EQUIPO NIZKOR |
|
31May11
Western troops seen on the ground in Libya
A TV report showing Western troops on the ground with Libyan rebels in a possible violation of a U.N. decree brought no immediate comment from the world body.
The al-Jazeera English report showed six armed Western troops, "possibly British, seen liaising with the fighters" in Dafniya, a rebel battle area front line near Misurata, Libya's third-largest city. The city has been under attack by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
The Westerners, which al-Jazeera reported may have been facilitating forthcoming helicopter attacks, "left hurriedly" when they spotted the TV camera, the Qatari network reported.
A spokeswoman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told United Press International Monday night Ban's office had no comment on the report. She did not say whether the U.N. Security Council intended to investigate the report.
A March 17 Security Council resolution approved a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians from attacks by Gadhafi forces and authorized "all necessary measures" to protect civilians, but specifically excluded a "foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory."
The al-Jazeera footage emerged as South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in Tripoli in an attempt to broker a cease-fire, hours after NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark said Gadhafi's "reign of terror" was coming to an end.
[Source: UPI, Tripoli, 31May11]
 | This document has been published on 06Jun11 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |