Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa is in Britain and "no longer willing" to work for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, the Foreign Office says.

He flew into an airport near the capital earlier on Wednesday. He has subsequently spent hours talking to British officials. His apparent defection comes as rebels in Libya are retreating from former strongholds along the eastern coast as Colonel Gaddafi's forces advance. The rebels have now lost the key oil port of Ras Lanuf and the nearby town of Bin Jawad, and are also in full retreat from Brega. In the west, the rebel-held town of Misrata is still reportedly coming under attack from pro-Gaddafi troops, reports s...

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The rebel forces retreat in disarray down the Libyan coastal road east of Ras Lanuf which they gleefully advanced up only a few days ago

Libyan rebel forces retreated in disarray yesterday as the battle in the east swung dramatically in favour of Colonel Gaddafi.  The oil town of Brega changed hands for the sixth time in six weeks, as regime troops backed by heavy artillery won back most of the ground they had lost in recent days. Last night Gaddafi loyalists were once again closing in on the key town of Ajdabiya, which they had abandoned on Saturday in the face of devastating coalition airstrikes.  Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad had already fallen again. As civilians began to flee there were reports that fresh Nato air raids were being carried out against the regime advance. How...

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If there's an ammunition shortage, no one has told Khalif Saed. He was firing off a large machine gun welded to the back of a pick up truck, sending the contents of the heavy belt of bullets darting through the weapon and in to an empty sky.

If there's an ammunition shortage, no one has told Khalif Saed. He was firing off a large machine gun welded to the back of a pick up truck, sending the contents of the heavy belt of bullets darting through the weapon and in to an empty sky.It's a regular enough occurrence on the open desert road along which Libya's conflict has swung back and forth through this month. Sometimes the stream of fire is celebratory, as earlier this week when it was falsely claimed that Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte had fallen.In recent days it seems to be more out of frustration as the rebels were forced back in the face of Gaddafi's attack. What it was not was aimed at was the enemy.Asked why he was shooting when the revolution's military leadership has appealed for discipline and its fighters not to waste...

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Libya's foreign minister has arrived in the UK after defecting from Colonel Gaddafi's regime, according to reports.

Questions were earlier raised about the whereabouts of Moussa Koussa, after he was reported by a Tunisian news agency to have headed to London on a flight from the country.A Libyan government spokesman later said he had not defected and was on a "diplomatic mission", but declined to say where he was going.Another report said he had already arrived in Britain seeking refuge.But the British Foreign Office has declined to say whether it was aware of the development.Meanwhile, there are reports CIA agents were authorised to carry out covert missions to help rebel forces keen to oust Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.President Barack Obama is said to have signed an order - known as a "finding" - for the secret operations in the past two or three weeks.It came to light after US officials spoke to reporters...

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Libya's foreign minister Moussa Koussa is making a surprise visit to London from Tunisia, according to Tunisia's official TAP news agency.

A Libyan government spokesman said Mr Koussa - in his post for two years - had not defected, but was travelling abroad on a diplomatic mission.Mr Koussa flew out of Djerba airport bound for the UK on Wednesday afternoon, the Tunisian report says.It comes as the UK takes steps to expel five Libyan diplomats.Foreign Secretary William Hague told MPs the five, who include the military attache, "could pose a threat" to UK security.The Foreign Office has said it is unaware of Mr Koussa's visit.The development comes as rebels fighting Libyan government forces are continuing to lose ground and are retreating from their former strongholds along the eastern coast of Libya.Earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK was not ruling out providing arms to rebels in "certain circumstances" but no decision...

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British Tornado jets have flown "deep into the desert" to strike at ammunition bunkers in Libya,

British Tornado jets have flown "deep into the desert" to strike at ammunition bunkers in Libya, Prime Minister David Cameron has said. In a Commons statement on 28 March 2011 on last week's EU summit, Mr Cameron told MPs that the RAF had flown more than 120 sorties since military action began, praising the "extremely skilful and courageous" work of British pilots. Mr Cameron, who will host an international conference on Libya tomorrow, said it was vital to have "political and diplomatic unity" to put pressure on Muammar Gaddafi. The PM said: "The no-fly zone is now fully operational and effective. When it has been challenged, Gaddafi's planes...

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French warplanes struck a command centre on Sunday night belonging to troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a French armed forces spokesman said on Monday.

French warplanes struck a command centre on Sunday night belonging to troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a French armed forces spokesman said on Monday."(There were) strikes on a command centre 10 kM (six miles) south of the Tripoli suburbs on the night of the 27th and 28th," spokesman Thierry Burkhard said. He added that there were no new French strikes on Mond...

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Fighter jets of coalition forces launched air strikes to Sirte,

Fighter jets of coalition forces launched air strikes to Sir...

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British warplanes destroyed five Libyan armoured vehicles in air strikes against Moamer Kadhafi's forces

British warplanes destroyed five Libyan armoured vehicles in air strikes against Moamer Kadhafi's forces in two towns where rebels were battling the regime, the defence ministry said Saturday.Tornado jets enforcing a UN Security Council resolution fired missiles on Friday at pro-Kadhafi troops in Ajdabiya, which opposition forces retook Saturday, and in Misrata where heavy fighting is still ongoing, it said.Major General John Lorimer, spokesman for the Chief of Defence Staff, said the Tornado GR4 planes took part in a "co-ordinated missile strike against units of Colonel Gaddafi's Libyan Military.""The Tornado aircraft launched a number of guided Brimstone missiles, destroying three armoured vehicles in Misrata and two further armoured vehicles in Ajdabiya," Lorimer said.He described the Brimstone...

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Tornado jets destroyed four of Colonel Gaddafi's main battle tanks.

RAF fighter jets have carried out a devastating raid on Colonel Gaddafi’s forces outside the key Libyan town of Ajdabiya.In their most dramatic mission of the seven-day war, Tornado GR4 warplanes fired missiles at four tanks, turning them all into fireballs.Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the armoured vehicles had been threatening the civilian population. Tornado jets destroyed four of Colonel Gaddafi's main battle tanks. Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the heavy armour had been threatening civilians in AjdabiyaGaddafi loyalists, who retook most of the town from rebels last week, are accused of trying to starve locals and of carrying out beatings, kidnappings and rapes.The RAF strikes have encouraged pro-democracy fighters around Ajdabiya. Last night a strong force of trucks fixed with multiple...

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Libyan government followed up claims that close to 100 civilians had died in the allied air strikes by taking journalists to see signs of damage to civilian properties

Once again, though, as with previous government tours, what officials showed journalists seemed to prove the opposite of what they said.On the road east of Tripoli, site of a string of military bases in and around the town of Tajoura, high guarded walls hid what had clearly been several nights of allied bombardment. Residential areas nearby seemed unaffected, with some shops open.A radar base had a plume of smoke rising from it. Visible by the sea was a large administrative building – perhaps a command facility – totally shattered, its concrete beams and roof sunk to the ground.Further along the road was the most striking sign of the fearsome accuracy of the allied air strikes. The blackened skeleton of a radar dish, about 30 feet high, stood burned out on a hillside surrounded by trees.The...

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Warplanes roared through the skies over the Libya capital, Tripoli, early Friday, dropping bombs on the outskirts of the city where military bases are located.

Warplanes roared through the skies over the Libya capital, Tripoli, early Friday, dropping bombs on the outskirts of the city where military bases are located.Anti-aircraft fire quickly punctuated the darkness, and then fell silent again.In Ajdabiya, about 430 miles (700 km) south-southeast of the capital, the British Ministry of Defense on Friday reported airstrikes on "Libyan armoured vehicles which were threatening the civilian population."The latest military action marks a sixth consecutive night of pounding by coalition jets and came after NATO members agreed to take over enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya.The attack "is an indication ... of how the coalition feels that it now dominates the skies here," CNN's Nic Robertson reported from Tripoli.Under the agreement, NATO forces...

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Nato has agreed to take command of enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya from the US.

Nato has agreed to take command of enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya from the US.But Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made clear that other aspects of the operation would remain in the hands of the current coalition for now.Nato has been locked in dispute about whether to take charge of the mission to enforce a UN resolution.It is believed there are differences of opinion whether attacks on ground troops should form part of the action.Coalition raids on Libya are meanwhile continuing for a sixth consecutive night.Mr Rasmussen has insisted there is no split on the military handover, saying Nato is still considering whether to take on the "broader responsibility".The handover of the no-fly mission could come as early as this weeke...

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British forces have again been heavily involved in a fifth night of military action in Libya.

The Ministry of Defence said guided Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) were launched from a Trafalgar Class submarine at specific targets.Chief of Defence Staff's strategic communication officer Major General John Lorimer said: "British Armed Forces have again participated in a co-ordinated strike against Libyan air defence systems in support of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973."He said the TLAMs targeted "air defence targets as part of the coalition plan to enforce the resoluti...

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Squatters seize Saif Qaddafi's luxury London home

Until a few weeks ago, the eight-bedroom mansion in one of London's most exclusive districts stood as an anonymous monument to the far-reaching family wealth of the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.Today, with its neo-Georgian roof draped in a banner demanding freedom for Libya, it serves as a reminder of that country's division and chaos.Earlier this month, after media reports that the house belonged to Saif Qaddafi, the dictator's second son, squatters moved in.They were still there yesterday in Hampstead Garden Suburb, an affluent district in north London, enjoying the extensive facilities of the £11 million (DH66m) house, including the Jacuzzi, swimming pool and home cinema with suede walls.Saif bought the house two years ago, via an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands. The purchase...

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Libyan opposition forces and government troops, unable to achieve substantive strategic gains, are locked in a string of battles across Libya

Libyan opposition forces and government troops, unable to achieve substantive strategic gains, are locked in a string of battles across Libya amid growing uncertainty about the scale and direction of air power that Western forces are likely to deploy in the country in the coming hours.With the threat of a takeover of Benghazi by government forces removed after Western air strikes earlier blew up the regime's tanks and heavy weapons near the city, Ajdabiyah, a strategically located city 160 km from Benghazi, has become the new frontline.There have been air-strikes on regime targets in Ajdabiyah by Western aircraft on Tuesday but it is unlikely that their impact has been decisive. Despite the bombardment, on Tuesday forces loyal to Libyan strongman Muammar Qadhafi fired their heavy weapons,...

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Britain's contribution to efforts by coalition forces to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya is being stepped up.

The operation to move British aircraft to a base in southern Italy ready for missions is nearly complete, after the arrival of about a dozen planes.RAF Typhoon fighters have taken part in their first mission to patrol the zone.Meanwhile, amid a third night of missile strikes, a government motion to support action in Libya won a majority of 544 votes in the House of Commons.The debate focused on Resolution 1973, which passed by the United Nations Security Council last week.This authorises "all necessary measures", short of bringing in an occupying force, to protect Libyan citizens from the Gaddafi regime, which has been fighting rebel forces.The Commons motion - which was backed by 557 MPs and opposed by 13 - followed continued US-led action in Libya, with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's...

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disputed claims that Gaddafi’s sixth son Khamis was killed when a Libyan pilot deliberately crashed his jet into a barracks on Saturday.

disputed claims that Gaddafi’s sixth son Khamis was killed when a Libyan pilot deliberately crashed his jet into a barracks on Saturday.Pledge: David Cameron told Parliament what we 'can't stand by as a dictator kills his own people'Meanwhle, Britain abandoned a further raid by Tornado bombers when SAS soldiers on the ground warned that civilians and journalists were being used as human shields.And Russian premier Vladimir Putin provocatively likened the UN-backed mission to the medieval crusades.However, it was General Richards who caused consternation in Whitehall when he appeared before TV cameras yesterday to insist Gaddafi was not a target.‘Absolutely not,’ he said. ‘It is not allowed under the UN resolution and it is not something I want to discuss any further.’Downing Street and Foreign...

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UK's Ministry of Defence said late on Sunday that one of its submarines had again fired guided Tomahawk missiles as part of a second wave of attacks on Libyan air defence systems

 halting his march on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and creating a coalition-led no-fly-zone over the country.The UK's Ministry of Defence said late on Sunday that one of its submarines had again fired guided Tomahawk missiles as part of a second wave of attacks on Libyan air defence systems. There were reports of air strikes and heavy anti-aircraft gunfire over Tripoli and Libyan officials said a building in Col Gaddafi's compound had been hit.A witness to the blast on the compound said no one was killed in the attack. "It was amazing. There were people who were right next to the building when it was hit. We thought they were dead but they were just covered with dust," said Mohammed, an interpreter who said he had spent all night in the compound as a volunteer, saying he wished to...

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Libya's government says more civilians have been killed in a third night of air and missile strikes by coalition forces enforcing a no-fly zone.

Libya's government says more civilians have been killed in a third night of air and missile strikes by coalition forces enforcing a no-fly zone.Explosions and anti-aircraft fire have been heard near Col Muammar Gaddafi's compound in the capital, Tripoli.Fighting between the forces loyal to the Libyan leader and the rebels has also continued, despite the declaration of a ceasefire by the government.In the east, troops beat back a rebel advance outside the town of Ajdabiya.And rebels in Libya's third city, Misrata, told the BBC that they had come under attack from Col Gaddafi's forces during the d...

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U.S. AV-8B Harrier fighter planes backed by Growler jamming aircraft carried out air strikes on Gaddafi's ground troops and air defenses.

Three U.S. Air Force B2 stealth bombers, and 12 F-15 and F-16 fighter jets took part in the airstrikes as well.* Britain launched Stormshadow missiles from a number of Tornado GR4 jets flown from a Royal Air Force base in England.The operation was supported by VC10 and Tristar air-to-air refueling aircraft and E3D Sentry and Sentinel surveillance aircraft. Typhoon jets were also standing by to provide support.British RAF Typhoon fighters have taken part in their first mission to help patrol the no-fly zone in Libya.The air-to-air combat jets were seen in video footage taking off in wet conditions from the Italian base of Gioia del Colle on Monday.The aircraft had arrived in Italy on Sunday and been put on standby.The action is in support of a UN resolution imposing a ban on all flights in...

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how financially sustainable is the mission?

As Britain flexes its military muscle at Col Muammar Gaddafi alongside international partners, it's the human not economic cost that is foremost in people's minds.But with the government intent on saving billions of pounds and with no clear exit strategy in Libya, just how financially sustainable is the mission?Prof Malcolm Charmers, from defence think-tank the Royal United Services Institute, says the cost will fluctuate dramatically depending on which direction the mission takes."If the war goes on for a relatively limited time - weeks rather than months - then we're talking about relatively small sums - at least compared to Afghanistan, which costs £4bn a year," he said."If this goes on for less than a month and is primarily air-powered, then hundreds of millions at most. The cost could...

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British jets and a submarine have fired missiles at Libyan military sites

British jets and a submarine have fired missiles at Libyan military sites as part of a UN-backed international operation to enforce a no-fly zone.Prime Minister David Cameron called the action "legal, necessary and righ...

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Cruise missiles hit at least 20 air-defence sites in the capital, Tripoli, and the western city of Misrata

Cruise missiles hit at least 20 air-defence sites in the capital, Tripoli, and the western city of Misrata, they said.Military officials are said to be assessing the damage after at leastAfter an attack by French planes, some 14 bodies were lying near destroyed military vehicles outside the rebel-held city of Benghazi, Reuters says.The raids were "successful", US military chief Adm Mike Mullen said.The strikes "took out" Libya's air-defence systems, he told NBC's Meet the Press programme, saying a no-fly zone was now effectively in place.US fighter planes and B-2 stealth bombers were also involved in the overnight raids early on Sunday, Pentagon...

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Al Jazeera television reported on Sunday that forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi had bombarded areas of Libya's rebel-held city of Benghazi.

Al Jazeera television reported on Sunday that forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi had bombarded areas of Libya's rebel-held city of Benghazi.Citing unnamed sources, it said Gaddafi's forces fired from tanks and used rockets to strike the city. It said some residents had fled to mosques for safety.The report could not immediately be confirmed.The city was bombarded by Gaddafi's forces on Saturday.The Libyan government has said it was respecting a ceasefire it announced on Friday and said rebels were raiding villages and towns to draw in the We...

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US and British forces have fired at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya ,

US and British forces have fired at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya , a top US military officer said on Saturday. Admiral William Gortney told reporters that "earlier this afternoon over 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from both US and British ships and submarines struck more than 20 integrated air defence systems and other air defence facilities ashor...

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British submarine fired Tomahawk cruise missiles on Libyan air defence targets

British submarine fired Tomahawk cruise missiles on Libyan air defence targets as Prime Minister sent UK armed forces into action against dictator Muammar Gaddafi.The launch of UK operations was announced by Mr Cameron outside 10 Downing Street after he chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committ...

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The French are the first in the front line - they have air bases from which they could just about make it to Libya and back - with the British behind them.

The French are the first in the front line - they have air bases from which they could just about make it to Libya and back - with the British behind them.However, the Americans will be the ones to take out Gaddafi's air defences with Cruise missiles before allowing the Europeans to take it on from there.The initial stages of the operation will see radar and air bases targeted, possibly with the bombing of runways to leave them unusable.The allied forces will watch to see Col Gaddafi's response, and only if he is continuing to use violence on his own people will his tanks and troops come into the firing line.Even Nicolas Sarkozy, the most hawkish of the Western leaders besides David Cameron, has indicated that the dictator can "avoid the worst" if he starts to toe the line with the UN's d...

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Islamists hurled stones and shoes at Mohamed ElBaradei,

Islamists hurled stones and shoes at Mohamed ElBaradei, Nobel Peace laureate and a secular contender for Egypt's presidency, as he tried to vote Saturday in a referendum on constitutional amendments.ElBaradei was hit in the back by a stone thrown from the crowd of hundreds but managed to escape unhurt and slammed as "irresponsible" the holding of a referendum without adequate law and order."We don't want you," the mob shouted, throwing stones, shoes and water at the former UN nuclear watchdog chief as he turned up at a Cairo polling station, five weeks after president Hosni Mubarak was ousted by mass protests."He lives in the United States and wants to rule us. It's out of the question," one of them said."We don't want an American agent," said anoth...

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The call came as a fourth protester died of wounds sustained when troops and police moved on Wednesday to end weeks of unrest t

The call came as a fourth protester died of wounds sustained when troops and police moved on Wednesday to end weeks of unrest that prompted the king to declare martial law and call in troops from Bahrain's Sunni-ruled neighbor, Saudi Arabia.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Bahrain had the sovereign right to summon security help from its Gulf neighbors but stressed that the solution to the country's crisis could only come through political dialogue."We have made clear that security alone cannot resolve the challenges facing Bahrain," Clinton told reporters in Paris after meeting several Arab ministers. "Violence is not the answer, a political process is.Bahrain's largest Shi'ite Muslim group, Wefaq, said the latest death brought the number of protesters killed since the start of...

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The Stop the War Coalition has condemned Britain and its allies for launching a "new war" in the Middle East

The Stop the War Coalition has condemned Britain and its allies for launching a "new war" in the Middle East after the "bloody and failing" occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.A spokesman for the campaign said: "Air attacks on Libya will not help end the civil war but will escalate it and could be the prelude to a much wider war. They will not help bring the downfall of Gaddafi. He is already portraying the UN's decision as an act of western colonisation and himself as the defender of Libyan sovereignty. Air strikes by the US and Britain will strengthen, not weaken, his position.""History shows us that the consequences of western intervention are almost always disastrous and not in the interests of those it claims to support."Andrew Murray, national chair of the coalition, wrote that the decision...

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Marches are planned in several cities to push calls for urgent reforms and limits on the king's power, echoing protests for democracy under way across the Arab world.

Marches are planned in several cities to push calls for urgent reforms and limits on the king's power, echoing protests for democracy under way across the Arab world."Thousands are expected to take to the streets across the country to demand political and human rights reform but there are fears the authorities may resort to heavy-handed tactics to quell protests," Amnesty said.Security forces broke up a protest in the country's biggest city, Casablanca, on Sunday last week.Scores of people were injured and at least 120 briefly detained when they used "unjustified force", the world human rights watchdog said in a statement that cited people wounded in beatings by security officers."The unnecessary acts of violence witnessed last weekend are a disturbing regression and make a mockery of the...

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Rajib Karim had come to Britain from Bangladesh in order to carry out attacks but hidden his life as a terrorist.

Rajib Karim had come to Britain from Bangladesh in order to carry out attacks but hidden his life as a terrorist.He told Karim: “Your motive in finding a job was as much to carry out attacks as to make a living.”Karim was on the verge of gaining a British passport which would have allowed him to travel abroad and launch attacks in an “act of treason,” the judge added.Mr Justice Calvert-Smith said it was “highly appropriate” that Karim should be deported at the end of his sentence.He said Karim’s plans to attack an aircraft, discovered in encrypted messages stored on his computer, were of the “utmost gravit...

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French aircraft have destroyed four Libyan tanks in air strikes to the south-west of Benghazi, Al-Jazeera television has reported

French aircraft have destroyed four Libyan tanks in air strikes to the south-west of Benghazi, Al-Jazeera television has repor...

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French, British and Canadian aircraft were expected to launch sorties as night falls over the country,

French warplane fired on a Libyan military vehicle in eastern Libya today in the first show of force by an international coalition mobilizing to stop Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's attacks on opposition strongholds and enforce a U.N.-backed no-fly zone. As pro-Gadhafi forces battled towards the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, 20 French fighter jets flew over the region in an operation largely intended to be a show of force, the French Defense Ministry said. Earlier today, a fighter jet resembling a Libyan MiG 27 was shot down over the city, according to news reports from inside Libya. Meanwhile, world leaders met in Paris to discuss the nature...

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Libyan government forces stormed into the rebel capital of Benghazi, apparently ignoring a proclaimed ceasefire and potentially complicating any allied military action.

Libyan government forces stormed into the rebel capital of Benghazi, apparently ignoring a proclaimed ceasefire and potentially complicating any allied military action. Crashing shells shook buildings and the sounds of battle drew closer to the centre of Benghazi, where a doctor said 27 bodies were brought to the hospital by midday. By late in the day, warplanes could be heard overhead. Sarkozy said French jets were already targeting Gaddafi’s forces. The 22 participants in today’s summit “agreed to put in place all the means necessary, in particular military” to make Gaddafi respect a UN Security Council resolution passed on Thursday demanding...

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A first target was engaged and destroyed." An armed forces spokesman told the same briefing the operation to halt Colonel Gaddafi's advance on rebel forces involved around 20 planes and an area 100 km by 150 km (60 by 100 miles) around the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghaz

Talking about the first shot by a French aircraft on a Libyan military vehicle, French defence ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire told reporters: "A first target was engaged and destroyed." An armed forces spokesman told the same briefing the operation to halt Colonel Gaddafi's advance on rebel forces involved around 20 planes and an area 100 km by 150 km (60 by 100 miles) around the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi. France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier will leave France for Libya on Sunday, the spokesman added. A central command centre for the operation was still being set ...

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