Sweden's Gripen aircraft reach Sicily

It's laughable, the Swedes have only gone in after all of Gaddafi's airforce and anti aircraft defences have been destroyed. Nor will they attack ground targets. This is little more than a fly over. Completely pointless.

It's symbolic, France who where the first airforce in, could probably have handled it themselves, but everyone including the US want to be seen taking action.

The first strikes were actually 122 Tomahawk missiles. Mostly US and some British. That is what destroyed air defenses well before aircraft were over the country. France was then given the ceremonial role of first shots from aircraft, followed minutes later by US and British aircraft that were over Lybia concurrently.

If the swedes want to make a more relevant contribution, they should just send in some IKEA furniture. By the time Gaddafi's troups figure out how to set it up, the rebels will have taken key areas.

Sweden is more about hot chicks and humanitarian missions.Now they will teach the savage muslim to treat well their ladies,with respect and compassion.Make love not war.Peace man!!!

good to be on the right side of history, for once

@Decedo

I think that is the best joke in The Local's history. Some jokes make me smile, but this was a real cracker, keep it up.

May be they should send in some of IKEA's staff to slow them down even more.

decedo

it also had a big smile on my face when i read what you wrote!!!!

love your work

@diegoveggie, and what side of history is that? The O bomb ya doctrine of blowing countries up to gain peace?

Anybody know why Sweden has a yellow stripe in it's flag?

T o David T, that is a gross insult to the people of Sweden , whatever the issue you are out of order and guess you think you are so smart , probably a geeky wimp pretending to be the hard man , what,s the colour of your flag ,skidmark brown !come on give us all a good laugh !

If Sweden kissed Obama's posterior any more than it does it would look like a scene from The Human Centipede.

Marc the Texan

Actually French jets were the first to engage Libyan targets. The French had jets in the air awaiting the end of formal negotiations by the coalition, to strike first, this pre-empted their partners, to much annoyance by US and UK high commands. The Tomahawks were launched later that night.

Ironic -- the Swedes all had a cow when Iraq was invaded even though Bush had a resolution from Congress and had a coalition twice as big as the one attacking Libya. Iraq had a dictator who killed tens of thousands of his own people and had invaded two nations in the past and threatened Israel. Yet just because it is Obama and his little group of European side-kicks then Swedes think this is an okay war. News to the Swedes -- check why France and Britain were getting ready to attack since last year -- Ghadaffi had threatened to nationalize the foreign oil operations and return more money to the people of Libya. Now while I am sure he would have taken a huge cut, he is someone quirky enough to come through with his populist demands.

@Rebel

Sweden had a different administration at the time of the Irak attack. The attack was a big mistake and so was the invasion of Afghanistan. So is probably getting involved in Libya...let them keep their oil. Nothing we can do about it anyway.

Wow. They must be really slow jets.

@Essjayd

boo hoo -

Wow. The Swedish jets are just now arriving in Sicily. The speed and decisiveness amazes.

Meanwhile NATO has requested the US continue to fly missions over Libya while Europe continues to organize its military mightless. Just imagine that, The US is already doing most of the fighting and dying in Afghanistan, is thousands of miles from Libya, and yet is needed to handle this situation on Europe's doorstep.

This is all about fears of a refugee/immigration influx into Europe. Given the lack of support the US has received from its "allies" on the continent, one wonders why the US is involved in helping in Libya at all.

Capt. Obvious here:

1. ALL protesters throughout the ME have NEVER called for an end to the Shari'a-lite (religious law) that informs & animates the Libyan & ALL Muslim gov'ts.

2. Another name for the Shari'a is "CLITORECTOMY on COMMAND"!

3. No protest group has offered anything LIKE a bicameral/parliamentary gov't to replace the current top-down 'look'!

4. Expect eventual changeovers in ALL of these Muslim gov'ts, but with a continued, if not INCREASED, alignment with the Shari'a.

5. Libya's so-called "opposition" (MOSTLY in Benghazi, a long-time Al-Qaeda STRONGHOLD!) is composed of Al-Qaeda elements like its "leader" Al-Libi, along with the 'Muslim Brotherhood' & the 'Egyptian Islamic Jihad' (the EIJ is STILL BUTTHURT @ 'Dafy for INVADING Sadat's Egypt in '77)!

ALL these FOOLS want the Shari'a.

6. ALL GENUINE pro-Democracy protesters (they're GREATLY outnumbered) will lose out to the pro-Shari'a crowd, just like the 'moderates' & women have ALREADY lost out in Egypt to pro-Shari'a "cleric" Qaradawi/the Muslim Brotherhood/Egyptian Islamic Jihad OR to pro-Shari'a "ruler" Rached Ghannouchi in Tunisia.

6. Islam, that RACIST, HATE-BASED "ideology" spawned from that RACIST, HATE-BASED tract, the KORAN, is a LIE & the TRUTH IS KILLING IT!

7. Islam is NOT a race, but a supremacist ideology (like Nazism) & includes the RACIST idea that Arab Muslims are SUPERIOR Muslims because Mohammed HIMSELF was an Arab!

"Arabs are the most noble people in lineage, the most prominent, and the best in deeds. We were the first to respond to the call of the Prophet. We are Allah's helpers and the viziers of His Messenger. We fight people until they believe in Allah. He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for one who disbelieves, we will fight him forever in Allah's Cause. Killing him is a small matter to us." - (A Hadith: Tabari IX 69)

Mohammed referred to Black Africans as "Pugnosed Raisin Heads". (A Hadith: Sahih Al-Bukhari vol. 1, no. 662 and vol. 9, no. 256).

"Laws are silent in times of war." - Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BCE

"When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon." - Thomas Paine, Revolutionary War patriot & firebrand

"Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave." - Thucydides, classical Greek writer

"Folly is fractal: the closer you look at it, the more of it there is. - Anon., DKos, '08.

"Church of Reality: Great slogan "If it's real we believe it." - Anon., DKos,'08.

"Truth can stand on its own and needs no help from half-truths, shades of grey, white-lies, or plain lies" - Anon., DKos, '08.

"Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." - Solomon Short

"SHIFT HAPPENS!" - Anon., DKos, '08

@ No Haram Done

as a metaphor:

Satan's

Hordes

Arisen

Reclaiming

It

All

figuratively that is Sharia, as simple as that, so the civilized world need to work together hindering those hordes or we will all drown. It isn't hate nor is it love but only an ascertainment.