Kadhafi says all Libyans armed for 'long war'

TRIPOLI, March 20, 2011 (AFP) - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi said all Libya's people have been armed and are ready to fight a "long war" to defeat Western forces attacking his country, in a televised audio message on Sunday.

TRIPOLI, March 20, 2011 (AFP) - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi said all Libya's people have been armed and are ready to fight a "long war" to defeat Western forces attacking his country, in a televised audio message on Sunday.

"All the Libyan people are united. The Libyan men and women have been given weapons and bombs ... You will not advance, you will not step on this land," said Kadhafi.

"We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits," said the Libyan leader, who was speaking on state television for a second straight day without appearing in front of camera.

"We are ready for a long war. You are not prepared for a long war in Libya. We are prepared. This is a very happy moment we are living."

An image grab, taken from Libya's state television on March 20, 2011, shows a sculpture depicting a fist crushing a jet fighter in the grounds of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's former Bab al-Aziziya residence, in the capital Tripoli, after it was bombed in 1986 by US aircraft. AFP
An image grab, taken from Libya's state television on March 20, 2011, shows a sculpture depicting a fist crushing a jet fighter in the grounds of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's former Bab al-Aziziya residence, in the capital Tripoli, after it was bombed in 1986 by US aircraft. AFP

The leaders of Britain, France and the United States would "fall like Hitler ... Mussolini," he warned. "All tyrants fall under the pressure of the populist masses."

"America, France, or Britain, the Christians that are in a pact against us today, they will not enjoy our oil ... You are aggressors, you are animals," said Kadhafi.

"We do not have to retreat from the battlefield because we are defending our land and our dignity," said the Libyan strongman who has faced a month-long armed uprising focused in the east of the country.

The US, Britain and France bombarded Libya with missiles from air and sea overnight Saturday in a multi-national action against Kadhafi's forces under a United Nations Security Council resolution authorising a no-fly zone.

Libyan state media said Western warplanes had bombed civilian targets in Tripoli, causing casualties. An army spokesman said strikes also hit fuel tanks feeding the rebel-held city of Misrata, east of Tripoli.

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