Libyan Rebels Say They are Being Armed

Libyan rebels in Benghazi say they have begun receiving arms from abroad, but refused to say who was sending them. Asked whether any arms shipments had arrived yet, the rebels' Col. Ahmed Bani smiled but said, "I didn't quite confirm it." National Transitional Council spokesman Mustafa Gheriani was equally coy when he said the opposition group had opened "professional training centers" and winked broadly twice when asked if he meant military training centers. But the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, tipped his hand when he told CNN that deliveries of antitank weapons may have already reached the rebels. In a meeting with allies in Qatar last week, Italy also said arms shipments would be justified, but stopped short of confirming they would be sent. The possible arms shipments come as Gaddafi's forces continue their siege of Misrata, using ground-to-ground rockets and cluster bombs that have been banned by much of the world.

Read it at The New York Times