U.S. and allies launch airstrikes in Libya

[Brent]

BENGHAZI, Libya – French fighter jets fired the first shots at Moammar Gadhafi's troops on Saturday, launching the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war in support of an uprising that had seemed on the verge of defeat.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/af_libya

BreakingNews: US launches first missiles inside Libya - NBC News

BreakingNews: RT @NBCNews: Pentagon calling strikes Operation Odyssey Dawn. #Libya

BreakingNews: All U.S. strikes inside Libya to come from ships off coast; only missiles from subs and destroyers, senior U.S. defense official - NBC News

Reuters: COALITION TO TARGET LIBYAN AIR DEFENSES, ESPECIALLY AROUND TRIPOLI AND MISRATA-US OFFICIAL

[vbhoutex]

My biggest question right now is HOW STUPID IS GADHAFI? If he is as much of a lunatic as I think he is then we will probably see his palace and all military facilities destroyed with an all out hunt for him. If he wants to live this will be at a minimum a long week!!!

[brunota2003]

And insaneo was his nameo! Mr. G said he is thinking about starting to attack things in the Med.

"The longtime Libyan leader vowed to defend his country from what he called "crusader aggression" and warned the involvement of international forces will subject the Mediterranean and North African region to danger and put civilians at risk."

"Libyan TV quoted the armed forces command as saying 48 people were killed and 150 wounded in the allied assault. It said most of the casualties were children but gave no more details."

I would hope not...I don't think our aim is THAT bad! Unless parents staged their children right next to the AA guns to "stop" the attacks.

[somethingfunny]

I don't buy that civilian death toll for one second. Consider that in the same press conference, Gadhafi's government claimed they had shot down a French fighter jet. And consider that they have been denying any civilian casualties up until the point of the United Nations airstrikes, as though government snipers and helicopters hadn't been caught on tape massacring civilians who were protesting peacefully, and attacking hospitals to make injured people "disappear".

I'm normally not a hawkish person but today my thoughts are with the woman in my avatar.

[brunota2003]

The jet that was shot down yesterday, per Fox News, was a jet piloted by the rebels (it was targeting tanks outside the city, apparently the pilot was in the air force and defected), the rebels shot it down thinking it was piloted by the gov't. They said the pilot, who was a father of 4?, flew the aircraft into an abandoned orphanage...if I heard correctly.

Edit:

Okay, apparently the pilot ejected right before the jet hit the ground (I was watching the video in slow motion yesterday and saw where he ejected, the plane was maybe 100 or 200 feet off the ground at most, and never saw the chute open), but he was far too low for it to save him.

Here is the video from FN:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4596853/new- ... n-in-libya

[somethingfunny]

The jet that was shot down yesterday, per Fox News, was a jet piloted by the rebels (it was targeting tanks outside the city, apparently the pilot was in the air force and defected), the rebels shot it down thinking it was piloted by the gov't. They said the pilot, who was a father of 4?, flew the aircraft into an abandoned orphanage...if I heard correctly.

Edit:

Okay, apparently the pilot ejected right before the jet hit the ground (I was watching the video in slow motion yesterday and saw where he ejected, the plane was maybe 100 or 200 feet off the ground at most, and never saw the chute open), but he was far too low for it to save him.

Here is the video from FN:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4596853/new- ... n-in-libya

The good news is we have a professional air force handling matters now, so the rebels don't have to worry about jets anymore. Helicopters are another story....is the coalition expected to launch those?

[Ivanhater]

I don't think it is the goal of the coalition to overthrow Gadhafi. That will likely be left to the people of Libya themselves.

[Brent]

Gaddafi's compound heavily damaged in this afternoon's attacks.

[Ivanhater]

Gaddafi's compound heavily damaged in this afternoon's attacks.

Very shocking

[Stephanie]

I appreciate that the Allies are stepping up and taking the lead on this.

I guess Gaddafi doesn't remember the last bombing that kicked his ass.

[cycloneye]

U.S. Plane crashes,2 crewmembers eject safely

LONDON – A U.S. military jet crashed in Libya after an equipment malfunction but its two crewmembers ejected and are safe, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Africa Command, says both sustained minor injuries and were separated because they used parachutes to eject from the F-15E Strike Eagle jet at high altitudes, ending up in different areas.

The crash occurred Monday night at 2130 GMT (5:30 p.m. EST). Its exact location was not given.

One crew member has been recovered and an operation is currently under way to recover the other one — "but we know he's safe," said Ken Fidler, another spokesman for Africa Command.

The aircraft, based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Italy's Aviano Air Base in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn at the time of the incident. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

The Air Force has said only that B-2, F-15 and F-16 fighters are participating in operations over Libya. The U.S.'s involvement in Libya is being run by Africa Command, which is based in Stuttgart, Germany.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110322/ap_ ... bya_us_jet