BBC, Al Jazeera Say Gadhafi's Air Force, Navy Firing On Protesters

BULLETIN: A Libyan journalist who appeared as a guest on PBS Newshour's evening broadcast painted a picture of sheer horror as she related eyewitness reports of security forces invading hospitals and shooting victims of Air Force and Navy attacks directed against citizens who had protested in the streets.

Other elements of the Libyan security forces scoured medical records in the admitting offices of hospitals, "...presumably to get information with which to direct attacks against the families of victims."

Hundreds have fallen dead in aerial attacks on highways, public streets and squares and private residences carried out by Libyan Air Force planes, onshore naval bombardment and small arms fire from security police who chased protesters through the streets, firing at will.

One of Gadafi's sons told television viewers that there will be civil war to rival anything ever seen in the history of the nation. "We have petroleum and it has united Libyan," he said, in reference to recent revolutions and uprisings in Egypt, Bahrain, Algeria and Tunisia.

Many foreign intelligence services believe Colonel Gadafi to have fled the country. Government radio and television stations are announcing that he will made a broadcast statement to the world later tonight. Border guards in Egypt say that Libyan border forces have withdrawn from their posts. They are believed to be fighting insurgency in the nation's cities.

- A Stratfor Red Alert -

Tripoli - Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has ordered the Libyan air force to fire on military installations in Libya, according to what the BBC has characterized as a reliable source. Al Jazeera has suggested that air force fighters have opened fire on crowds of protesters.


Though the latter would be particularly draconian, the more important question is whether these signs reflect a split within the regime and Gadhafi using military force to crush opposition to his regime emerging from the military or other security forces. Similar reports the Libyan navy firing on targets onshore also are emerging, as well as reports that Gadhafi has given execution orders to soldiers who have refused to fire on Libyan protesters...

As of noon, Al Jazeera was reporting more than 300 dead in Tripoli. - The Legendary