the same language and understood Saudi traditions. On the other hand, PR manager Abdullah saw no harm in recruiting from Morocco provided that a minimum age for workers is set and that watchdogs control visa allocations closely to prevent any foul play. Moneera, a single journalist, saw no point to the fuss surrounding this issue. “Many families have recruited Moroccan domestic workers for many years now and there might have been minor complaints about them, like any other nationality.” “It is a ridiculous fear that is without base,” said marriage counselor and psychoanalyst Hany Al-Ghamdi, pointing out that if a man has no respect for his family, nothing will stop him from having an affair and that any concerns about nationality are invalid.  It is a misconception, Al-Ghamdi points out, to stereotype in this way based on nationality. “If there is to be a reasonable analysis, we should ask why Moroccan women know how to attract and keep their men,” said Al-Ghamdi, suggesting that Saudi women who feel threatened should take a closer look at themselves. “There is no black magic in a relationship between a man and woman. But there is the magic of love, caring and tolerance,” said Al-Ghamdi, adding that some women do not know how to understand their men and show tolerance toward them. Tolerance, according to Al-Ghamdi, means being able to overcome problems and disputes and show love and femininity. Moroccan women, in his opinion, are feminine by default. “They feel and express their femininity and surrender to their husbands, which is in their nature, while other women might look at it as degrading,” said Al-Ghamdi, adding that marriages involving Moroccan women in the Kingdom are not a trend that could threaten Saudi women. Teaching love, Al-Ghamdi believes, is one way to reduce Saudi women’s fear of being threatened by other women. “Aisha, the wife of Prophet (peace be upon him), was the first to open a ‘school for women.’ She was teaching women about even the most intimate details of their lives with their husbands. We need more of this teaching, instead of the rigid curriculum we are teaching girls in schools,” said Al-Ghamdi, stressing that even Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said “there is no alternative for love but to marry.” In his opinion this is a clear sign that there is love before marriage or at least strong admiration and desire, on which homes should be built to dispel any such threats.

Pirates kill Brit David Tebbutt and kidnap wife

 

BRITISH tourist has been killed and his wife kidnapped after suspected Somali pirates stormed their villa at an exclusive Kenyan resort. They were attacked by at least five men as they lay in bed in their beachside villa at 2am yesterday. David Tebbutt, 58, is believed to have been shot trying to protect wife Judith, 56, from the raiders. They bundled her into a speedboat and vanished. The couple, from Bishop's Stortford, Herts, had been at the Kiwayu Safari Village just a few hours and were the only guests. The secluded resort is 18 miles from the border with war-ravaged Somalia, notorious for its pirates. Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said a massive search involving military boats, helicopters and ground forces had begun at dawn. He added: "We are hoping that we will be able to at least find the lady. "We believe it is a kidnap but we are yet to receive any communication from the alleged kidnappers." Pirates tend not to raid on land — and it is rare for them to harm any victims because they want to ransom them. That has led to speculation that the attack could be the work of local Islamic fanatics who wanted to make their mark on the 9/11 anniversary. But police commissioner Mathew Iteere said: "So far we are treating it as a bandit attack. We've not received any hint pointing at a terror group.

Saadi Gaddafi, third son of the former Libyan leader, has fled the country into neighbouring Niger,

Saadi Gaddafi in Sydney in 2005 Photo: REUTERS

 

His flight reduces the retinue of close family members sticking by Col Gaddafi to just two sons, Saif al-Islam and Mutassim, and his closest aide and brother-in-law, Abdullah Senussi.

Marou Amadou, the Niger justice minister, confirmed he had crossed the two countries’ Saharan border in a convoy of vehicles and been intercepted by local troops.

He said the convoy was continuing to the northern town of Agadez and from there to the capital Niamey, where a number of Touareg tribal leaders formerly loyal to Col Gaddafi have also sought refuge in recent weeks.

His flight will be a further blow to the confidence of those troops remaining loyal to the old regime. Earlier in the day, rebels made advances on the two remaining loyalist hold-outs in northern Libya after a string of Nato bombing raids.

Saadi was one of the more westernised of Col Gaddafi’s family, though no less capricious that the rest. A former footballer, he played twice for Italian Serie A teams, though he was banned for failing a drugs test.

 

 

Spanish warship rescues French hostage from pirates

 

Troops from a Spanish warship stormed a pirate skiff in the Gulf of Aden Saturday and rescued a French hostage missing from her yacht but found no trace of her husband, the EU anti-piracy mission said. As a helicopter kept watch overhead, naval commandos in a fast launch fired on the skiff to disable its engine. The boat sank, but the hostage was rescued and seven pirates were arrested unharmed, the Spanish defence ministry said. "She was the only hostage on board the skiff. Her husband was not on board," EU naval spokesman Captain Paul Gelly told AFP, confirming the rescued hostage was Evelyne Colombo, wife and crewmate of missing sailor Christian Colombo. "She is safe and sound," he said, explaining that Colombo and the detained pirates are now on board the Spanish ship. A German warship, the FGS Bayern, found the couple's catamaran the Tribal Kat, adrift in waters off Yemen on Thursday. There was no-one on board and the EU Atalanta naval command launched an air and sea search for the attackers. French officials said there were signs of a struggle on board the yacht, which was towed to Djibouti to be studied by agents from the DGSE spy agency. "It was like searching for a needle in a haystack," Gelly said. "Our priority was to search for any vessel that might have been leaving the area and heading for the coast of Somalia." The French frigate Surcouf detected a suspect vessel and on Saturday the Spanish warship SPS Galicia chased it down. The Spanish defence ministry said when the skiff ignored an order to stop, the commander of the Galicia ordered his men to open fire. "At that time, it was discovered that they had a hostage on board, who was a woman," it said. "The amphibious ship proceeded to intercept the pirate vessel. The operation involved a helicopter and naval warfare team, who fired on the engine of the boat, to disable it." Christian Colombo is a former French navy crewman and the couple were experienced sailors who wanted to see the world and were passing through the Gulf of Aden en route for the Indian Ocean and eventually Thailand. "They knew they were taking a risk and everyone advised them not to go," a relative told AFP. One of the couple's daughters, Emilie, posted a message of concern on the blog they were keeping of their high seas adventure. "The last I heard from Christian was around a month ago. He was south of Egypt and heading for Malaysia," said the skipper's friend Gerard Navarin, who once helped him set a catamaran speed record off Toulon. The waters between Yemen and Somalia are notorious for attacks by pirate gangs, and French yachts have been among the vessels seized in the past. A second yacht went missing at around the same time as the Tribal Kat. Somali pirates frequently seize crew from merchant ships and pleasure craft in the dangerous waters off the conflict-ravaged Horn of Africa and have taken millions of dollars in ransom for their release. According to the watchdog Ecoterra, at least 50 vessels and at least 528 hostages are being held by Somali pirates, despite constant patrols by warships from several world powers. A French couple was kidnapped from a yacht in September 2008 as it headed through the Gulf of Aden. A ransom was paid, but French commandos later ambushed the pirates, killed one, captured six more and recovered the cash. In April 2009, another French yacht was seized. This time special forces troops intervened when the boat was still at sea. In the ensuing gunbattle a French bullet accidentally killed the hostage skipper. In addition, a French DGSE agent is thought to have been held hostage by Islamist militants in the Somali capital since July 2009

Soldiers may face Mousa prosecution

 

British soldiers could face a fresh prosecution over the brutal death of an Iraqi civilian after a scathing report condemned the "shameful" abuse of prisoners in UK custody. A landmark public inquiry concluded that father-of-two Baha Mousa, 26, died after an "appalling episode of serious gratuitous violence" meted out by members of 1st Battalion the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (1QLR). Inquiry chairman Sir William Gage said a number of British officers who could have stopped the abuse, including 1QLR's former commanding officer Colonel Jorge Mendonca, bore a "heavy responsibility" for the "grave and shameful events". He also strongly criticised the "corporate failure" by the Ministry of Defence that led to "conditioning" techniques banned by the UK in 1972, including hooding and making prisoners stand in painful stress positions, being used by soldiers in Iraq. The £13 million public inquiry, which has published its 1,400-page final report, condemned the "lack of moral courage to report abuse" within Preston-based 1QLR. It named 19 soldiers who assaulted Mr Mousa and nine Iraqis detained with him, and found that many others, including several officers, must have known what was happening. The damning report said the violence could not be described as a "one-off" because of evidence that 1QLR troops abused and mistreated Iraqi civilians on other occasions. Lawyers for Mr Mousa's family called for the soldiers responsible for his death to face charges in the light of the findings. Seven members of 1QLR, including Col Mendonca, faced allegations relating to the mistreatment of the detainees at a high-profile court martial in 2006-07. The trial ended with them all cleared, apart from Corporal Donald Payne, who became the first member of the British armed forces convicted of a war crime when he pleaded guilty to inhumanely treating civilians. Payne was acquitted of manslaughter. The legal team for Mr Mousa's relatives and the other detainees believe that evidence in the inquiry's report could form the basis for a new prosecution. Sapna Malik, from law firm Leigh Day and Co, said: "In light of the cogent and serious findings by Sir William Gage, we now expect that the military and civilian prosecuting authorities of this country will act to ensure that justice is done." The Crown Prosecution Service said the inquiry's report had not been referred to it. The Service Prosecuting Authority, which brings military prosecutions, was not available for comment.

NIGER'S FOREIGN MINISTER CLAIMS GADDAFI WAS NOT ON CONVOY

 

Neither Gaddafi nor any of his sons were on the convoy that arrived in Niger from Libya. The statement was made by Niger Foreign Minister, Mohammed Bazoum, on the microphones of Al Arabiya.& 13; The news was leaked by sources of the National Transational Council, according to which the 200-250 vehicle convoy that crossed the Fezzan desert to reach the ciy of Agadez, escorted by local security forces, carried an enormous load of gold and cash as well as several members of Gaddafi's family. "None of this is true", Bazoum said, cutting short, "it isn't Gaddafi and nor do I think that the convoy was as large as reported". In his opinion, the convoy carried former officials of Gaddafi's regime, although of intermediate ranking: this therefore also appears to deny the presence on the convoy of Mansour Daw, the chief of the Colonel's security forces. & 13; Also France, the former colonial power of the sub-Saharan Country, denied rumors concerning Gaddafi: "We have no information enabling us to think that Colonel Gaddafi is on that convoy", reiterated a spokesperson of the Elysee

The new Libya won't trust Britain so easily now | News

 

The documents revealing the cosy relationship between top British and Libyan intelligence officials are embarrassing not just because they confirm Britain's rendition of Islamist terror suspects, including Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the Transitional National Council's new security commander in Tripoli, but also because they lend credence to Britain's reputation as a slippery operator in the Middle East. David Cameron's support for the TNC was meant to gain souk cred by tying Britain's banner to the spirit of the Arab Spring. Cameron has said the new documents should be examined by the independent Detainee Inquiry, chaired by Sir Peter Gibson. They show how keen Tony Blair was to bring Gaddafi into the fold following Saddam Hussein's fall in April 2003 and to trade an end to Libya's pariah status in return for help in the war against terrorism. There was little wrong with that. What is sickening is the extent to which Britain sought to ingratiate itself by delivering up Gaddafi's opponents. No less disturbing is the manner in which Britain's cosying up to Gaddafi has been represented as a mistake by misguided individuals, for which institutions such as the London School of Economics have suffered. Perhaps the most fascinating new document was sent on March 18, 2004 to Musa Kusa, head of Libyan intelligence, by Mark Allen, MI6's director of counter-terrorism, who crowed about Belhadj's rendition while arranging a forthcoming visit by Blair to Libya. A week later Gaddafi welcomed the British PM in his Tripoli tent (as requested by Allen for publicity reasons). It is difficult to say who was the greater showman: the unctuous Blair or Gaddafi joking how his Third Universal Theory, the basis of his Green Book, paved the way for Blair's Third Way politics. Within two months, Allen was pipped as the next MI6 head by John Scarlett, who, two years earlier, as chief of the Joint Intelligence Committee, had backed Blair's argument that Saddam had dangerous weapons of mass destruction. Allen left the SIS shortly afterwards. For Middle East watchers, an interesting outcome has been these glimpses of intelligence machinations in this most secretive of regions. A Le Carré of the al Qaeda conflict will surely follow. It is Cameron who now has to deal with the practical consequences. The ultimate fate of Gaddafi and his family is out of his hands. But Britain has tough decisions to make about other players, including Musa Kusa, who defected from Libya in March, came to Britain, and was last heard of in a Qatar hotel. In 1980 he was expelled from Britain for advocating the murder of Libyan dissidents. For this and his wider role in Libyan terrorism, many powerful voices argue that he should be tried in Britain. But, even at this stage, it may be that he has too much to reveal. More immediately, the Prime Minister needs to assess the role of former Islamists such as Belhadj in the new regime and take appropriate measures. It will not be enough to kick the rendition issue into the long grass by referring it to the Gibson inquiry, which has yet to begin its work. If David Cameron hoped for an easy ride in post-Gaddafi Libya, these papers have disabused him of that notion.

talkSPORt to be broadcast to British troops stationed overseas

 

talkSPORT commentary on the Rugby World Cup 2011 is to be broadcast to British soldiers serving overseas, the British Forces Broadcasting Service has announced. Coverage commences on September 9 and will enable troops stationed in more than 20 countries; including Afghanistan, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, to keep up to date with all the games as they are played. England legend Brian Moore, aka The Pit Bull, will be heading up talkSPORT's coverage for the tournament alongside David Campese. He said: “The Rugby World Cup is a massive event and is sure to be a fantastic spectacle – I’m really pleased to be supporting our brave troops abroad.” BFBS Controller Nicky Ness said: “I am delighted that the BFBS and talkSPORT partnership now extends to Rugby World Cup coverage.  This tournament is really important to the armed forces community for whom sport is crucial part of life.  The fact that our troops will be able to listen on the front line and in far flung corners of the world will make a real difference to morale.

The husband of a woman who fell to her death during a holiday in Morocco remained upstairs in their apartment while she lay dying in the street below

The husband of a woman who fell to her death during a holiday in Morocco remained upstairs in their apartment while she lay dying in the street below, according to a new witness.

His account deepens the mystery surrounding the death of Mathilde Lamb, 43, and that of her husband Roger, 47, who died in a separate fall four days later, leaving their four sons orphaned.

Mrs Lamb, known as Tilly, was killed after plunging three floors from the window of the family’s £30-a-night rented apartment in the coastal town of Essaouira during the early hours of August 17. 

Mystery: Mathilde and Roger Lamb whose four children have been orphaned after both of their parents died in separate falls

Speaking for the first time about the incident, witness Rashid Hamaini, an artist, said that no member of Mrs Lamb’s family came to her aid after the fall.

He said: ‘I was working late that night. It was about 12.30am and it was very quiet. Then I heard a scream outside – it was a woman’s voice. I ran straight outside and into the street.

 

More...

• 'I have been living in hell': Nurse accused of saline murder plot speaks after case is dropped and police prepare to interview FIVE HUNDRED more people
• Mounting money worries. A marriage under strain. And a mysterious text that made one friend fear the worst... What really drove the balcony couple to their deaths?

 

‘On the pavement was Mrs Lamb who was lying on her front. She was wearing a T-shirt and bikini bottoms and blood was coming from her head.

‘The scream that I heard was not from her but from a woman who had seen her fall from the window. She was standing in the street shaking and was very upset. I went over and comforted her.’

Mr Hamaini said he asked what had happened and the witness said she had just seen a woman falling.

Scene: The top floor window from which Mrs Lamb fell in Essaouira, Morocco

He added: ‘The entire street was deserted. It was absolutely quiet – not a sound from anywhere. There was no one in the street apart from the two of us.

‘Nobody came down to help the victim or to check her at all. Within ten minutes both the police and the ambulance had arrived and they took the woman away on a stretcher.’

Mr Hamaini said more police arrived 15 minutes later and took Mr Lamb and one of the boys away in a car.

Confusion has surrounded the horrific events which led to the couple’s deaths, with unconfirmed reports about them arguing over plans for the family to move abroad, and that they were experiencing financial worries.

Mrs Lamb’s family say she had been trying to remonstrate with revellers outside the flat but leaned out of the window too far and fell.

But witnesses said they had heard no raised voices prior to the fall.

Local police say they believe her death was a tragic accident caused by a wooden balustrade giving way. However, there are no signs of any damage to the barrier.

Window: The room from which Mrs Lamb fell

Witness Hasna El Akrab told the Sunday Times: 'I looked up immediately at the window. It was open but there was no light coming from it. I can say that the railing was in perfect order.'

Of the incident, Mr Lamb’s brother-in-law, Mark Rogerson, said: ‘Unfortunately because the awning downstairs was blocking her view, she couldn’t see what was going on and according to her son, she climbed up on to the balustrade to get a better view. 

‘She was leaning out when she overbalanced and fell. Roger ran straight outside and found Tilly in the street.’

He added: ‘We have heard a host of sometimes contradictory statements from witnesses. Further speculation can only be hurtful to the boys.’

Mr Lamb, a structural engineer, checked himself and his sons into the nearby Sofitel hotel after the incident and fell from a second-floor stairwell four days after his wife fell.

It has also emerged that the day after Mrs Lamb's death, her husband was admitted to Mohammed Ben Abdellah hospital by the couple's eldest son Angus, 16, after apparently trying to take his own life.

He was soaking wet, apparently having fallen into the sea, reported the Sunday Times.

He was released and the family checked into the Sofitel with Mrs Lamb's sister Charlotter and her husband Rupert who had arrived in Essaouira that day.

Tragedy: Roger Lamb with his four children and friends enjoy a campfire

A doctor was called after the hotel notified the hospital that he was unable to remember anything from the night his wife died.

Mr Lamb was given anti-depressants and a tranquilliser and the doctor advised the family to move from the second floor to the ground floor and monitor Mr Lamb 24 hours a day.

Staff were asked to inform the British consul so that Mr Lamb and the boys could be repatriated.

Mr lamb was seen sitting by the hotel pool, laughing with his children but the following day he had made another suicide attempt.

After eating breakfast with his children and Charlotte and Rupert, he leapt off a second-floor walkway overlooking an internal atrium.

He was rushed to hospital where he died soon after.

A family friend has also revealed that the police had been called to the couple's home in 2008 and Mrs Lamb begged officers to take away her husband's shotgun.

They came close to separating at the time, sources said.

The couple's children – Angus, Monty, 15, Henry, 11, and Felix, nine – are now back in Britain being cared for by relatives. The bodies of Mr and Mrs Lamb have been repatriated.

Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi has blamed his high-profile brother for the collapse of talks with Libya's new rulers

Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi has blamed his high-profile brother for the collapse of talks with Libya's new rulers, CNN television reported late on Sunday.

Saadi Gaddafi told CNN in a telephone interview that an "aggressive" speech broadcast by his brother, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a few days ago had led to the breakdown in negotiations, paving the way for an attack.

The town southeast of Tripoli is one of the last strongholds of pro-Gaddafi fighters where at least one of the ousted despot's sons is thought to be hiding.

MI6 worked with Gaddafi government on rendition operation

 

senior officer in MI6 wrote a congratulatory letter to Moussa Koussa, then head of Libyan foreign intelligence and later foreign minister, on the safe arrival from Malaysia thanks to British and American intelligence of a man known as Abu Abdallah Sadiq. That is the nom de guerre of the leader of the then banned Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, Abdelhakim Belhadj, who is now head of the Tripoli Military Council in the post-revolutionary Libyan government and a key western ally. "This was the least we could do for you and for Libya to demonstrate the remarkable relationship we have built over recent years," the letter, from Mark Allen, head of counter-terrorism at MI6, said. "I am so glad. I was grateful to you for helping the officer we sent out last week." The documents, found by Human Rights Watch and circulated at the weekend, show the extraordinarily close relationship that developed between Libyan intelligence and MI6 and the CIA. The letters show that the CIA arranged the final delivery of both Mr Belhadj and his deputy, known by his nom de guerre of Abu Munthir, with their wives to Libya, but that in both cases Britain provided the original intelligence tip-off.MI6's letters, many written by Mr Allen, now Sir Mark Allen and an adviser to BP, are much more personal in tone that the CIA's, however.

suicide car bomber kills three policemen and injures seven at a checkpoint in the port city of Aden on the Arabian Sea.

 

A suicide car bomber kills three policemen and injures seven at a checkpoint in the port city of Aden on the Arabian Sea. Gunmen firing their weapons drive through the checkpoint after the bombing on the road linking Aden to Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, which has fallen under the control of Islamic militants affiliated with al-Qaida. Also, three soldiers and 12 militants are killed in clashes between Islamists and army units advancing on Zinjibar.

The leaders of Tunisia and the Libyan opposition discuss their shared security concerns,

 

The leaders of Tunisia and the Libyan opposition discuss their shared security concerns, vowing to support each other as they rebuild their countries following decades of authoritarian rule. Mahmoud Jibril, the deputy leader of Libya's rebels, said that he and Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi talked about urgent security questions and long-term coordination.

Latest developments in Arab world's unrest

 

Syrian security forces searching for an alleged high-profile defector from President Bashar Assad's regime kill two people after storming a northern village Saturday, raising the death toll from the past two days to at least 19. The crackdown has drawn international criticism and sanctions. The European Union announced it was banning oil imports from Syria, which will cost the embattled regime millions of dollars each day. While Assad brushed off earlier condemnation as foreign meddling, the oil embargo is significant because Damascus gets about 28 percent of its revenue from the oil trade and sells fuel to France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

Libya rebels say talks over Bani Walid have failed

 

NEGOTIATIONS aimed at peacefully ending a standoff outside one of Muammar Gaddafi's remaining strongholds southeast of Tripoli have failed and Libyan rebels are waiting for the green light to launch a final assault. Abdullah Kanshil, who was one of the rebel negotiators, said at a rebel checkpoint about 70 kilometres north of Bani Walid, talks had broken down overnight after Gaddafi's chief spokesman Moussa Ibrahim insisted the rebels disarm before entering the town. The rebels said hardcore loyalists are a small minority inside Bani Walid, but are heavily armed and stoking fear to keep other residents from surrendering. "We feel sorry for the people of Bani Walid," Mr Kanshil said, himself a Bani Walid native. "We hope for the best for our city." He said Moussa Ibrahim was inside the city with other regime loyalists and heavily armed supporters.

extraordinary extent of co-operation between MI6, the CIA and Libyan intelligence during the rule of Col Muammar Gaddafi was exposed on Saturday by the release of secret documents found in Tripoli.

cache of papers found at the intelligence headquarters dating from the time it was run by Moussa Koussa, who later became foreign minister and defected in March, showed Libya was handed Islamist opposition members as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" programme.
MI6 also provided extensive information to the Libyan authorities of opponents living in Britain.
The British intelligence services seem to have been more circumspect than their American colleagues, however. Often the files, which were found by Human Rights Watch and shown to The Sunday Telegraph, suggest they restricted themselves to confirming information already known to the Libyans.
It also shows one reason for the co-operation - MI6's belief that Libyan Islamists were playing a central role in funding and supporting al-Qaeda, often via contacts in Iran.
MI6 and the CIA were instrument in the attempts by former Prime Minister Tony Blair to bring Col Gaddafi "in from the cold", started at the time the alleged Lockerbie bombers were handed over for trial in The Hague

 

CIA conducted “extraordinary rendition” in luxury aircraft

As part of its infamous “extraordinary rendition” programme, the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States kidnapped and covertly transported persons across various countries using luxury jets supplied with the connivance of major U.S. corporations, court documents in New York have revealed.

Although the case initially appeared to be an innocent billing dispute between the contractors involved in the transactions was revealed by a human-rights campaign group called Reprieve to be wrangling within a secret network of aviation companies over unsettled bills for flights that had carried CIA prisoners.

Among the CIA's victims, some of whom were said to have been subjected to torture techniques such as water-boarding, was Indonesian terror suspect Riduan Isamuddin. He was reportedly captured in Thailand around 2003 yet spent “the next three years being shuttled among secret prisons operated by the CIA.”

Court documents revealed that a series of “unusual flights” that occurred around the time of Isamuddin's capture included a Gulfstream IV aircraft carrying six passengers on August 12 2003, which flew from Washington DC's Dulles International Airport to Bangkok, “with fuelling stops in Cold Bay, Alaska, and Osaka, Japan.” Prior to its return to the U.S. the same aircraft made further stops in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland, reports said.

Ironically the company that sponsored the supply of aircrafts for this and other flights that touched down in places like Islamabad, Pakistan, was reportedly a one-man aircraft brokerage business on Long Island, New York, called Sportsflight.

When Sportsflight was sued for breach of contract by another company from which it obtained the aircraft, Richmor Aviation of Columbia County, New York, heretofore secret costs and itineraries of a range of CIA rendition flights were entered into the court record before the U.S. government could block it.

The CIA did, however, succeed in a few other cases, where it was said to have invoked “state secrets” as a privilege to shut down litigation over its kidnap-and-transport programme, the Washington Post reported.

Bringing the details of the programme to public scrutiny Reprive said, over 1500 operational and legal documents were uncovered in the New York court case, which was fought from 2007 to 2011. The campaign group said that it had evidence that “a complicated billing chain obscured the ultimate end user of the flights – the CIA... [and] the U.S. government used the same aircraft – tail number N85VM, owned by Liverpool FC owner Philip Morse – for over 55 flights to Guantanamo Bay, Kabul, Bangkok, Dubai, Islamabad, Cairo, Baghdad, Djibouti, Rabat, Frankfurt, Ramstein, Rome, Tenerife, the Azores and Bucharest.”

In what might be a major setback for the U.S. federal government the documents also suggested that the U.S. State Department had been directly involved by supplying a “letter of convenience” to cover all rendition flights.

Reprieve's Legal Director Cori Crider said in a statement, “These documents give us an unprecedented insight into how the government outsourced renditions, right down to the complicated paper-trail the CIA used to cover their tracks.”

 

Gaddafi Gang Rejects Rebel Deadline

Libya’s Gaddafi loyalists have rejected an ultimatum by rebels that called for their surrender or else threatened a major new attack on Sirte, Gaddafi’s birthplace and final stronghold. “No dignified honorable nation would accept an ultimatum from armed gangs,” a regime spokesman told the Associated Press on Wednesday. Instead, the spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, offered to send Muammar Gaddafi as an intermediary, an idea that rebels swiftly rejected. An attack on Sirte is planned for Saturday if a truce is not reached.

 

Libya's National Transitional Council believes the fugitive former dictator Moamar Gaddafi is in the loyalist-held town of Bani Walid, southeast of the capital, Tripoli.

Libya's National Transitional Council believes the fugitive former dictator Moamar Gaddafi is in the loyalist-held town of Bani Walid, southeast of the capital, Tripoli.