8 British troops captured in Libya by opposition !

8 British troops captured in Libya
Sun Mar 6, 2011 2:26AM
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Libyan opposition forces during a training session
Eight  British soldiers have been captured in eastern Libya as they escorted a  
senior diplomat through territory under the control of revolutionary  forces. 


According to a report published by The Sunday Times, the  unexpected presence of 
a British special forces unit along with the  diplomat "angered Libyan 
opposition figures, who ordered the soldiers to  be locked up on a military 
base." 


The Britons have reportedly been taken to Benghazi in eastern Libya.  The 
diplomat they were protecting had wanted to contact the  anti-government forces. 


The British newspaper added that anti-government forces “fear  Muammar Gaddafi 
could use any evidence of Western military interference  to rally patriotic 
support for his regime." 


On Saturday, Gaddafi said he wanted the United Nations or the  African Union to 
investigate the anti-government protests in the  country. 


On the same day, pro-Gaddafi forces backed by tanks launched an  assault on 
Zawiyah, 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of the capital  Tripoli, firing heavy 
mortar rounds at houses and attacking a hospital. 


The clashes began hours after revolutionary forces repelled an effort by 
government forces to retake the city. 


Reports by human rights groups say over 6,000 people have been  killed so far in 
the government's harsh crackdown on anti-government  protesters. 


The Libyan revolution came in the wake of the monumental events in  Tunisia and 
Egypt, where dictators who led undemocratic and repressive  regimes were driven 
out of power. 


However, Gaddafi does not want to see the writing on the wall, and the bloody 
conflict in Libya drags on. 


Waves of demonstrations have rocked several other Middle Eastern and North 
African countries in recent weeks.