VNCH, biết mới tiếc… - Đào Nương

Đào Nương

Sau 36 năm Miền Nam rơi vào tay cộng sản, ngày nay không chỉ những người sinh sống tại Miền Nam Việt Nam trước đây, không công nhận lá cờ đỏ sao vàng của đảng cộng sản Việt Nam mà ngay cả những người trong nước cũng không tôn trọng lá cờ này mặc dù đó là lá cờ đang tung bay khắp lãnh thổ Việt Nam ngày nay. Người Việt hải ngoại tôn trọng lá cờ vàng ba sọc đỏ, không chỉ thuần túy vì đó là lá cờ của Việt Nam Cộng Hoa, của chính phủ Miền Nam Việt Nam mà vì đó là một biểu tượng cho một quốc gia mà đáng lẽ dân tộc Việt Nam phải có, một chính phủ tự do dân chủ, một nền kinh tế thịnh vượng, một xã hội công bằng bác ái mà lá cờ đỏ và cái chính phủ Việt gian cộng sản ngày nay tại Hà Nội sau 36 năm làm chủ đất nước đã chứng minh những điều ngược lại.

Dĩ nhiên, lá cờ vàng ba sọc đỏ là lá cờ mà những người sinh sống tại Miền Bắc không quen mắt, không chấp nhận dù họ có thù ghét chế độc cộng sản mà họ đang sinh sống đến tận xương tủy. Người ta không thể chấp nhận một biểu tượng mà người ta không biết, không hiểu, không có những kỷ niệm đẹp, không hy sinh xương máu để bảo vệ nó. Nhất là khi chỉ một sớm, một chiều, những người Việt Nam không chấp nhận Cộng Sản đã mang theo lá cờ vàng trên đường lưu vong, dù phải trải qua những nơi địa ngục trần gian là những nhà tù của cộng sản, và đã phải để lại sau lưng quê hương yêu dấu, mảnh vườn nhỏ, mái nhà ấm cúng, con sông hiền hoà, sau khi đã được chứng kiến chủ nghĩa xã hội cộng sản tiêu biểu cho văn hoá, đạo đức, luân lý Việt Nam phân hoá dần dần trước mắt. Việt Nam Cộng Hoà mặc dù là một xã hội chưa hoàn bị nhưng đã hình thành được mọi cơ cấu của một xã hội văn minh, công bình và dân chủ. Người Việt sống tại Miền Bắc đói khổ, đã phải hy sinh mọi thứ cho nhu cầu chiến tranh theo sự tuyên truyền của cộng sản nên có thể nói hầu hết đều không biết gì về Việt Nam Cộng Hòa.

Việt Nam Cộng Hòa không phải là Ngô Đình Diệm, Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Nguyễn Cao Kỳ… mà là xã hội Miền Nam Việt Nam xây dựng trên căn bản giáo dục. Đó là những cô bé, cậu bé đến trường mỗi buổi sáng, mặc đồng phục với nét mặt tinh anh trong sáng của tuổi thơ. Đó là những cô nữ sinh áo trắng dễ thương và ngoan ngoãn, thuần hậu trong gia đình. Đó là những thầy, cô giáo sống và hãnh diện với thiên chức của một bậc thầy và được mọi người trong xã hội kính trọng. Trước 1975 Việt Nam Cộng Hoà đã đào tạo nhiều chuyên viên với tiêu chuẩn quốc tế, văn bằng của VNCH được chính phủ Hoa Kỳ, Pháp và nhiều quốc gia khác công nhận tương đương hoặc gần tương đương. Nghề thầy do đó không phải là một thứ … “chuột chạy cùng đường mới vào sư phạm” như ngày nay. Nhưng trong ký ức của tuổi trẻ miền Nam Việt Nam thì Việt Nam Cộng Hòa là những con đường ngợp bóng lá me, các nam sinh đi theo nữ sinh mỗi khi tan học nhưng không dám có một cử chỉ sàm sỡ, một lời nói vô lễ. Phải nhắc đến điều này vì những kỷ niệm đẹp của thời thiếu niên thường ghi sâu trong ký ức người ta suốt đời:

Lời ru nào níu được
Lúc những cánh me xanh
Bay mềm con lộ nhớ
Em sau khung cửa đạn soi
Sách ngăn tầm mắt đời ngoài lộ cao
Khi không lòng bỗng dạt dào
Sông tôi cạn nước nguồn nào bỗng đi

(Bài cho người trong vườn dược thảo, thơ Du Tử Lê)

Cuộc chiến càng thảm khốc thì lại có biết bao thanh niên theo tiếng gọi của núi sông lên đường nhập ngũ để bảo vệ một hậu phương bình yên trong đó có cha, có mẹ, có anh, có em, có cái gia đình nhỏ bé của mình. Đó là lý tưởng. Đó là những chàng trai anh hùng của thế hệ. Hàng trăm ngàn bài hát, bài thơ đã được viết ra trong giai đoạn này và cho đến nay vẫn còn là nguồn cảm hứng bất tận cho toàn nước Việt Nam thống nhất. Nó chính là “nhạc vàng” của văn hoá Việt:

Anh rót cho khéo nhé
Kẻo trúng nhằm nhà tôi
Nhà tôi ở cuối thôn Đoài
Có giàn thiên lý có người tôi thương.(thơ Yên Thao)

Hay

Năm năm rồi đi biệt
Đường xưa chưa lối về
Thương người em năm cũ
Thương goá phụ bên song (thơ Phạm Văn Bình)

Hình ảnh của những tân sinh viên sĩ quan trong quân phục đại lễ ngày tốt nghiệp ở Đà Lạt, ở Nha Trang, ở Thủ Đức là những hình anh tinh anh của dân tộc Việt, không phải là hình ảnh của “nợ máu với nhân dân” sau ngày 1975 đâu. Họ đã chọn binh nghiệp để bảo vệ từng tấc đất của quê hương đang bị dày xéo vì bom đạn gây ra bởi bọn lãnh tụ cộng sản vô thần. Bây giờ sau 36 năm nhìn lại, nhìn thế hệ thanh niên tan rã mệt mỏi, tương lai không lối thoát của Việt Nam thời cộng sản mà thương cho họ không biết là bao nhiêu. Thương tuổi thơ của những người không lý tưởng, chỉ nắm “cái đuôi của đảng cộng sản Việt Nam” mà nhìn ra thế giới bên ngoài và trở thành một thế hệ “vô cảm” đến rợn người. Đời sống chỉ còn là sự tranh đua để đạt được điạ vị trong đảng vì quyền đi với tiền. Bằng được mua bằng tiền chứ không cần học để có kiến thức. Trong một quốc gia nghèo đói vào hàng nhất thế giới nhưng có hàng nửa triệu “tiến sĩ ma” làm trò cười cho thế giới.

Xã hội Việt Nam Cộng Hòa trước 1975 không phải là hoàn toàn trong sạch, không có bóng dáng của tham nhũng nhưng tham nhũng không phải là một chính sách để cai trị nước như đảng cộng sản Việt Nam ngày nay. Người dân Miền Nam sống hiền hoà trong tôn ti trật tự, trong đời sống hàng ngày, họ không phải đối đầu với cảnh sát, công an. Không phải bất cứ khi nào có việc liên hệ với chính quyền thì phải trả tiền cho công an từ xã, huyện, tỉnh đến trung ương. Khi vào bệnh viện, không có việc đút lót tiền thì mới có được giường nằm. Trẻ con học giỏi thì được xếp hạng cao, được cho đi du học dù là con nhà nghèo. Sĩ quan đánh trận oai hùng, gan dạ thì được thăng thưởng. Nhà cháy thì được cứu hỏa chữa cháy chứ không phải trả tiền mới được chữa cháy.

Về chính trị, Việt Nam Cộng Hoà là một nước dân chủ tự do thực sự mặc dù cũng có những khuyết điểm. Trước 1975 tại Miền Nam Việt Nam, chính phủ công nhận đối lập, cho biểu tình chống đối tự do nên từ những năm 1965 đã có nhiều cuộc biểu tình chống Mỹ, chống Thiệu Kỳ, chống tham nhũng thoải mái của sinh viên học sinh, của nhân dân. Có những ông giáo sư đại học nhận mình là thành phần thứ ba, theo chủ thuyết xã hội chứ không phải là chủ thuyết Mác Lê công khai ra báo, viết sách, viết luận án đại học lên án chính phủ, lên án chiến tranh, nhưng lại ve vãn cộng sản vì lý luận ấu trĩ rằng chính phủ Miền Nam bị Mỹ giựt dây, muốn chấm dứt chiến tranh thì phải nói chuyện với Hà Nội. Kinh tế thương mại tự do không bị chính phủ kiềm chế, về an ninh xã hội người dân được luật pháp bảo vệ, cảnh sát công an ức hiếp nhân dân bị truy tố ra trước pháp luật ngay.

Xã hội Miền Nam tự do tạo môi trường để tinh anh phát tiết trên mọi phương diện. Ngày nay, sau 36 năm nhìn lại, đảng cộng sản Việt Nam vẫn không biết rằng khi giam hãm, đầy đọa hàng triệu người sống ở Miền Nam có liên hệ với chính quyền đem nhốt vào ngục tù, họ đã hủy diệt đi hầu hết những nhân tài về mọi mặt của đất nước, những trí thức khoa bảng mà có thể vài trăm năm sau, Việt Nam chưa thể có lại. Miền Nam Việt Nam không chỉ “sản xuất”có hai “thiên tài” là Trịnh Công Sơn và Bùi Giáng đâu. Nhưng Việt cộng chỉ “chấp nhận’ có hai người này vì một anh thì trốn lính, sống hèn mọn trong sự che chở bao dung của chính phủ Miền Nam tôn trọng nghệ sĩ, còn người kia thì mang bệnh tâm thần. Cứ đếm lại số sách đã được xuất bản tại Miền Nam trong 20 năm từ 1954 đến 1975, từ khoa học đến chính trị, từ truyện ngắn, truyện dài, thơ văn đến âm nhạc rồi so sánh với 60 năm cộng sản CAI TRỊ Việt Nam thì sẽ hiểu.

Do đó, so với xã hội Việt Nam dưới thời Việt gian cộng sản thì xã hội Việt Nam Cộng Hoà là thiên đường, là con đường mà Việt Nam cần nhiều thập niên mới “back to the future” được. Những người Việt Nam sống tại Miền Nam trước 1975, biết rõ điều này. Lá cờ vàng và danh hiệu Việt Nam Cộng Hòa vì sao vẫn được họ sùng kính dù Việt Nam Cộng Hoà đã mất đi phần đất cuối cùng đã 36 năm.

Vì không được sống, không được trưởng thành, không được hoạt động chính trị, văn hoá hay sống đời quân ngũ của xã hội Miền Nam nên không có gì ngạc nhiên khi những người trí thức Cộng Sản thù ghét bọn cầm quyền cộng sản vì đã hất cẳng họ, đã đẩy họ ra khỏi nước, rồi vì hậm hực nên suốt ngày ngồi viết những điều phản đối bọn cầm quyền cộng sản nhưng vẫn vinh danh bác Hồ và “kẻ cả” xem cộng đồng Người Việt hải ngoại là những kẻ bại trận, lá cờ vàng là vô nghĩa nên không muốn đoàn kết để lật đổ chế độ độc tài cộng sản mà họ là một thành phần cốt cán trước đây. Sống nơi xứ sở tự do này, chúng ta nên tôn trọng họ. Thái độ không muốn đứng chung trong hàng ngũ với Người Việt quốc gia cũng là một điều dễ hiểu: bối cảnh lịch sử do đảng cộng sản Việt Nam từ 60 năm qua đã chia dân tộc và đất nước Việt Nam ra thành nhiều khối: trí thức, công nhân, cộng sản, quốc gia, vv…vv… Điều khó hiểu là những người cán bộ đảng trung kiên bị thất sủng như ông Nguyễn Minh Cần, ông Bùi Tín, ông Vũ Thư Hiên thường viết bài dạy Người Việt quốc gia, những công dân của Việt Nam Cộng Hoà chống cộng trong khi họ nhìn thấy trước mắt, cái đảng tạo ra họ, cho họ một vị thế, một tên tuổi, chính cái đảng đó đang làm tan rã đất nước và con người Việt Nam. Cái đảng bất nhân đó đang chia 85 triệu Người Việt ra làm hai khối: đại đa số quần chúng bình dân, không có phương tiện về an sinh xã hội, không có giáo dục, sống đời nô lệ phục vụ cho một thiểu số cán bộ tham ô mà ngôn ngữ Việt cộng gọi là “quan tham”. Cái đảng bất nhân đó đang đưa đất nước đến cái họa diệt vong trong tay Tàu Cộng.

Sau 1975, Người Việt Quốc Gia, những công dân của Việt Nam Cộng Hoà vì thất thế nên chúng gọi là “ngụy”, đày ải quân dân cán chính trong rừng già để chết dần chết mòn, gia đình ly tán, con cái thất học, nên bằng mọi cách Người Việt Quốc Gia phải ra đi và bằng ý chí cương cường quật khởi của dân tộc Việt Nam, khối Người Việt Tự Do, những công dân của Việt Nam Cộng Hoà đã chọn thế giới làm lãnh thổ, phát triển tài lực và trí tuệ, ngăn chận được sự tuyên truyền và bành trướng của bọn Việt gian cộng sản khắp nơi. Có mà nằm mơ, người ta cũng không thể nghĩ rằng những công dân Việt Nam Cộng Hòa trong điều kiện sinh sống dù lưu vong, dù trong lao tù cộng sản đã giữ vững được ý chí chống cộng đến thế. Thế hệ thứ hai của cộng đồng Người Việt tỵ nạn cộng sản, của những công dân của Việt Nam Cộng Hòa vẫn giữ được nguyên vẹn đạo đức và luân lý của Việt Nam. Trong mọi gia đình, những đứa trẻ không nói rành tiếng Việt hay nói tiếng Việt với giọng ngọng nghịu của người bản xứ nhưng đều là những đứa trẻ ngoan ngoãn vì chúng biết rằng cha mẹ chúng phải lưu vong, phải hy sinh nhiều để chúng được lớn lên ở một đất nước tự do, có cơ hội để phát triển trí tuệ, những điều chúng sẽ không có được nếu sống dưới một chế độ cộng sản, như Việt Nam cộng sản ngày nay, như Cuba, như Bắc Hàn, hay ngay cả Trung cộng …

Nhưng những người như ông Nguyễn Minh Cần, ông Bùi Tín đâu phải là ngụy. Các ông này là những “trí thức cộng sản” lớn lên trong lòng chế độ. Đáng lẽ các ông đừng hèn, hãy ở lại Việt Nam, hãy kêu gọi nổi dậy, hãy dẫn dắt toàn dân chống lại cái đảng cướp đã tạo ra các ông, hãy cho toàn dân biết “chúng” đã đi sai … đường cách mạng. “Con đường Bác đi” của các ông không lẽ lại là con đường … bi đát, đưa hàng trăm ngàn gái Việt ra hải ngoại lấy chồng Đại Hàn, Đài Loan, làm mãi dâm mới có cơm ăn? “Con đường Bác đi” không lẽ lại là con đường dâng nước Việt cho Tàu? Các ông hãy can đảm đứng dưới ngọn cờ do các ông lựa chọn miễn là các ông bảo vệ được dân, được đất nước khỏi rơi vào tay giặc là được. Hãy hành động như các chiến sĩ của Quân Lực Việt Nam Cộng Hòa đã làm trước khi bị tước súng vì một thế cờ chính trị thế giới: họ đã đứng lên, đã anh dũng hy sinh, đã chống lại áp bức của chính quyền để bảo vệ dân, bảo vệ từng tấc đất Miền Nam để rồi đảng các ông đã lừa gạt dân Miền Bắc, đưa họ vào Nam, đem sinh mạng làm bia đỡ đạn để “giải phóng” một Miền Nam trù phú, một xã hội tôn ti trật tự, đạo đức văn hoá, luân lý cần được bảo tồn.

Mới đây có một bài viết của một người thuộïc thế hệ trẻ có tựa đề “Hãy để cho Việt Nam Cộng Hòa lùi vào dĩ vãng một cách tự nhiên” do diễn đàn danchimviẹt.com phổ biến với lời toà soạn như sau:

(Trích)LTS: Trong công cuộc đấu tranh dân chủ hóa VN hôm nay, tìm hiểu tư duy của lớp người trẻ không tham dự vào cuộc chiến quốc-cộng trước kia – mà sẽ là chủ lực cách mạng nay mai – là một điều cần thiết. ĐCV chọn đăng bài viết của tác giả Tiên Sa trên mạng xã hội facebook cũng nằm trong tinh thần đó. Mời bạn đọc cùng suy tư và chia sẻ. (hết trích)

Nội dung bài viết của người bạn trẻ này cũng như nội dung bài viết của ông cán bộ già thất sủng Nguyễn Minh Cần giống nhau ở chỗ: cuộc cách mạng lật đổ bạo quyền cộng sản chưa xảy ra nhưng họ đã sợ lá cờ vàng và chế độ Việt Nam cộng hoà được tái lập ở Việt Nam … sau 36 năm bỏ chạy. Đào Nương tôi không tin đây là bài viết của một người viết trẻ ở hải ngoại. Thật ra, tháng 4, 1975, Người Việt Miền Nam đã quá mệt mỏi với một cuộc chiến không lối thoát giữa hai ý thức hệ tự do và cộng sản. Cái thành trì bảo vệ thế giới tự do đã không còn đứng vững sau khi tổng thống Hoa Kỳ Nixon qua gặp Mao Trạch Đông và Chu Ân Lai. Giữa một bên chiến đấu với viện trợ có điều kiện và một bên được viện trợ vô điều kiện của khối cộng sản, sự chiến thắng khó lòng ở về phía VNCH. Khi buông súng năm 1975, Người Việt Miền Nam đã muốn “Hãy để cho Việt Nam Cộng Hòa lùi vào dĩ vãng một cách tự nhiên” để hai miền cùng nhau xây nước và dựng nước chứ. Nhưng việc gì đã xảy ra sau đó, chắc Ban Biên Tập của Đàn Chim Việt, nơi phát tán những bài viết của ông Nguyễn Minh Cần và “người bạn trẻ” Tiên Sa chắc đã biết rõ hơn ai hết: hàng triệu quân dân cán chính Miền Nam bị đầy vào lò “cải tạo”, gia đình họ bị đẩy đi vùng kinh tế mới, cướp nhà, cướp cuả, con cái họ không được đến trường. Cho đến ngày nay, những người sinh sống tại Miền Nam vẫn còn là những công dân hạng hai trên đất nước mình. Vì nghĩ rằng “Hãy để cho Việt Nam Cộng Hòa lùi vào dĩ vãng một cách tự nhiên” nên hàng triệu người Miền Nam đã buông súng, xếp hàng đi tù cải tạo vì nghĩ rằng một giai đoạn chiến tranh tương tàn đã đi qua, đi trình diện một tháng rồi về sống đời công dân của một quốc gia độc lập và thống nhất. Chuyện gì đã xảy ra cho họ, cho những người sinh sống tại Miền Nam sau 1975?

Không lẽ ngày nay, trong công cuộc cứu nước, khi không còn ở vị thế cầm quyền thì những công dân của Việt Nam Cộng Hoà không thể là một tiếng nói đối lập với cái chính quyền vô nhân đang cai trị đất nước Việt Nam hay sao? Chúng ta sẽ đấu tranh để những người dân của đất nước Việt Nam dân chủ và tự do có quyền lựa chọn cho họ một đảng phái cầm quyền, họ sẽ biểu quyết về một lá cờ tượng trưng cho đất nước. Đảng cộng sản Việt Nam hiện nay có 3 triệu đảng viên hầu hết là bọn thất học, tham ô. Cứ nhìn vào xã hội Việt Nam ngày nay thì thấy rõ. Cộng đồng Người Việt tị nạn cộng sản ở nước ngoài có 3 triệu người nhưng đồng thời họ cũng là công dân của những quốc gia tự do và dân chủ. Việc họ phải sống lưu vong ở hải ngoại không phải là một việc trốn chạy hèn nhát mà là hậu quả tất nhiên của một cuộc chiến tương tàn có kẻ thua, người thắng. Khi họ tập hợp để nói lên tiếng nói của Người Việt không chấp nhận chế độ cộng sản, một tiếng nói đối lập là một việc làm cần thiết khi Người Việt không thể làm được điều này ở quê hương. Tiếng nói đối lập này và lá cờ vàng trong giai đoạn này chắc hẳn là cần thiết cho công cuộc đấu tranh hơn là tiếng nói “lèm bèm” của những ông đảng viên thất sủng “chạy trốn” ra nước ngoài chứ?

Hy vọng bài viết này sẽ giải thích được phần nào tại sao Người Việt không cộng sản không thể “Để cho Việt Nam Cộng Hòa lùi vào dĩ vãng một cách tự nhiên” được. Vì đó là tương lai của đất nước Việt Nam. Đừng bàn cãi trên những trang giấy hay trên những trang mạng điện tử. Thực tế chứng minh cho hành động. Trong 60 năm, đảng cộng sản Việt Nam đã tàn phá đất nước và con người Việt Nam đến tận cùng đáy vực, khi các ông “trí thức cộng sản” đủ hết hèn để la làng (nhưng cũng phải núp đàng sau cái xác còn thở của “đại tướng”) về cái họa mất nước mà cũng chỉ như tiếng rên trong lăng Ba Đình của cái xác thối rữa chưa chôn thì chúng ta có cần bàn cãi thêm về cờ vàng hay cờ đỏ không? Ngược lại, chỉ trong 36 năm, cộng đồng Người Việt tị nạn cộng sản đã “bành trướng” điạ bàn hoạt động khắp năm châu, những khu phố Việt Nam sầm uất, vững mạnh hơn các ChinaTown của người Tàu, mỗi năm cộng đồng Người Việt gửi về nuôi thân nhân hàng chục tỹ đô la. “Chạy trốn, thua trận” mà làm nên … nghiệp lớn như vậy trong khi bọn cộng sản Việt Nam thì co cụm lại trong các toà sứ quán, ra đường thì mắt la, mày lét sợ người dân bắt gặp. Lãnh tụ ngoại giao như tên Nguyễn Xuân Việt ở Jordanie thì hành xử như bọn đầu gấu, du đãng khiến thế giới phải bàng hoàng và người nữ công nhân 20 tuổi bị xúc phạm đã được Hoa Kỳ cho nhập cảnh vì lý do chính trị thì đủ hiểu.

Dĩ nhiên, ở đâu, xã hội nào thì cũng gồm đủ con gà, con công, con phụng … đừng nhìn vào đàn gà của cộng đồng Việt Nam hải ngoại rồi kết luận tất cả chỉ là một đàn gà mà lầm to. Nhưng có một điều có thể coi như là chân lý “không thay đổi” dù bên này hay bên kia bờ Thái Bình Dương: đảng viên cộng sản thì anh nào cũng hèn, cứ phải dựa vào nhau để sống còn, để được làm “quan tham” bóc lột dân lành. Chúng đoàn kết theo đúng tôn chỉ “tranh đấu đến cùng với kẻ thù, chỉ hòa giải với nội bộ”. Trong khi nếu vì tương lai dân tộc thì phải tìm cách liên kết mọi người với nhau chứ. Ra đến hải ngoại vẫn còn sợ lá cờ vàng nhưng tiền bạc của cờ vàng thì đưa lên mặt mà hít hà. Khinh bọn “thất trận, giặc ngụy” bỏ chạy, nhưng lại sợ chúng nó trở thành một thế chính trị đối lập trở về nhưng vẫn ra chính sách ve vãn Việt kiều. Chơi với cái đầu “ngụy” thì không dám chơi chỉ muốn chơi với các “khúc ruột thừa” của họ?

Việt Nam Cộng Hoà phải sống mãi trong lòng người Việt không cộng sản là vì thế! Vì không muốn nhận sự nhục nhã là công dân của một nước Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hoà, muốn bảo vệ ngư dân cũng phải xin phép “thằng” Tàu cộng!

Chúng ta hãy hành động. Tự cứu mình và cứu những người khác nữa. Vì tương lai, xin tất cả hãy tìm cách liên kết với nhau trong tình dân tộc.
Đào Nương

Satellite images appear to show destruction of Libya mosque

The images, taken in February and March, appear to show the destruction of a mosque in Zawiya, Libya.

By the CNN Wire Staff
March 22, 2011 -- Updated 1025 GMT (1825 HKT)

(CNN) -- Satellite images of a Libyan city, provided to CNN by an intelligence source, appear to show evidence that pro-Gadhafi forces razed a mosque that recently served as a rebel command center.

The two images of an area of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, were taken February 20 and March 20, according to the source, who provided them on condition of anonymity.

In the first picture, a mosque can clearly be seen just south of Zawiya's Martyrs' Square, but in the later picture, the mosque is gone.

The images, the source said, were released as part of the international effort to build pressure on Gadhafi and to illustrate what coalition members say are crimes against his own people.

Pro-Gadhafi forces retook Zawiya this month after defeating rebel forces there.

CNN could not verify the authenticity of the images, nor when they were taken.

The images were provided to CNN at a time when there is some wavering of support from within the Arab League for the coalition military effort. The image of a mosque that may have been destroyed by Gadhafi loyalists may provoke angst in the Arab and Muslim world.

A CNN team that was in Zawiya both before and after government forces retook the city confirmed the mosque served as a makeshift clinic as well as a rallying point and command center for the resistance.

The mosque was badly damaged during fighting to retake the city, the CNN team reported.

CNN's Tommy Evans and John King contributed to this report.

U.S. fighter crashes in Libya

By the CNN Wire Staff
Updated 1540 GMT (2340 HKT)
March 22, 2011

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- A U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashed in Libya after experiencing an equipment malfunction, but both crew members ejected safely and are now out of Libya and in U.S. hands, the U.S. military and a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday.

A pilot and weapons officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle had flown from Aviano Air Base in Italy to Libya when the fighter experienced problems, the U.S. military command for Africa said in a statement. Both pilots ejected, the statement said.

The pilot and weapons officer suffered minor injuries but landed safely in two different places on Libyan soil, the military said.

The U.S. military dispatched a pair of Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, about 100 miles off the coast of Libya, to pick up the pilot. He was then flown to the vessel, which has extensive medical facilities, military officials said.


Libyan rebels recovered the second crew member and "took good care of him" until coalition forces were able to reach him, a senior defense official said.

Residents in the area, some of whom witnessed the crash, told CNN that they combed farmlands to search for the downed pilots and expressed their gratitude to coalition members.

The jet was based out of the Royal Air Force base at Lakenheath, England. It flew to Libya as part of a United Nations-authorized coalition attack on Libyan air defense targets meant to protect civilians in that country.

The crash was "not due to enemy or hostile actions," said Kenneth Fidler, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command.

The international mission to weaken the force of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has stopped the ruler's momentum, a U.S. official said.

However, criticism and questions about the operation persist, with no clear answer on who will take over command of the military operation and what the end game or exit strategy will be.

Missiles and anti-aircraft fire pierced the night sky in Tripoli hours before dawn broke Tuesday, the fourth day of the multinational effort against pro-Gadhafi forces.

The Libyan government took international journalists to a port area that appeared to have been damaged by missile strikes that left craters 15-feet deep. A destroyed mobile rocket launcher system lay smoldering. Several warehouses were hit.

The United States fired 20 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya in the past 12 hours, a military spokeswoman said early Tuesday morning. A total of 159 Tomahawks have been fired by the United States and the United Kingdom since Operation Odyssey Dawn started Saturday. The mission includes enforcement of a no-fly zone.

Cmdr. Monica Rousselow also said one of the three U.S. submarines that participated at the beginning of the operation has since departed the area.

The international operation has targeted air defense sites and command centers. But Gadhafi himself has not been targeted, and there are no plans to kill the leader, said Gen. Carter Ham, the head of U.S. forces in Africa.

"I could see accomplishing the military mission, which has been assigned to me, and the current leader would remain the current leader," he said.

"We think we have been very effective in degrading his ability to control his regime forces."

Ham said no Libyan aircraft have been observed flying since the military operations began Saturday. And air attacks have stopped Libyan ground forces from approaching the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

In Misrata, a city under siege two hours east of Tripoli, staff at the central hospital said at least nine people were killed in clashes Tuesday, raising the death toll to at least 77 in the last three days. The hospital has "stopped counting the injured," a staffer told CNN.

Gadhafi -- who has not spoken publicly since he promised a "long-drawn war" with "the new Nazis" on Sunday -- has announced a cease-fire. But bloodshed in Misrata indicated a very different reality, according to an opposition spokesman.

The spokesman, Mohamed -- who would not divulge his last name due to concern for his safety -- said Monday the destruction in the key city was "unimaginable" and that Misrata was bombarded heavily over the past four days by forces loyal to Gadhafi.

"He keeps talking about a cease-fire, but he hasn't observed that for one minute here," Mohamed said.

"We are in urgent need of help," he said. "Please, please, please. The situation in Misrata is very dire and very dangerous."

Violence has raged in Libya following protests calling for democracy and demanding an end to Gadhafi's almost 42-year-long rule. Protesters have been met by force from the Gadhafi regime, and numerous world leaders -- including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon -- have denounced the killings of civilians by Gadhafi's troops.

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution Thursday that allows member states "to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country ... while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory." It also imposed a no-fly zone.

Barak Barfi, a research fellow with the New America Foundation, said "it's certainly clear" that the allied coalition has stymied the onslaught of Gadhafi troops against rebels in eastern Libya.

"Before the decision in the U.N. was taken Thursday, it seemed like Gadhafi was going to overrun the opposition in a matter of days," he said.

But "it's unclear if the rebels can form under any type of organized command and move forward now that the airstrikes have taken away Gadhafi's offensive capabilities," Barfi said Tuesday. "It's unclear at this point in time who would take control after Gadhafi leaves. We know that there are really no state institutions in Libya."

A former Gadhafi aide told CNN Tuesday that the Libyan strongman would not go down easily.

Abubaker Saad said Gadhafi has several bunkers deep underground and is likely hiding in one of them.

"As you probably all have noticed that now he is giving all of his statements by phone to the Libyan television," Saad said.

Anti-Gadhafi Libyans have expressed gratitude for the foreign intervention. In Benghazi, people said loyalist forces would have massacred them if they had been able to enter the city.

The international military coalition focused Monday on extending the no-fly zone to al-Brega, Misrata and then to Tripoli, a distance of about 1,000 kilometers (more than 600 miles).

The Spanish parliament Tuesday approved Spanish military participation in the international coalition operating in Libya. Canadian and Belgian forces joined coalition forces Monday, he said, and aircraft carriers from Italy and France have added "significant capability" in the region.

The United Arab Emirates had been prepared to send two squadrons to participate in the international effort, said retired Maj. Gen. Khaled Abdullah Al-Buainnain -- the former commander of the Emirates' air force and air defense.

However, he said, those plans have changed due to criticism by the United States and the European Union of the Gulf Cooperation Council's deployment of troops to help the monarchy stabilize Bahrain.

The UAE has chosen not to take a military role in Libya until Washington and the European Union clarify their position on the use of troops in Bahrain, but it will contribute to the humanitarian effort in Libya, Al-Buainnain said.

About 80 sorties were flown Monday -- more than half of them by air forces representing countries other than the United States, Ham said.

But support for the attacks was not universal. The Russian government said the mission has killed innocent civilians and urged more caution. India, China and Venezuela have also spoken out against the airstrikes.

The Libyan government said over the weekend that 48 people -- mostly women, children and clerics -- have died in allied attacks.

U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, however, has said there is no indication of any civilian casualties. And France -- which conducted the first strike in Libya on Saturday when fighter jets fired at a military vehicle -- also disputed claims of civilian deaths.

The bloodshed in Libya has displaced thousands from their home and created shortages of food, medicine and other basic items, United Nations agencies said Tuesday.

CNN's Nic Robertson, Arwa Damon, Diana Magnay, Ivan Watson, Virginia Nicolaidis, Pam Benson, Yousif Basil, Charley Keyes, Chris Lawrence, Jill Dougherty, Elise Labott, Paula Newton, Richard Roth, Jenifer Fenton, Niki Cook and journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report.

Work resumes at Japanese reactor

22 March 2011
Last updated at 03:14 GMT

Efforts have resumed at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to restore electrical power and cool its overheated reactors, seriously damaged by the 11 March earthquake.

The work was interrupted after emissions of white vapour and smoke from two of the reactors.

Japan's chief cabinet secretary says it is impossible to say what the cause is.

The plant's operators are unable to see what's going on inside the buildings housing the reactors, he added.

Workers at the plant have been battling to cool reactors and spent fuel ponds to avoid a large-scale release of radiation.

The death toll from the quake and tsunami stands at 8,450, with nearly 13,000 people missing.

More than 350,000 people are still living in evacuation centres in northern and eastern Japan.

Food shipments halted

The Fukushima plant was crippled by fire and explosions after the 11 March quake and tsunami.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission - whose staff are in Tokyo conferring with the Japanese government and industry officials - said the Japanese nuclear crisis appeared to be stabilising.

The NRC said that reactors 1, 2 and 3 had some core damage but their containment was not currently breached.

Early on Tuesday, white vapour was seen rising from reactor 2 and hazy smoke from the reactor 3.

Meanwhile, the government has ordered a halt to some food shipments from four prefectures around the Fukushima nuclear plant, as concern increases about radioactive traces in vegetables and water supplies.

Villagers living near the plant have been told not to drink tap water because of higher levels of radioactive iodine.

The suspension - which the government said was just a precaution - applies to spinach from the prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma, as well as milk from Fukushima.

Over the weekend spinach and milk produced near the nuclear plant was found to contain levels of radioactive iodine far higher than the legal limits.

However, senior government official Yukio Edano told a news conference that eating or drinking the contaminated food would not pose a health hazard. "I would like you to act calmly," he said.

The World Health Organization said it had no evidence of contaminated food reaching other countries. However, China, Taiwan and South Korea have announced plans to toughen checks of Japanese imports.

"We have been using helicopters to deliver relief goods to some places but for today we have to switch the delivery to places that we can reach by road," he said.

Some aid from foreign countries has started to arrive, and the government has started the process of finding temporary housing in other parts of the country for those made homeless.

Workers in north-east Japan have begun building temporary homes for the displaced. The prefabricated metal boxes with wooden floors were put up on the hillside near the devastated town of Rikuzentakata.

Nearly 900,000 households are still without water.

Tripoli targeted for third night

The coalition said the US-led strikes hit Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddahi's
air defence systems and other military targets.
Western officials later said there were indications that the air campaign was highly successful.

A coalition of Western Allies has launched a series of air strikes against military targets in Libya. US and British warships and submarines in the Mediterranean, as well as British, US and French fighter jets, took part in the raids.

More fighters are now being moved to forward positions, closer to Libya. British jets are flying down to southern Italy. Danish and Canadian jets are on standby in Sicily.

Hãy Đứng Lên Đồng Bào Ơi !

Đừng Sợ Nữa Đồng Bào Tôi Ơi!


Hãy Đứng Dậy Lật Đổ Tập Đoàn Việt Gian Cộng Sản Việt Nam
Buôn Dân Bán Nước

Power's People

Việt Nam hãy học bài học Tunisia, Egypt
Free the people, Free yourself

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible,
make violence inevitable." - John F. Kennedy

Peaceful Revolution Hopeless
Non-violence Hopeless With Vietnam Communists

Tự do không phải ngồi đó mà có,
phải trả giá bằng sự quyết tâm, bằng xương, bằng máu ..
không phải van xin, thắp nến hiệp thông,
cầu nguyện chỉ có ở trong chùa chiền, nhà thờ.
teolangthang
****

Hãy Cùng Đứng Lên Đi!
Thơ: C.H.Houston
Nhạc: Nguyễn Văn Thành

UK joins in second night of missile strikes

21 March 2011
Last updated at 02:25 GMT

UK troops have taken part in a second night of missile strikes against Libya.

Tomahawk missiles were fired from a British submarine in the Mediterranean for the second time. RAF Tornados flew a bombing mission on the first night.

The UK is part of an international coalition, also including the US and France, trying to protect civilians from attacks by Col Gaddafi's forces.

The Libyan military said it had ordered a ceasefire across the entire country from 2100 local time (1900 GMT).

Col Muammar Gaddafi's government had ordered a ceasefire on Friday, which was broken within hours, prompting the coalition's first attacks on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the government was monitoring the situation closely after Libya's latest ceasefire announcement.

On Sunday evening, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced missiles had been fired from a British submarine in another co-ordinated strike against Libyan air defence systems.

Explosions heard

Defence Secretary Liam Fox said it was "a possibility" that Col Gaddafi himself could be targeted in the military operations.

But he told BBC Radio 5 live that such a move was problematic because "you would have to take into account any civilian casualties that might result from that, and at all times we are very careful to avoid that for its humanitarian reasons".

US defence spokesman Vice Adm William Gortney told a press briefing: "We are not going after Gaddafi. At this particular point I can guarantee he is not on the target list."

However, in the last few hours, a missile strike on Libyan leader Col Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli has destroyed a building which coalition officials said was a command centre.

A number of explosions have been heard around the Libyan capital.

Several Tornados took off from RAF Marham in Norfolk on Sunday, while Typhoon jets are on stand-by in Italy.

Flights from the Norfolk base during the first night of operations, which targeted an "integrated air defence system" in Libya, represented the longest-range bombing mission carried out by the RAF since the 1982 Falklands War.

Hercules aircraft have also left RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, believed to be heading to the Mediterranean with equipment and supplies.

The Chief of Defence Staff's strategic communications officer Maj Gen John Lorimer said RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus continued to support the operation with a number of assets, including E-3D Sentry, Sentinel and VC10 planes.

On Sunday evening, the UK government held its first meeting of a new National Security Council sub-committee on Libya.

Dr Fox said early indications suggested the first night's operation was "very successful".

The UK launched Tomahawk missiles from a Trafalgar class Royal Navy submarine, aimed at targets around the coastal cities of Tripoli and Misrata, over.

Some 124 missiles were fired by the US and UK, and hit 20 of 22 targets causing "various levels of damage", the US military said on Sunday.

As well as the submarine involved in the operation, two Royal Navy ships are taking part in a naval blockade.

Asked how long the campaign would take, Dr Fox said he hoped it would be over as "quickly as possible".

'Appalling brutality'

Vice Adm Gortney said that the success of the first night's attacks on Libya's air defence capability meant the coalition could now patrol the country's airspace.

"The no-fly zone is now effectively in place," he said.

The build-up of forces to enforce the UN-mandated no-fly zone continues, with Qatar due to become the first Arab country to play an active part by sending four planes.

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has left the Mediterranean port of Toulon for Libya, while Denmark and Norway are each sending six planes. Spain has sent at least three planes, plus a refuelling aircraft, while Italy also has jets ready to deploy.

A Libyan government spokesman has described the coalition attacks as "aggression without excuse" and claimed many civilians had been hurt.

The head of the Arab League, who supported the idea of a no-fly zone, has criticised the severity of the coalition bombardment.

"What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

The military action follows the passing of a UN resolution imposing a ban on all flights in Libyan airspace, excluding aid flights, and authorises member states to "take all necessary measures" to "protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack".

Col Gaddafi has ruled Libya for more than 40 years. An uprising against him began last month after the long-time leaders of neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt were toppled.

Building of Kadhafi residence destroyed

A Tornado fighter lands after a night flight at the Birgi military airbase.
A missile totally destroyed an administrative building of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's
residence in Tripoli, an AFP journalist saw Sunday.

AFP March 21, 2011

TRIPOLI (AFP) - A missile totally destroyed an administrative building of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's residence in Tripoli, an AFP journalist saw Sunday.

The building, about 50 metres (165 feet) from the tent where Kadhafi generally meets guests, was flattened. It was hit by a missile, Libyan spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told journalists, who were taken to the site by bus.

"This was a barbaric bombing which could have hit hundreds of civilians gathered at the residence of Moamer Kadhafi about 400 metres away from the building which was hit," Ibrahim said.

He denounced the "contradictions in Western discourses," saying: "Western countries say they want to protect civilians while they bomb the residence knowing there are civilians inside."

Scores of Kadhafi supporters rushed towards the complex at Bab el-Aziziya in the south of the Libyan capital after a rumour spread that a plane had been shot down and crashed.

"Where is the plane?" several of them, mainly youths, cried.

Smoke billowed from the residence and barracks as anti-aircraft guns fired shots.

Tripoli was rocked by powerful explosions late Sunday, of which one was heard coming from the area around Kadhafi's residence.

Kadhafi's army announced a new ceasefire on Sunday, saying it was heeding an African Union call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, but the United States accused Tripoli of breaching the truce almost immediately.

Moamer Kadhafi: a leader under siege

"I sincerely hope and urge the Libyan authorities to keep their word," United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a swift reaction during a visit to Libya's eastern neighbour Egypt.

"They have been continuing to attack the civilian population. This (offer) has to be verified and tested," he told a news conference in Cairo.

Kadhafi's regime had declared a ceasefire on Friday after UN Security Council resolution 1973 authorised any necessary measures, including a no-fly zone, to stop his forces harming civilians in the fight against the rebels.
But his troops continued attacking the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, sparking action by US, British and French forces from Saturday in line with the resolution.
----

Ousting Gaddafi not immediate goal: US

Mathieu Rabechault, AAP
March 21, 2011

The immediate goal of the coalition's intervention in Libya is to protect civilians with a no-fly zone, not to try to oust strongman Muammar Gaddafi, the top US military officer says.

The immediate goal of the coalition's intervention in Libya is to protect civilians, the US says.

US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as other Western leaders, had been saying Gaddafi must go, but since the UN authorised military action on Thursday those calls have been dying down.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said initial air and sea strikes by US, Britain and France had stopped Gaddafi's forces in their tracks and that the aim now was to cut off their logistical support.

"We're in a situation now that what we do will depend to some degree on what he does," Mullen told Fox News Sunday.

Obama has vowed that US troops will not be deployed on the ground and Mullen stressed that military action was limited -- for the moment at least -- to protecting civilians, particularly in the rebel bastion of Benghazi.

"The focus of the United Nations Security Council was really Benghazi specifically and to protect the civilians," Mullen told Fox News Sunday.

"Clearly we have taken down the important nodes that remove his capability," the top-ranked US military officer said.

"This is not about going after Gaddafi himself or attacking him at this particular point in time.

"It is about achieving these narrow and relatively limited objectives so that he stops killing his people and so that humanitarian support can be provided."

US, British and French forces have launched the West's biggest intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, firing more than 120 Tomahawk Cruise missiles and conducting bombing raids on key Libyan targets.

Mullen, speaking to several US news networks, said the no-fly zone had been successfully implemented.

"We've got combat air patrol or aircraft over Benghazi and we'll have them there on a 24/7 basis," he told CNN's State of the Union program. "He (Gaddafi) hasn't flown any aircraft for the last two days."

"We also struck some of his forces on the ground in the vicinity of Benghazi. He was attacking Benghazi yesterday. So (we) put a halt to that, at least temporarily," Mullen added.

"And now we'll look to cut off his logistics lines. He has his forces pretty well stretched from Tripoli all the way out to Benghazi and we'll endeavour to sever his logistic support here in the next day or so."

His remarks came after the United States unleashed a barrage of strikes against the Libyan regime's air defences.

In a dramatic show of force, American warships and a British submarine fired Tomahawk Cruise missiles into Libya against Gaddafi's anti-aircraft missiles and radar on Saturday, the US military said.

Admiral William Gortney told reporters at the Pentagon that the cruise missiles "struck more than 20 integrated air defence systems and other air defence facilities ashore."

Earlier on Sunday, three US B-2 stealth bombers dropped 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield in an attempt to destroy much of the Libyan Air Force, US military officials said.
In all, 19 US planes, including the stealth bombers, took part in dawn raids on Sunday on targets in Libya, US Africa Command, based in Germany, told AFP.

Clinton, Rice joined to get buy-in for no-fly

From Elise Labott,
CNN Senior State Department Producer
March 20, 2011 -- Updated 0321 GMT (1121 HKT)

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama's decision to undertake military action in Libya to enforce a no-fly zone was the product of an administration debate with unlikely bedfellows.

Initially, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was skeptical of the U.S. joining a military coalition.

Initially, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was skeptical of the U.S. joining a military coalition. But senior U.S. officials said advances last weekend made by forces loyal to Gadhafi in retaking rebel strongholds in the east, which opened up the possibility of thousands more being killed, convinced her action was necessary.

Additionally, a statement by the Arab League calling for the United Nations to enforce a no-fly zone, Clinton told reporters Saturday, "changed the diplomatic landscape."

As Britain and France pushed for a quick U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing a no-fly zone, officials said Clinton teamed up with Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in creating the conditions for a resolution with the broadest possible authority and the largest international support.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Defense secretary, vice president opposed U.S. action Arab League statement "changed the landscape" Secretary of state pressed UAE for support

Clinton made the case that U.S. support for a no-fly zone was conditioned on Arab participation and leadership. In Paris, Clinton met with her counterparts in town for a meeting of the Group of 8 foreign ministers and with Abdullah bin Zayed, the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates. Even as she criticized the UAE for its recent decision to send forces to quell a rebellion in Bahrain, Clinton pressed him to send planes to Libya.

As Clinton traveled to Cairo and Tunisia seeking Arab buy-in for the resolution, officials said Rice built support in New York for the resolution. Samantha Power, an adviser to Obama on the National Security Council and a human rights activist, was also urging the president to intervene.

Clinton's alliance with Rice and Power in pushing for intervention put her at odds with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who had publicly argued against a no-fly zone. Sources said Vice President Joe Biden was also more cautious, arguing for the smallest possible U.S. involvement in any military action.

A senior administration official said that "like the president, the vice president wanted any action taken with a broad international coalition." The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning, said when the vice president "saw that was achievable, he supported the policy to seek the military intervention."

After meeting with Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, in Cairo Tuesday night, officials said Clinton called Obama, telling him the Arabs were willing to take part in the no-fly zone. That participation, officials said, was critical for the administration, which was concerned about the perception of invading a third Arab country.

"In order for us to go along, it was important for the Arabs to have some skin in the game," one senior official said.

CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry contributed to this report.

Gunfire, explosions heard in Tripoli

U.S., British and French forces launched attacks on Moammar Gadhafi's forces on Saturday
after the Libyan leader refused to stop attacking Libyan civilians in the North African country's civil war.

By the CNN Wire Staff
March 20, 2011
Updated 0310 GMT (1110 HKT)

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Explosions and anti-aircraft fire thundered in the skies above Tripoli early Sunday, but it was not clear whether they resulted from another round of cruise missile attacks by allies determined to stop Moammar Gadhafi's offensive against Libyan opposition forces.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS British jets flew 3,000 miles to bomb targets Explosions, gunfire heard overnight in Tripoli Gadhafi supporters rally in Tripoli Gadhafi vows to counter "naked aggression"

CNN's Nic Robertson witnessed the development a few hours after nearly 1,000 people gathered at Gadhafi's palace in the capital. The crowd chanted, waved flags and shot off fireworks in support of the government.

A defiant Gadhafi said Libya will fight back against undeserved "naked aggression." His military claimed nearly 50 people, including, women, children and clerics, were killed in Saturday evening's attacks. There was no independent confirmation of that statement.

American, French and British military forces, convinced that Gadhafi was not adhering to a United Nations-mandated cease-fire, hammered Libyan military positions with missiles and fighter jets in the first phase of an operation that will include enforcement of a no-fly zone.

An eyewitness in Tripoli reported seeing signs of gunfire rising Sunday morning from the direction of nearby Mitiga Airport. The anti-Gadhafi activist said she heard "continuous gunshots" and at least two loud explosions. It was not clear if the airport was also being used as a military installation.

The eyewitness, who was not identified for security reasons, said she did not hear the sound of flying aircraft.

More than 110 Tomahawk missiles fired from American and British ships and submarines hit about 20 Libyan air and missile defense targets in western portions of the country, U.S. Vice Adm. William Gortney said at a Pentagon briefing.

The U.S. will conduct a damage assessment of the sites, which include SA-5 missiles and communications facilities. A senior U.S. military official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the cruise missiles, which fly close to the ground or sea at about 550 miles per hour, landed near Misrata and Tripoli.

The salvo, in an operation dubbed "Odyssey Dawn," was meant "to deny the Libyan regime from using force against its own people," said Gortney.

U.S. Navy photos showed flashes of light and smoke funnels as missiles soared from a destroyer into the night sky.

Earlier, French fighter jets deployed over Libya fired at a military vehicle Saturday, the first strike against Gadhafi's military forces, which earlier attacked the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Prime Minister David Cameron said late Saturday that British forces also are in action over Libya. "What we are doing is necessary, it is legal and it is right," he said. "I believe we should not stand aside while this dictator murders his own people."

British Defense Secretary Liam Fox said the Royal Air Force deployed Tornado GR4 fast jets, which flew 3,000 miles from the United Kingdom and back, "making this the longest-range bombing mission conducted by the RAF since the (1982) Falklands conflict."

While there were no U.S. warplanes flying over Libya late Saturday, the coalition was softening Libyan positions before enforcing a no-fly zone, Gortney said.

The Libyan military, in a statement broadcast on state TV, said, "An enemy attacked the state on March 19th with rockets ... Those enemies killed 48 martyrs -- mostly women, children, and religious clerics. They left more than 150 injured. The majority of these attacks were on public areas, hospitals and schools. They frightened the children and women near those areas that were subject to this aggression."

Gadhafi, speaking early Sunday on Libyan state TV, said the U.N. charter provides for Libya's right to defend itself in a "war zone." Weapons depots will be opened, he said.

"All you people of the Islamic nations and Africa, and Latin America and Asia, stand with the Libyan people in its fight against this aggression," Gadhafi said.

Air attacks on several locations in Tripoli and Misrata have caused "real harm" to civilians, a Libyan government spokesman said.

An eyewitness in Misrata said Gadhafi's forces are targeting fuel and power stations in an effort to make citizens believe the damage is being done by coalition forces. The eyewitness, who was not identified for security reasons, said people celebrated allied airstrikes on loyalist positions in the city. CNN could not verify the account.

Shortly after the first missile attacks, U.S. President Barack Obama informed the American people of the efforts by a "broad coalition."

"The use of force is not our first choice," the president said from Brasilia, Brazil. "It is not a choice I make lightly. But we cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his own people that there will be no mercy."

Obama is planning for the U.S. portion of the military action in Libya to only last for a few days, according to a senior administration official, who was not authorized to speak about sensitive military matters.

"After that we'll take more of a supporting role," the senior official said.

Obama authorized U.S. military force from Brazil on what happened to be the eighth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

Coalition partners say Gadhafi has failed to adhere to a United Nations resolution that imposed the no-fly zone and ordered him to stop attacks on civilians.

"He's clearly been on the offensive," the senior U.S. military official said of Gadhafi. "He said that he was going to do a cease-fire and he continued to move his forces into Benghazi."

Earlier Saturday, Gadhafi issued defiant messages to international powers.

"I have all the Libyan people with me and I'm prepared to die. And they are prepared to die for me. Men, women and even children," Gadhafi said in a letter addressed to Obama and read to reporters by a government spokesman in Tripoli.

Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gortney used the term "unique capabilities" to describe the U.S. part of the effort. Officials have said American military forces are meant to augment Arab, European and other Western troops.

In the next few days, U.S. military officials expect to hand over control to a coalition commander. Canada and Italy also are part of the coalition.

"Our air force will oppose any aggression by Colonel Gadhafi against the population of Benghazi," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking after a top-level meeting in Paris over the Libyan crisis.

The international meeting -- which included Western and Arab partners -- focused on how to take on a Libyan government bent on destroying the fledgling opposition movement under the U.N. resolution authorizing force to protect civilians against the Gadhafi government.

Rebel forces in Benghazi used a captured army tank as a victory symbol, CNN's Arwa Damon reported.

Earlier Saturday, incoming artillery rounds landed inside Benghazi, and pro-Gadhafi tanks rolled into the town firing rounds, witnesses said.

A flaming fighter jet plummeted from the sky, nose-diving to the ground. Khaled el-Sayeh, the opposition military spokesman, said the plane was an old MiG-23 that belonged to the rebels.

As night fell over Benghazi on Saturday, the city became quiet and calm. While plumes of smoke could be spotted, the pro-Gadhafi tanks seen earlier were not in sight. El-Sayeh told CNN that "tens" had been killed in Benghazi on Saturday.

He said Gadhafi forces had withdrawn from the city and that they were positioned 50 kilometers (31 miles) outside Benghazi. CNN could not independently verify those details.

Gadhafi -- in a separate letter addressed to Sarkozy, Cameron and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon -- called the U.N. moves "invalid" because the resolution does not permit intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

Violence has raged in Libya following protests calling for democracy and freedom and demanding an end to Gadhafi's almost 42-year-long rule. It's a conflict spurred by anti-government protest and resulting regime violence against civilians -- which the U.N. resolution cites as "outrageous" and Sarkozy calls "murderous madness."

CNN's Arwa Damon, Chris Lawrence, Jill Dougherty, Elise Labott, Ed Henry, Jim Bittermann, Paula Newton, Richard Roth and Nic Robertson contributed to this report

Did Britain try to assassinate Lenin?

By Mike Thomson
Presenter, Document, Radio 4

Lenin survived an assassination attempt in 1918 although he was badly wounded

Nearly a century ago, Britain was accused of masterminding a failed plot to kill Lenin and overthrow his fledgling Bolshevik regime. The British government dismissed the story as mere Soviet propaganda - but new evidence suggests it might be true.

For decades what became known as the "Lockhart plot" has been etched in the annals of the Soviet archives, taught in schools and even illustrated in films.

In early 1918, in the final months of World War I, Russia's new Bolshevik government was negotiating a peace deal with Germany and withdrawing its exhausted troops from the front.

This did not please London. The move would enable Berlin - which had been fighting a war on two fronts - to reinforce its forces in the West.

Determined to get the Russians back into the war on the Allied side, the British despatched a young man in his 30s to be London's representative in Moscow.

His name was Robert Bruce Lockhart.

Supporting anti-Bolsheviks

Lockhart, a Scot, was a colourful character. Known for his love of wine, women and sports, he also prided himself on his alleged ability to read five books at the same time.

Robert Bruce Lockhart in 1955

At first, the well-read Lockhart seemed to be making progress on the issue but, in March that year, the Soviets signed the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty with Germany, so ending hope of them rejoining the war with the Allies.

Lockhart, it seems, had no intention of giving up.

Instead, the suggestion is, his attention was now turning to overthrowing the Bolshevik regime and replacing it with another government that would be willing to re-enter the war against Germany.

Documents show that, in June, Lockhart asked London for money to fund various anti-Bolshevik organisations in Moscow.

This letter, marked "urgent", was sent from the Foreign Office to the Treasury. It sums up the Foreign Secretary's attitude to the Moscow's representative's request:

"Mr. Balfour is of the opinion that the moment has arrived when it has become necessary to take this action, and I am to request that you will move the Lords Committee to give the necessary sanction for the expenditure of such funds as Mr. Lockhart can collect for this purpose."

Counter-revolution

Timeline 1914 outbreak of World War I between the Allies (France, Russia, Great Britain) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey) 1917 A popular revolution led by the Bolsheviks leads to the abdication of the tsar and the overthrow of his government 1918 WWI ends; Tsar Nicholas is killed; civil war breaks out in which Lenin's Red Army eventually defeats the White Russians (or anti-communists) who are aided by many foreign powers

In late May, the British decided to send a small military force to Archangel in northern Russia.

The official line was that the troops were going to prevent thousands of tonnes of British military equipment, supplied to the Russians, from falling into German hands.

However, documents from the day suggest that plans were later drawn up for these 5,000 British troops to join forces with 20,000 crack Latvian troops who were guarding the Kremlin but could, it was thought, be turned against the Bolsheviks.

In the summer of 1918, Lockhart sent a telegram to London following a meeting with a local opponent of the Bolsheviks called Savinkov.

It read: "Savinkov's proposals for counter-revolution. Plan is how, on Allied intervention, Bolshevik barons will be murdered and military dictatorship formed."

Underneath that telegram is a note bearing the signed initials of Lord Curzon, who was then a member of the British War Cabinet.

It says: "Savinkoff's methods are drastic, though if successful probably effective, but we cannot say or do anything until intervention has been definitely decided upon."

'Ace of Spies'

Meanwhile Lockhart had teamed up in Moscow with another highly colourful character.

Sidney Reilly, a Russian who had earlier changed his name from Rosenbloom, was a flamboyant, high-rolling entrepreneur who had recently begun working for the British Secret Services.

He became known as the Ace of Spies, made famous in books of derring-do, and was even credited as being the inspiration for Alexander Fleming's James Bond.

But both were soon in for a shock.

In the late summer of 1918, an attempt was made in Moscow to assassinate Lenin. He was shot twice from close range by a young Russian woman.

The Bolshevik's secret police, the Cheka, arrested Bruce Lockhart a few hours later and he was taken to the Kremlin for questioning.

Reilly escaped the Cheka's clutches on that occasion but was shot dead several years later after being lured back into Russia.

According to Cheka records, Lockhart confessed to being part of a plot proposed by London to kill Lenin and overthrow the Bolshevik government. But in early October 1918, Britain's representative to Moscow was freed in an exchange for his Russian counterpart in London.

'Economical with the truth'

In his best selling book, Memoirs of a British Agent published in the 1930s, Lockhart insisted that he had played no part either in attempts to kill Lenin or overthrow the Bolshevik government.

Read the full letter from Lockhart's son

Instead, he insisted that the maverick "Ace of Spies" Sidney Reilly was the man behind plans for a coup.

Lockhart added that he had little to do with Reilly who some claimed was out of control.

However, a letter written by Lockhart's son, Robin, has been discovered in archives in America. It suggests that his father was being rather economical with the truth:

"If the question of my father's relationship with Reilly still exercises anyone's mind in the F.O., it is clear from his book Memoirs of a British Agent that once intervention in Russia had been decided on in 1918, he gave his active support to the counter-revolutionary movement with which, of course, Reilly was actively working.

"My father has himself made it clear to me that he worked much more closely with Reilly than he had publicly indicated…"

Whitehall 'pretence'

The man who found that letter, Professor Robert Service, believes the only way to be sure of the truth would be to gain access to the rest of the files from the day.

But, more than 90 years later, the British government continues to keep many of them secret. All, in Robert Service's view, to maintain the myth that Lockhart-style plots have not - nor ever would be - countenanced by London.

"Britain today has a policy for its intelligence services that is openly averse to subverting foreign governments or assassinating foreign political leaders," he says.

"My guess is that the thinking in Whitehall is that the pretence ought to be that this has always been the case. That the British have always been clean.

"The British haven't always been clean. They have been as dirty as anyone else."

Document: The Lockhart Plot will be broadcast on Monday 21 March at 2000 GMT on BBC Radio 4 and will also be available on the BBC iPlayer

Libya assault:: UN's calculated gamble

British Operation Ellamy

Latest: U.S., allies strike more than 20 targets in Libya

By Caroline Wyatt
Defence correspondent,
BBC News

French forces have already flown a mission over Libya

Some of the earliest key targets in the UN-backed assault on Libya are likely to be Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's command and control capabilities, as well as his air defences, which could still pose a threat to foreign aircraft.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that British forces are already in action in the Libya operation, which is codenamed Operation Ellamy in the UK (the Americans are calling it Odyssey Dawn).

At their home bases in the UK, Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft and Typhoons for the air-to-air attack role are well prepared for what is to come.

British warships are already off the coast in Libya to ensure the arms embargo is respected.

Submarines have also been deployed for this mission, while experts say they would expect special forces to be in Libya already, having prepared the ground and assessed targets - their role, to send back vital information to those preparing and conducting the strikes from the skies or the seas.

The French have already bombed Libyan tanks and jeeps.
Demoralising Gaddafi's forces

The main British contribution to this coalition are fighter jets, Sentinel R1 and Nimrod R1 reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft (AWACs) to give vital information about what's happening on the ground, plus VC10 tanker planes for air-to-air-refuelling.

As part of the broad coalition, the US is also helping to remove the threat from Libya's air defences with sea-launched missiles.

However, commanders will face tough decisions on what to target in the coming hours and days, so accurate intelligence from the ground is essential.

While the hi-tech jets provided by France, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Canada and others should be able to dominate the skies easily, the mission to protect Libya's civilians runs a host of risks - from the dangers faced by pilots involved in the bombing raids, to the danger of civilian casualties if something goes wrong, especially with Col Gaddafi's forces so close to Benghazi.

For the allies in the air, it is a calculated gamble. The UN resolution is wide-ranging, giving the coalition leeway not just to disable Col Gaddafi's air defences but also target Libyan ground forces.

The hope is that this international show of strength from the air will demoralise his forces rapidly, and encourage them to flee or defect.

At the very least, his ground forces will need to be pushed back from Benghazi and other rebel areas, if civilians are to be protected from attack. The Libyan forces loyal to Col Gaddafi already have very stretched supply lines across the open desert, which will be vulnerable to attack.

But while the coalition in the air has a huge array of resources, those taking part are all too aware that their enormous firepower must be used carefully to ensure they do not endanger the very people the allies are there to protect.
------

Gunfire, explosions heard in Tripoli

By the CNN Wire Staff
March 20, 2011
-- Updated 0213 GMT (1013 HKT

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Explosions and anti-aircraft fire thundered in the skies above Tripoli early Sunday, but it was not clear whether they resulted from another round of cruise missile attacks by allies determined to stop Moammar Gadhafi's offensive against Libyan opposition forces.

CNN's Nic Robertson witnessed the development a few hours after nearly 1,000 people gathered at Gadhafi's palace in the capital. The crowd chanted, waved flags and shot off fireworks in support of the government.

A defiant Gadhafi said Libya will fight back against undeserved "naked aggression." His military claimed nearly 50 people, including, women, children and clerics, were killed in Saturday evening's attacks.

American, French and British military forces, convinced that Gadhafi was not adhering to a United Nations-mandated cease-fire, hammered Libyan military positions with missiles and fighter jets in the first phase of an operation that will include enforcement of a no-fly zone.