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Sky's Special Correspondent Under Sniper Fire in Mayah
August 21, 2011 - Alex Crawford, Sky News:
Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford comes under sniper fire in Mayah on the road from Zawiyah to Tripoli, whilst reporting on the Libyan rebel advance on the capital.
Libya: Rebels Take Martyr Square in Zawiyah
August 20, 2011 - Alex Crawford, Sky News - Zawiyah:
A fresh assault with new supplies of weapons and ammunition, witnessed by Sky News, led them to taking back the square, prompting jubilation.
The victory puts the rebels on the brink of retaking the town which is close to Colonel Gaddafi's stronghold.
Celebratory gunfire rang out across the area and delighted rebels circled the square in their cars.
Torn uniforms of Gaddafi soldiers were strewn on the ground as well as traditional Libyan flags - a symbol of the regime - which had been ripped down.
The successful assault comes around five months after the town first managed to break free from the control of Gaddafi loyalist fighters.
Control of the strategically important spot will restrict supply routes for Gaddafi forces, as Zawiyah is located between Tripoli and Tunisia.
VIdeo - Liberation of Prison in Surman
August 14, 2011 - Surman:
Translation by Wafaa:
Tonight to Tripoli. Tonight to Tripoli. You are no more prisoners. You are good persons. Good persons. Here is the province of Surman. Ramadan. The date August 14, 2011. We thank God. You are safe my brothers. Good people of Surman. You are free, you are innocent. Good people of Surman. God is great. Raise your heads. God is great. Here is the prison of Surman. Raise your head man. Here is the province of Surman. The day of the prisonners liberation in Surman. God is great. The revolutionists of EL Rayne is liberating the prisonners of Surman. My brothers. One of the prisonners: I have been captured in Tunisia, in the port of Jerjis. Raise your heads. Takbir (means say god is great ) Prisoners say: God is great.
AJA Reporting from Zawiya - 8/14/2011 - English Translation
August 14, 2011 - AlJazerra Arabic:
Translation by Wafaa:
El Zawiya is not fully under Freedom Fighters control. We can say that the half (southern part) is under full Freedom Fighters control, but in the northern part still there are in some areas and streets Freedom Fighters and are trying to comb and clean the city of Ghaddafi troops. In the northern there are street fights between Ghaddafi troops and Freedom Fighters. Every few minutes, we see passing (transferring) here a wounded or a martyr. Since the morning there are at least 8 Freedom Fighters martyrs and approximately 15 wounded due to fights in the residential areas. Ghaddafi troops are especially in the eastern north of the city (in the way to Tripoli) and in the north west area of the city, in El Zawiya refinery area. Freedom Fighters are trying to besiege Ghaddafi troops in these areas, while hawn misssiles are shelled from time to time on Freedom Fighters in the area behind me which is the middle area of El Zawiya. As I told you before, street fights, clashes and fights with snipers are going on with the remaining Ghaddafi troops that are besieged in the residential areas. Some of El Zawiya people are still besieged also in these areas because the Freedom Fighters could reach them and liberate them yet, but in these areas though the El Zawiya Freedom Fighters are there and are in permanent communication of the Freedom Fighters who are in the middle of city and they are trying to help the people besieged as much as they can.
There are many fronts that they have been opened today to reduce the pressure on El Zawiya fights and to help more to besiege Ghaddafi troops. Serman and Sebrata and Freedom Fighters made good advances on these fronts, especially that they have passed Khuweyldi area. And maybe in few hours Serman and Sebrata will be liberated. El Zawiya is getting reinforcements and all the other fronts have been opened to reduce the pressure on El Zawiya. We see here coming reinforcements from the west mountains. Vehicles, arms and hundred of fighters coming to help El Zawiya and to liberate El Zawiya completely.
Report on The Liberation of Gheryan
August 13, 2011:
Translation by Wafaa:
They are advancing on all axes. Concerning Gheryan, there is a big improvement today. Some of the previous info was very optimistic. I'd like to be specific on details : today. Gheryan - Freedom Fighters entered el Qawasim area through the road el Hamra, which it leads to Qawassim from Gitiif, and they liberated fully el Qawassim. EL Qawassim is the first area, coming from Tripoli to Gheryan. Freedom Fighters are combing the area. There is some bombing now and Ghaddafi troops that are in ghass in the middle of Gheryan are bombing to prevent Freedom Fighters of advancing to them. There are also some Ghaddafi troops in another axe in Bourchada area bombing the Freedom Fighters, trying to prevent them from advancing to the middle of the city. We are positive that FF will succeed to liberate Gheryan completely. The people of gheryan are supporting and joined Freedom Fighters. The Freedom Fighters are advancing from el Qawassim with heavy weapons toward Ghassat the middle of Gheryan. All the battalions (Sahban and the 8th battalion ) willl be completely destructed. I appeal to all the Libyans in the battalions to surrender and save their lives because there is no way out and don't suicide for the sake of the tyrant. That will end very soon. Return to your families.
Personal Account of Algerian Fleeing Tripoli in February
August 13, 2011 - Personal account received by Libya Alhurra:
On Sunday 20th of Feb 2011 I was teaching in Tripoli. I finished my classes at 8 00 pm. I was approached by three men in military uniforms, and I was asked to go with them. They called me by my name and were friendly and assured me that they needed my help and that I was recommended. I got into the car ( a gray Hyundai Sonata 2011 with no licence plates). They told me that they will drive me home and on the way they kept giving me details about my life, my parents' details, jobs, where I’m from originally, my best friends' names, cars, my cars details, where I hang around and that when I thought i would never see daylight because I knew how the system works there, I was told that I have lived in Libya and its time to pay back or give back the favour. I was told to go home and get ready to leave the next day to destination they would tell me about the next day, they told me it was time i became a Libyan resident as i have lived 25 years there as well as being born in Tripoli. I had to get a personal photo to put on the Libyan ID they were gonna give me the next day, and they gave me an envelope with 2000 Libyan dinars to give to my parents.
I refused to take the money. I kept saying let me think about it, and the man at the back seat next to me who appeared to be the highest ranked among them told me that this would be considered high treason. They dropped me home. That night I couldnt sleep, eat or talk to anyone, knowing that they are surveilling the phone lines, I even thought about going to the Algerian embassy but then they are pro-Gadaffi and they would deliver me on a silver plate to the Libyan army. The next day, in the morning, they were waiting for me and from their behaviour I realized that someone I knew recommended me because they were acting nicer than they are supposed to. They asked to get into the car and took me to Mitiga airport. On the way they asked me about my language skills and that I just have to translate to some construction workers in Ajdabya what to do. When we got to Mitiga airport, they blind-folded me and I was driven to "Mathaba Thowrya" where his millitias prove their loyalty, and thats where I got traumatized. I'm sure it was in "ain zara" area in Musa Kusa's office buildings. I was taken to an office and asked for my clothes sizes and shoe size, and in the other offices I could hear screaming. I told the officer that I'm not a soldier and that I can't carry weapons because I was a coward and that I can't even see blood or I'll faint. The officer changed tone and slapped me and I was dragged by two officers to a cell where there were a lot of men CRYING from pain. One of them was Algerian and told me the offer, you should give in your passport, they handle you 500 euros and an AK47 with 6 magazines, you get in a Toyota Tundra with another foreigner and two Libyan soldiers, the driver MUST be Libyan, you get 100 LYD for every "traitor" you gun down and 300 LYD if you capture him alive. If a patrol manages to get more than 15 cadavers they give you 2000 LYD bonus. I was taken back to the office after a few hours and another officer showed me a small safe with hundreds of thousands of Euros. He told me that I can be a respected citizen with a rank and insurance and other privileges. I kept repeating that I'm not a soldier and I kept mentioning powerful family names to show that I'm well connected. He completely ignored all I said saying.
I was driven home, and on the way I kept trying to convince the officers in the car to take me out of this mess. The one in the back seat got really angry and started hitting me with a taser, telling me that we foreigners are dogs and we know nothing but taking Libyan money. When we got to my area the driver told me to be there at 8 00 am sharp and if I don't my family will disappear, so i went home. I didn't inform anyone I packed a backpack and got to a friend's home in the airport road. I hid in his house for three days, and after a week I left Libya with help from airport officers to go past the thousands of millitias around. The mercenaries were not brought from abroad, they chose foreigners who speak Libyan perfectly and cant be noticed as not. As I mentioned you give in your passport, and get paid 500 euros as an engagement payment, 100 lyd for every head and 300 lyd for getting one alive. I met a man called Mohamed Hnish and he is the son of Gadaffis driver and he asked me to join them 2 days before I left, so the details are confirmed, and with every city that falls they execute those mercenaries to get rid of evidence.
AlJazeera Arabic Reporting from Zawiya - English Translation
August 13, 2011 - AlJazeera from Zawiya:
Mohamad Azim (AJA):
Translation by Wafaa:
The Freedom Fighters didn't expect that the Ghaddafi troops would break down that quickly. Information came that Ghaddafi troops were breaking down and the Freedom Fighters were advancing quickly. The plan wasn't to advance today to el Zawiya, but the info the Freedom Fighters got about Ghaddafi troops retreating and withdrawing and no intention to face the Freedom Fighters. We are now in the eastern streets of el Zzawiya. Here behind me is the bridge. The bridge is Beyr el Ghanam. Behind this bridge for 200 metees is the Martyr Square of el Zawiya. Freedom Fighters didn't allow us to go there. They said they are combing the area. There are Ghaddafi troops are still in some streets northeastern of el Zawiya.
There are Freedom Fighters in the north areas too. There are some of them in the top of buildings as snipers. Briefly 70 percent of el Zawiya is under the control of Freedom Fighters. No real info about the remaining Ghaddafi troops. As i said before, the Ghaddafi troops broke down in outskirts of Ben she3eb city, retreated to el Zawiya , then to el Sharkiya (east axe) especially after that Ghaddafi troops got info that FF are advancing on different axes. They overpassed Khoweldi, advancing now toward Serman and Sebrata and now they are in the area 60 after they overpass Wadi el7ay, in a distance of 60 km of Tripoli.
We have important info that Gheryan rose from the inside and joined the Freedom Fighters and that Ghaddafi troops have broken down in Gheryan and Assab3a. In the area, reinforcements are getting from the west mountains. We can't get there now because it is about 100km far unfortunately.
The Freedom Fighters confirmed to us that before dawn el Zawiya will be completely liberated because the remaining Ghaddafi troops are in a very weak position. They don't know really where to go. They are hiding in buildings. What we see now is that the Freedom Fighters are in a great position now and reinforcements are coming.
Tripoli - Sheik Sadeg Gheryani - Fatwa for People to NOT Pray at Green Square
July 7, 2011 - Tripoli:
Tripoli - Sheik Sadeg Gheryani - Fatwa for People to NOT Pray at Green Square
English translation by Wafaa:
Sheikh Sadek el Gheryani fatwa concerning Ghaddafi's intention to close the mosques of Tripoli on Friday, and asking the people of Tripoli to pray in the martyrs square in the center of Tripoli:
"On the name of God the question is...Ghaddafi regime media in Libya are forcing people to join fake supportive demonstrations for Ghaddafi. The ways are many. The last is Ghaddafi ordered to close all the mosques in Tripoli this Friday, preventing people praying in the mosques, and forcing people to pray in the Martyr's Square on Friday. And then forcing them to join a supportive demonstration to him. The question is: it is permissible to pray that way? Is it permissible instead to pray in the houses. I will answer this question. Closure of mosques and preventing people to pray in the mosques is one of the biggest sins. And God says, who is preventing people to pray in god places is like destroying these places. And the prayer in the public square that way, with the closure of the mosques, is not legal religion-wise. People should not attend this square for fake demonstrations. People who could go out and pray outside Tripoli is ok and for the others who can't it is permissible to pray in the houses. It is permissible not to pray in mosques in cases such as if it will result in negative effects (damage) on personal and public. And here in this case to attend the public square will result of negative effect (damage) on the public. Salam.
Call for rallies across Libya in support of Tripoli
Tripoli Revolutionary Speaks: Eyewitness Account of Pro-Gaddafi Rally. English transcription:
I don’t know how to start, except to say that no willingness or strength except with Allah. Because unfortunately….I am not upset about the protest nor his speech that he the crazy psycho made speaking from a hole. But because unfortunately Gaddafi was successful in causing uproar even if it is in the level of facebook, because yesterday I saw comments about the people of Tripoli, disagreeable comments about them. First of all, first the people that demonstrated are around 30,000. When we got out [at the beginning of the events] our number was far larger, then he was shooting at us. The people that demonstrated for him couldn’t fill the river stadium. People of Tripoli hate Gaddafi the most, not just today or yesterday but for 42 years. Because 50-60 years ago before there was even oil, Tripoli was organized, there was mail, there were buses. We didn’t have the G lookalikes, who came in the 70’s during “the home is for whoever lives in it” [a law the permitted people to live in other people’s property] so they took our homes and land. People of Tripoli demonstrated but he planned for its people. If you look at Benghazi, a city of about 1 million people, he had only one battalion, in Tajura, one area of Tripoli he has 27 places between battalions and military bases. How are people of Tripoli going to demonstrate, they demonstrated and faced bullets with our naked chests and people died. We have more martyrs that in any other city, people detained from this city are more than any other place. How can you say that people of Tri are not brave? What you are saying depresses us more than we are already depressed. Tripoli is occupied and depressed and morale is very low. We need moral support, we are in this revolution, helping however they can. I want people to know that people of Tripoli are against Gaddafi and this is not just today or yesterday, we were always against him and any educated person is against him. This crowd wasn’t manipulated, this crowd gathered because he bought his mob from all over Libya and put them in one place. It shows that he is a state of desperation. He did this for the foreigners, he knows Libyans will not be fooled. He did this to give the impression that his people love him. If he thinks his people love him, why doesn’t he let us demonstrate and he will see who loves him and who us against him. You will see the crowds in Tripoli. And to all our people, don’t worry. Tripoli needs one thing …Tripoli needs weapons, so it will be a fair war. Because otherwise it will be suicide and people of Tripoli have been martyred, the rest detained, they have been raped, robbed and our psychological state is terrible. For example I managed to leave Tripoli and I can follow the news and see videos. You couldn’t imagine when I was inside Tripoli and there was neither internet nor phones. I hope our families ignore the divisions that G is trying to create. In his protest, there wasn’t a single sign that mentioned people of Tripoli, the signs all had people from other places like Mashaysha, Warfalla, Tarhouna, etc. I call that next Friday people from Tripoli outside and all Libyans to demonstrate in all the freed areas. People from Tubrok to Ajdabyia, all people abroad should protest, we need to show the world that people of Libya are 95% against Gaddafi. We acknowledge he has some supports, they are uneducated people, we can’t forget that Gaddafi purposely destroyed education, he destroyed it since 1976 and he killed and killed the students that told him not to destroy education, and he made people ignorant and when people are ignorant they will not know better, they will think anything you will tell them is right. A message to people with him, we are fighting for freedom and dignity, and you are fighting for one man, a tyrant, a psycho, who destroyed you and destroyed the country. And for revolutionaries I want to remind you that our enemy is one and he is the criminal Gaddafi.
Request for Help from Garda Sabha
July 3, 2011 - Garda Sabha:
عاجل الرجاء التعميم: اتصال مباشر ألآن من أسود ميدان المعركة في القرضة سبها، دخل مجموعة من كتائب القذافي من القذاذفة إلى ميدان القرضة يهتفون يا فزازنة يا جرذان ويعيرون الفزازنة الشرفاء الأصليين بأصلهم الحر، شاهرين الأسلحة في وجوه أهل القرضة من شرفاء السبيحات وأولاد سهل فما كان من رجال القرضة إلا الرد بالرصاص على الرصاص فسقط إثنان قتلى ...من الكتائب وأربعة أخذوا على الفور إلى المستشفى للعلاج، ولا يزال أهل القرضة يناشدون المناطق المجاورة في سبها وأوباري والشاطئ وغات والكفرة بالتعاضد معهم لأسقاط القذافي قبل أن تتحول سبها إلى الزاوية الثانية أو تصبح سبها مدينة اشباح مثلما حصل في مصراته الثائرة حينما غزاها المرتزقة
Translation by Wafaa:
Flash: On call from the lions of the battlefield in El Garda Sabha. Ghaddafi troops entered El Garda area, shouting and insulting the people of Garda, and saying congratulations to them. The people of Garda opened fire on them ad killed 2 of them and 4 injured. Garda is appealing for the surrounding area in Sebha; Oubari, the coast Gat Kufra to join them to fight Ghaddafi troops before it turned to be a new Zawiya or what happened to Misrata when Ghaddafi troops invaded it.
Libyans 'executed' for shunning Kadhafi rally: relative
July 2, 2011 - AFP:
Libyans 'executed' for shunning Kadhafi rally: relative
Hours after thousands packed Tripoli's Green Square cheering for Moamer Kadhafi, Mohammed said the still warm body of his nephew was dumped outside the family home with two bullets in his head.
Mohammed told AFP why he is certain 30-year-old's Ahmed's fate was sealed while green flags were waving on the other side of the capital and as Kadhafi dished out threats against Europe, NATO and Libyan "traitors" on Friday.
Ahmed's execution, he said, was punishment for his family's refusal to take part in the rally, a vital show of strength by the Libyan leader amid a five-month-long uprising that has pushed the regime to the brink of collapse.
"Four or five days ago a member of one of Kadhafi's revolutionary committees approached my brother's family in Tripoli," the 50-something Mohammed told AFP on Saturday, his voice ringing with anger and mourning.
"They told him: 'We have your son, he is being held at Abu Salim prison. If your family does not come out to demonstrate on Friday you will never see your son again'."
(Read More)
Statement of the Youth Coalition of February 17 - Fezzan
July 3, 2011 - Sabha:
Statement in Arabic
Translation by Wafaa:
This statement is of the Youth Coalition of February 17- Fezzan In the name of God the Merciful. First, rest in peace, martyr of Freedom Fighters of February 17th Sabha. Our martyr: Sanusi Ismail abou sbehhi and ask God, to accept him as the martyr and be in Janna (the gardens of paradise). Our martyr was shot on Friday evening after he went to Gardah area demonstrating against Ghaddafi and his mercenaries. Ghaddafi men opened fire on demonstrators, which resulted of the injury of the martyr in Gardah. Serious injuries, and then was taken to the hospital. But they refused to treat our brother Ismail, and he passed away at Saturday morning. "To God we shall return". The thugs refused delivery his pure body to his family.
We want to reassure and congratulate our father Alhaji Sanusi abou sbehhi (the father of the martyr ) and all his family that their son is a martyr, God willing, and that he honored all Libya, not only Sabha, and that he was martyred for the liberation of Libya from the tyrant.
We say to the thugs of Ghaddafi and his men that on the behalf of the south tribes, we tell them that you will not have a peaceful moment and you will see the Freedom Fighters of Sabha whom you do not know yet. We have warned you in a previous statement, that has been broadcated by Libya Alhurra channel, that we want to stop the bloodshed. But you have responded to us and killed our young people and captured them. We say to you now: wait for us in the battlefield and, if we lost Ismail, we are 1000 more of Ismail waiting for you there.
And we say to them: "What we are say is great but what we will do is greater. Long live free Libya, shame and humiliation for the tyrant Muammar and his thugs." Youth Coalition of February 17 Fezzan.
Tripoli Freedom Fighters in Misrata
English transcript:
Interviewer: Speak, one by one, as you feel like it. First freedom fighter: In the name of God, may our martyrs, the free Libyans, rest in peace. I hope that they are in Janna [paradise] now. We are youth from Tripoli. We would like to tell and assure our brothers in the capital that we are coming to them with the freedom fighters of Misrata, Misrata that welcomed us and gave us all it has. They have food and oil, not like in Tripoli where Abou Shafshoofa [funny nickname for Gaddafi] is. There is no oil, etc., there are shortages of everything. To the youth of Tripoli: Rise up and leave Tripoli, if you can, and come to us here. Misrata is steadfast. They will never penetrate it and victory is soon. Salam. Second freedom fighter: First, may our martyrs in the east, south and north of Libya rest in peace. We are youth from Tripoli. We came here to fight with the freedom fighters of Misrata. Misrata is the symbol of steadfastness in the whole of Libya. And we will be victorious and we will defeat Abou Shafshoofa. Interviewer: Please tell us about the situation and life condition in our beloved Tripoli. Second fighter: Well, what to tell you! It takes one week to fill the car with oil. Everything is expensive and there are major shortages, especially food. The freedom fighters are conducting daily attacks and operations. Third freedom fighter: May our martyrs all across the land of Libya rest in peace. I want to say to Abou Shafshoofa: We are coming for you to Bab Al Aziziya. We are coming for you! All chanting: Youth of the capital, we want the decisive [victorious] night! First fighter: I say to the youth of Tajoura and Souk al-Jumaa: We are so proud of you. And if you know the situation in Tripoli and how critical it is, in the name of God, I say that those people who seem to be supporters of Abou Shafshoofa are not. I say to the youth of Tajoura and Souk al-Jumaa, Fashloum, al-Dahmani and Gergamish: We must put a bit of more pressure on Gaddafi's troops. There are more than 15,000 Tripoli youth outside the capital. We fear for our families but with faith and the help of God, we will be victorious. VICTORY!
The Libyan national football team visiting Nalut
June 24, 2011 - Nalut:
The Feb 17 media committee of Nalut:
We, the people of the revolution, the people of Nafusa Mountain, the people of Nalut, young and old, welcome our national team, the team of Free Libya. A team that has granted us many victories, and now one more by coming here. We will have our great victory and defeat the tyrant, God is great. We want Free Libya, sovereign and unified. We wish you good luck, success and a pleasant stay and journey in Nalut, on Nafusa Mountain. Today in Nalut, tomorow in Kabaw, Yefren, Rujbat, Jadu, Zentan, Qalaa, Kikkla. This mountain that rose up and gave the tyrant lessons he never expected. This mountain, steafast as rocks, he could not do anthing here, neither him nor his mercenaires, and we shall hopefully meet in the Martyrs Square in Tripoli to free the capital. Long live free Libya, God is great.
Now the team speaks:
In the name of God, our prophet Mohammed suffered a lot in his life, and lived in exile because he was God's chosen... He was defeated in some battles but attained victory in the end. Mustapha Abdel Jalil is loved by all Libyans and God chose him to be the president of the TNC. This revolution came from the people, it was their own decision. This revoltion is epic: all Libyans are fighting; men, women, young, old. The women -- yes, they are telling their sons, "go to the fronts," and to those who stay at home, "go and join your brother in the front," the same as the women fighters in the days of the prophet. The fighters, they go to the front with faith, with no fear, and the martyrs -- look at their faces. They have smiles on their faces because they are fighting in the name of God. It is a blessing from God. In Benghazi, before the revolution, people could not even dare to walk near the battalions. The fighters faced them with bare chests, with all their might and strength, the battalions are being defeated by the fighters, fighters who have very light weopons but great faith. One of us worth 10 of them... The flag that has been folded for 43 years is now unfolded. Victory is nigh, let us be patient. Long live Libya. Singing: Free Libya for Libyans, its land shall remain for the Libyans.
Active in the youth of the revolution tells her experience ( Tahani Sharif)
June 29, 2011:
Translation by Asma
Lawyer Tahani Al-Shareef: The revolution succeeded with the weapon of blood. I enetered Misurata in defiance of Saif Al-Islam’ speech who said that any humanitarian assistance that will enter Misurata will be hit. Benghazi, Adnan Rashid, Mohammed Alhussani. One of the well-known faces of youth in Benghazi and ‘the sister of men in every sense of the word’ as the youth of Benghazi call her. The lawyer Tahani Mubarak Al-Shareef was the first woman to go to the front lines to support the revolutionaries, and a young lady that dedicates her time to defend the rights of the Libyan people and explain its case to the world and to call for change in her country that deserves “the best” because of its richness in natural and human resources. The team of Al-Anba in Benghazi met with Tahani Al-Shareef who talked to us about her experience. In the beginning introduce yourself to us? Tahani Suleiman Mubarak Al-Shreef, from Benghazi, lawyer. How do you describe your experience specifically and the experience of the Libyan youth in general since the beginning of the Feb 17th revolution until today, and what are the factors that pushed youth to firmly stand behind the revolution? For me, I went out from the first day because of the injustice the Libyan people face that I witnessed as lawyer, especially in the field of real estate which was my specialization. Property used to be taken from people by officials without any right. And there was a project to change the face of Benghazi, and I personally wrote a memo to the liaison office, called ‘the spider web’ outlining the corruption in the city, however it was ignored despite pointing out in my memo that what is happening in Benghazi will negatively impact the country. On Feb 16th I went out to pray and said goodbye to my brothers and sought forgiveness because I was planning to take part in the 17th Feb demonstrations that were called for on Facebook. My principle was highest form of Jihad which is “to say the truth in front of an unjust ruler” and frankly I didn’t think I will return home, expecting that I will be killed or jailed. Regarding the Libyan youth generally, they followed what happened in Tunisia and Egypt and saw the injustice that called for the revolutions was much greater in Libya than those two neighboring countries, with the absence of freedom, social justice, a constitution, human rights, infrastructure as well as the low standard of living, low level of services, weakness of the judiciary system that has been plighted by bribes to the extent that people have no choice but to act by themselves and then get jailed. What happened on Feb 17th? On Feb 16th and before the day demonstration were called for all cities rose and they were chanting with our blood and souls we will defend you Benghazi because it was the first city to rise and it witnessed violent crackdown, that resulted in the fall of a large number of martyrs, despite this, people did not retreat and continued to go out from all areas which made it impossible for the brigades to control the situation. And what was noticeable is the people from all ages were on the streets and mothers and fathers were encouraging their children to take part, women were ululating from the windows and spraying rose water and tossing flowers on the demonstrators to encourage them, and when the mercenaries entered and clashed with demonstrators, the women were throwing kitchen utensils on them from the windows. Security forces used poisonous types of tear gas that resulted in cases of paralysis; they were dragged to houses to be treated by families. The bodies of martyrs that had fallen on the 16th and 17th were given to their families on the 18th (Friday) in Aljala hospital, and they were taken in front of court house north of Benghazi overlooking the sea, which one of the major places for gathering (and which has now become similar to Tahrir square in Egypt). During the prayer on the martyrs, people started chanting that the blood of martyrs will not go in vein, and angry youth started throwing rocks ignited bottles on the windows of the internal security building, which is one of the places of torture, a fire broke in the building which had already been deserted by security personnel. And later people took control of it and revolutionaries turned it to a center for crises management. The protesters moved to take the martyrs to Jamal Abed-Alnaser Street that continues from the court house to the cemetery, this street has the buildings of Fadeel Abou Omar battalion, the largest security center in the city and which contained Gaddafi’s brigades. Before reaching the building the security forces started and snipers began randomly shooting and more martyrs fell, but the funeral preceded and went near the security directorate in the city, where they opened fire again. They buried the martyrs and returned to protest, and in the next day (Saturday 19th Feb) the scenario was repeated, so the revolutionaries decided that they must gain control of the security centers in the city especially when they heard the news that youth in Al-Bayda East of the country of the Al-Jarah battalion (Al-Jarah is Gaddafi’s wife Safia’s cousin). Who controls Fadeel Abou Omar battalion? Saadi, Gaddafi’s son was there and with him Abdallah Al-Sanoussi, head of intelligence, who were in charge of controlling the uprising and with them was public security official Abel Fatah Yunis, who defected later and joined the revolutionaries. They were helped to go out of Benghazi when it became obvious that they cannot take control of the situation despite the continuous shooting which did not stop demonstrations and the youth took bullets with their bare chests. With the increase of the number of martyrs that rose up to hundreds the youth decided to break into the battalion compound. Some made homemade explosives to use it to open the entrance of the compound, and they agreed that the explosives carrier will be in the back and a number of youth will go in front of them, the attempt did not succeed and the number of martyrs rose. Then the Freedom fighters decided to bring bulldozers and storm the battalion from all sides, but the snipers confronted them, one managed to bring one of the walls down but the driver was killed, his two brothers were already killed before Sunday. Attempt continued until a man called Al-Mahdi Zui (52 years) was saddened by the death of young youth especially some of them were 14 and 15 years old, so he wanted to find a solution, so he got into his car and put two gas cylinders and some explosives and stormed the battalion entrance and blow it up. In this moment they got support from freedom fighters that arrived from the east and the defection of an elite brigade that succeeded in entering the battalion and with its fall it looked like the city had fallen. How were things managed after the revolutionaries took control of Benghazi and the East? In the beginning local councils were formed and then they connected and subsequently decided to form the transitional interim council that will govern Libya during the transitional period. And it was agreed upon that Mustafa Abdul Al-Jalil will lead the council who was one of the first people to defect from Gaddafi. And we as lawyers established crisis management that created a council to conduct relief work and other essential activities. We found out that you were the first woman to visit the front lines in Ajdabiya and Musrata, inform us of your experience. Regarding Ajdabiya, it was on 4/9, and we got information that the Gaddafi brigades took control of Ajdabiya again so I went there and followed the freedom fighters movements as they regained control of it again and on 4/13 I went to Misurata to defy Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi’s speech that said any humanitarian aid entering Misurata will be hit and both times I was there, there was a big welcome from the freedom fighters there. What is the most tragic stories that you followed during these events? I remember the killing of 23 people in Misurata in a single moment when they were in front of a bakery, it was during my visit to there and I can’t forget that horrifying scene that we saw in the hospital after the remains were taken t the hospital (crying). What are the best results of the revolution in your opinion? The unity of the Libyan people and the creation of a youth network that communicate every day, at the same time we found out strange things that people didn’t know that there were people in Nafousa Mountain that speak. Are you in contact with the revolution youth of Tunisia and Egypt? Yes we have a strong connection, I went with a youth delegation to Egypt and met with the secretary general of the Arab league and he directed his team to take all information and recording and documentations that we conducted and we asked 5 things from the Arab League: to stop the bloodshed, approve the no-fly zone, freeze Gaddafi’s assets and to recognize the transitional council and our flag. A final word. To not be silent later and be defiant today until we free our land and our people from Gaddafi. Wafa this is the whole article sorry I am sending it again The Vice President of the Interim Council confirms the existence of a plan to prevent reprisal after the fall of Gaddafi…and an activist in the youth of the revolution speaks of her experience. Today Al-Anba completes the publication of the last files from its team’s visit to Libya to find out the latest development from there. In this interview, the Vice President of the Interim government Abdul Hafeedh Ghoga talks about the revolutionaries’ refusal of any attempt to divide the country, also pointing out that the council has prepared a clear plan for post-Gaddafi and to avoid any reprisals. Also the prominent Libyan lawyer and activist Tahani Al-Shareef talks about her experience in the revolution and she was the first Libyan woman to go to the front lines to support the revolutionaries. Ghoga to Al-Anba: We have put a clear plan for the post-Gaddafi period and formed committees to prevent reprisals. The Vice President of the Libyan Interim Council confirms the revolutionaries’ refusal of any attempt to divide the country. • The economic losses are estimated in the billions due to the systematic followed by Gaddafi. • France and Britain demanded Arab support for the intervention and the clear position of the Gulf nations helped in getting the support of the Arab League for the intervention. • We will not celebrate the September revolution and our national holiday is Feb 17th. Benghazi, Adnan Rashid, Mohammed Alhussani. The Vice President of the Libyan Interim Council Abdul Hafeedh Ghoga confirmed the existence of a clear political road map that the country will follow post-Gaddafi, and enter a new era with a new constitution that will guarantee freedom and human rights, and Ghoga revealed in his interview with Al-Anba about the formation of committees specializing in upholding tolerance to prevent reprisals following the end of the Gaddafi regime. Let us start with the countries that recognized the transitional interim council, where do things stand with the international community? The number of countries that recognize the council is on the rise, and more importantly the major international organizations like the European Union and the Arab League have recognized the council as a political interlocutor and that is very important to us, and every day we receive friendly official and popular delegation even from countries that haven’t fully recognized us and things are going forward with increased confidence from the international community in our role and mission. And we have full recognition from many countries like France, Italy, Canada, Germany, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, and in Africa Senegal and Namibia have recognized us and Liberia has expelled the Gaddafi mission from its territory, and I want to point out that a number of countries attended for the first time the latest Libya contact group meeting in Abu Dhabi. How do you assess the position of the Gulf Cooperation Council? From the beginning, it delegitimized the Gaddafi regime and that motivated the Arab league to support the no-fly zone over Libya and condemn the actions of the Gaddafi regime. The GCC constitutes a third of the countries in the Arab League and its position was important in the meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers and which helped in the issuance of UN resolution 1973 that was adopted by Britain and France which demanded the approval of the Arab League. What is the political process planned for Libya in order for it to return to political stability? Our plan is clear after liberation; we prepared a charter and divided the transition period into two parts, the first started from Feb 17th until the liberation of all of Libya and the fall of Gaddafi’s regime and the second is from the liberation and the referendum on the new constitution for the country, and we prepared ourselves for the period after liberation in which a temporary national government will be formed a month after liberation and the appointment national committee to put a constitution within three months and then put it forward for a referendum in order for Libyan to give their opinion on the constitution and then the national council will issue a set of political laws based on the constitution and after this its role will end. And we made it clear that none of its member will have a role in the first legislative elections and the first government nor the presidency to confirm that we are not after power. What about the military situation after 4 months of conflict? We are making steady progress and things are tightening for Gaddafi and his brigades in Tripoli, and you followed how Zawia which witness abuse of its people and horrific crimes and terrible crimes rose again and drove out his faction, the revolutionaries are tightening the circle around Gaddafi and things will soon end to the benefit of the Libyan people. Despite of the difficulties in communication with Tripoli, we are in contact and being informed about what is going on there, many managed to leave to Tunisia or came to Benghazi. Is there contact with Algeria? The bias of the Algerian regime to Gaddafi is because it finds it comparable to its own repressive and authoritarian nature and they try to cooperate so they don’t fall but the fall of the two regimes is coming no doubt, and we are sure that the Algerian people are not pleased with the weak stance of its regime. Are you satisfied with the results of your visits to Arab nations? We hope for more communication and negotiation and more friendly meetings with them, we visited Qatar, Kuwait, EAU, Morocco, Tunisia and we received delegations from Qatar, Egypt, EAU, and at the end we are all children of one Arabic house and we need to cooperate. It is apparent that Qatar played a Major role in saving the Libyan people? We are proud of Qatar and its role; from the first day of our revolution we found endless support especially on the humanitarian level and other levels and from the UAE and their ambassador has informed us of their support on all levels from the beginning, they are our brothers and our welfare concerns them and we are sure that Kuwait is also is doing what it can to help Libya and that it feels our pain, as we feel pain for what is happening in other countries like Syria and Yemen. What about the Turkish position and how do you see it? Turkey gave us humanitarian support from day one and provided us with important aid, and the Turkish consul and told us that they prepared to provide us with humanitarian assistance. Then the Turkish position fluctuated when the no-fly zone was put forward before it changed again when Turkey participated to the international coalition to impose the no-fly zone, then when arming the revolutionaries was out forward Turkey opposed again in the beginning then it changed its position, then it tried to mediate with Gaddafi which surprised us and then it took a clear position which is calling for Gaddafi to step down and today it is working with the international community to achieve that and we are pleased with this stance. There are concerns over the possibility of the division of Libya, especially after the call of Saif Al-Islam for elections under international supervision? What Saif Al-Islam says has no value, and he has no formal position to allow him to make such statements, we are the ones that will carry out the elections and not his crumbling father’s regime. Yes his father tried to divide Libya and tried to control Misurata and the Western mountain, but the revolutionaries regained control of the two areas and passed the opportunity for him, no division of Libya and Gaddafi has no option but to leave. Observers are concerned that Libya will see actions of reprisals in the period after the fall of Gaddafi, how are you going to deal with this possibility? We are working from now to insure stability after Gaddafi’s departure, we have committees specializing in upholding tolerance when things stabilize. Whose hands are stained with blood and robbery will be tried according to the law and will have all the legal guarantees, we want stability and nationalistic and appropriate security institutions. Are you going to celebrate the first of September? No our holiday is Feb 17th the day of the revolution even if the coincided with Eid Al-fater. (Laughing) we will celebrate Eid Al-fater only. How do you predict the end of Gaddafi? We will win the battle; he has been hit hard by air strikes that destroyed his destructive ability that he wanted to direct to his people, despite that he still committed massacres, we will not accept anything less than his trial, I think he will give himself up or get killed, he will not commit suicide because he is in my opinion a coward, he might be killed by someone close to him, even people close to him are leaving him day after day. How much do you estimate the Libyan economic losses? They can’t be accurately estimated, but it is certainly worth billions of dollars, and worst of all is the systematic destruction that Gaddafi is conducting to the economic and industrial infrastructure especially the oil infrastructure, Misurata for example is a manufacturing and commercial city that has been completely destroyed and other strategic areas. Lawyer Tahani Al-Shareef: The revolution succeeded with the weapon of blood. I enetered Misurata in defiance of Saif Al-Islam’ speech who said that any humanitarian assistance that will enter Misurata will be hit. Benghazi, Adnan Rashid, Mohammed Alhussani. One of the well-known faces of youth in Benghazi and ‘the sister of men in every sense of the word’ as the youth of Benghazi call her. The lawyer Tahani Mubarak Al-Shareef was the first woman to go to the front lines to support the revolutionaries, and a young lady that dedicates her time to defend the rights of the Libyan people and explain its case to the world and to call for change in her country that deserves “the best” because of its richness in natural and human resources. The team of Al-Anba in Benghazi met with Tahani Al-Shareef who talked to us about her experience. In the beginning introduce yourself to us? Tahani Suleiman Mubarak Al-Shreef, from Benghazi, lawyer. How do you describe your experience specifically and the experience of the Libyan youth in general since the beginning of the Feb 17th revolution until today, and what are the factors that pushed youth to firmly stand behind the revolution? For me, I went out from the first day because of the injustice the Libyan people face that I witnessed as lawyer, especially in the field of real estate which was my specialization. Property used to be taken from people by officials without any right. And there was a project to change the face of Benghazi, and I personally wrote a memo to the liaison office, called ‘the spider web’ outlining the corruption in the city, however it was ignored despite pointing out in my memo that what is happening in Benghazi will negatively impact the country. On Feb 16th I went out to pray and said goodbye to my brothers and sought forgiveness because I was planning to take part in the 17th Feb demonstrations that were called for on Facebook. My principle was highest form of Jihad which is “to say the truth in front of an unjust ruler” and frankly I didn’t think I will return home, expecting that I will be killed or jailed. Regarding the Libyan youth generally, they followed what happened in Tunisia and Egypt and saw the injustice that called for the revolutions was much greater in Libya than those two neighboring countries, with the absence of freedom, social justice, a constitution, human rights, infrastructure as well as the low standard of living, low level of services, weakness of the judiciary system that has been plighted by bribes to the extent that people have no choice but to act by themselves and then get jailed. What happened on Feb 17th? On Feb 16th and before the day demonstration were called for all cities rose and they were chanting with our blood and souls we will defend you Benghazi because it was the first city to rise and it witnessed violent crackdown, that resulted in the fall of a large number of martyrs, despite this, people did not retreat and continued to go out from all areas which made it impossible for the brigades to control the situation. And what was noticeable is the people from all ages were on the streets and mothers and fathers were encouraging their children to take part, women were ululating from the windows and spraying rose water and tossing flowers on the demonstrators to encourage them, and when the mercenaries entered and clashed with demonstrators, the women were throwing kitchen utensils on them from the windows. Security forces used poisonous types of tear gas that resulted in cases of paralysis; they were dragged to houses to be treated by families. The bodies of martyrs that had fallen on the 16th and 17th were given to their families on the 18th (Friday) in Aljala hospital, and they were taken in front of court house north of Benghazi overlooking the sea, which one of the major places for gathering (and which has now become similar to Tahrir square in Egypt). During the prayer on the martyrs, people started chanting that the blood of martyrs will not go in vein, and angry youth started throwing rocks ignited bottles on the windows of the internal security building, which is one of the places of torture, a fire broke in the building which had already been deserted by security personnel. And later people took control of it and revolutionaries turned it to a center for crises management. The protesters moved to take the martyrs to Jamal Abed-Alnaser Street that continues from the court house to the cemetery, this street has the buildings of Fadeel Abou Omar battalion, the largest security center in the city and which contained Gaddafi’s brigades. Before reaching the building the security forces started and snipers began randomly shooting and more martyrs fell, but the funeral preceded and went near the security directorate in the city, where they opened fire again. They buried the martyrs and returned to protest, and in the next day (Saturday 19th Feb) the scenario was repeated, so the revolutionaries decided that they must gain control of the security centers in the city especially when they heard the news that youth in Al-Bayda East of the country of the Al-Jarah battalion (Al-Jarah is Gaddafi’s wife Safia’s cousin). Who controls Fadeel Abou Omar battalion? Saadi, Gaddafi’s son was there and with him Abdallah Al-Sanoussi, head of intelligence, who were in charge of controlling the uprising and with them was public security official Abel Fatah Yunis, who defected later and joined the revolutionaries. They were helped to go out of Benghazi when it became obvious that they cannot take control of the situation despite the continuous shooting which did not stop demonstrations and the youth took bullets with their bare chests. With the increase of the number of martyrs that rose up to hundreds the youth decided to break into the battalion compound. Some made homemade explosives to use it to open the entrance of the compound, and they agreed that the explosives carrier will be in the back and a number of youth will go in front of them, the attempt did not succeed and the number of martyrs rose. Then the Freedom fighters decided to bring bulldozers and storm the battalion from all sides, but the snipers confronted them, one managed to bring one of the walls down but the driver was killed, his two brothers were already killed before Sunday. Attempt continued until a man called Al-Mahdi Zui (52 years) was saddened by the death of young youth especially some of them were 14 and 15 years old, so he wanted to find a solution, so he got into his car and put two gas cylinders and some explosives and stormed the battalion entrance and blow it up. In this moment they got support from freedom fighters that arrived from the east and the defection of an elite brigade that succeeded in entering the battalion and with its fall it looked like the city had fallen. How were things managed after the revolutionaries took control of Benghazi and the East? In the beginning local councils were formed and then they connected and subsequently decided to form the transitional interim council that will govern Libya during the transitional period. And it was agreed upon that Mustafa Abdul Al-Jalil will lead the council who was one of the first people to defect from Gaddafi. And we as lawyers established crisis management that created a council to conduct relief work and other essential activities. We found out that you were the first woman to visit the front lines in Ajdabiya and Musrata, inform us of your experience. Regarding Ajdabiya, it was on 4/9, and we got information that the Gaddafi brigades took control of Ajdabiya again so I went there and followed the freedom fighters movements as they regained control of it again and on 4/13 I went to Misurata to defy Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi’s speech that said any humanitarian aid entering Misurata will be hit and both times I was there, there was a big welcome from the freedom fighters there. What is the most tragic stories that you followed during these events? I remember the killing of 23 people in Misurata in a single moment when they were in front of a bakery, it was during my visit to there and I can’t forget that horrifying scene that we saw in the hospital after the remains were taken t the hospital (crying). What are the best results of the revolution in your opinion? The unity of the Libyan people and the creation of a youth network that communicate every day, at the same time we found out strange things that people didn’t know that there were people in Nafousa Mountain that speak. Are you in contact with the revolution youth of Tunisia and Egypt? Yes we have a strong connection, I went with a youth delegation to Egypt and met with the secretary general of the Arab league and he directed his team to take all information and recording and documentations that we conducted and we asked 5 things from the Arab League: to stop the bloodshed, approve the no-fly zone, freeze Gaddafi’s assets and to recognize the transitional council and our flag. A final word. To not be silent later and be defiant today until we free our land and our people from Gaddafi.
Vice President of the Council confirms the existence of a plan to prevent reprisals and revenge acts after the fall of Gaddafi.
June 28, 2011 - Al-Anba:
Vice President of the Council confirms the existence of a plan to prevent reprisals and revenge acts after the fall of Gaddafi.
English translation by Asma
The Vice President of the Interim Council confirms the existence of a plan to prevent reprisal after the fall of Gaddafi…and an activist in the youth of the revolution speaks of her experience. Today Al-Anba completes the publication of the last files from its team’s visit to Libya to find out the latest development from there. In this interview, the Vice President of the Interim government Abdul Hafeedh Ghoga talks about the revolutionaries’ refusal of any attempt to divide the country, also pointing out that the council has prepared a clear plan for post-Gaddafi and to avoid any reprisals. Also the prominent Libyan lawyer and activist Tahani Alsharif talks about her experience in the revultion and she was the first Libyan woman to go to the front lines to support the revolutionaries. Ghoga to Al-Anba: We have put a clear plan for the post-Gaddafi period and formed committees to prevent reprisals. The Vice President of the Libyan Interim Council confirms the revolutionaries’ refusal of any attempt to divide the country. • The economic losses are estimated in the billions due to the systematic followed by Gaddafi. • France and Britain demanded Arab support for the intervention and the clear position of the Gulf nations helped in getting the support of the Arab League for the intervention. • We will not celebrate the September revolution and our national holiday is Feb 17th. Benghazi, Adnan Rashid, Mohammed Alhussani. The Vice President of the Libyan Interim Council Abdul Hafeedh Ghoga confirmed the existence of a clear political road map that the country will follow post-Gaddafi, and enter a new era with a new constitution that will guarantee freedom and human rights, and Ghoga revealed in his interview with Al-Anba about the formation of committees specializing in upholding tolerance to prevent reprisals following the end of the Gaddafi regime. Let us start with the countries that recognized the transitional interim council, where do things stand with the international community? The number of countries that recognize the council is on the rise, and more importantly the major international organizations like the European Union and the Arab League have recognized the council as a political interlocutor and that is very important to us, and every day we receive friendly official and popular delegation even from countries that haven’t fully recognized us and things are going forward with increased confidence from the international community in our role and mission. And we have full recognition from many countries like France, Italy, Canada, Germany, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, and in Africa Senegal and Namibia have recognized us and Liberia has expelled the Gaddafi mission from its territory, and I want to point out that a number of countries attended for the first time the latest Libya contact group meeting in Abu Dhabi. How do you assess the position of the Gulf Cooperation Council? From the beginning, it delegitimized the Gaddafi regime and that motivated the Arab league to support the no-fly zone over Libya and condemn the actions of the Gaddafi regime. The GCC constitutes a third of the countries in the Arab League and its position was important in the meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers and which helped in the issuance of UN resolution 1973 that was adopted by Britain and France which demanded the approval of the Arab League. What is the political process planned for Libya in order for it to return to political stability? Our plan is clear after liberation; we prepared a charter and divided the transition period into two parts, the first started from Feb 17th until the liberation of all of Libya and the fall of Gaddafi’s regime and the second is from the liberation and the referendum on the new constitution for the country, and we prepared ourselves for the period after liberation in which a temporary national government will be formed a month after liberation and the appointment national committee to put a constitution within three months and then put it forward for a referendum in order for Libyan to give their opinion on the constitution and then the national council will issue a set of political laws based on the constitution and after this its role will end. And we made it clear that none of its member will have a role in the first legislative elections and the first government nor the presidency to confirm that we are not after power. What about the military situation after 4 months of conflict? We are making steady progress and things are tightening for Gaddafi and his brigades in Tripoli, and you followed how Zawia which witness abuse of its people and horrific crimes and terrible crimes rose again and drove out his faction, the revolutionaries are tightening the circle around Gaddafi and things will soon end to the benefit of the Libyan people. Despite of the difficulties in communication with Tripoli, we are in contact and being informed about what is going on there, many managed to leave to Tunisia or came to Benghazi. Is there contact with Algeria? The bias of the Algerian regime to Gaddafi is because it finds it comparable to its own repressive and authoritarian nature and they try to cooperate so they don’t fall but the fall of the two regimes is coming no doubt, and we are sure that the Algerian people are not pleased with the weak stance of its regime. Are you satisfied with the results of your visits to Arab nations? We hope for more communication and negotiation and more friendly meetings with them, we visited Qatar, Kuwait, EAU, Morocco, Tunisia and we received delegations from Qatar, Egypt, EAU, and at the end we are all children of one Arabic house and we need to cooperate. It is apparent that Qatar played a Major role in saving the Libyan people? We are proud of Qatar and its role; from the first day of our revolution we found endless support especially on the humanitarian level and other levels and from the UAE and their ambassador has informed us of their support on all levels from the beginning, they are our brothers and our welfare concerns them and we are sure that Kuwait is also is doing what it can to help Libya and that it feels our pain, as we feel pain for what is happening in other countries like Syria and Yemen. What about the Turkish position and how do you see it? Turkey gave us humanitarian support from day one and provided us with important aid, and the Turkish consul and told us that they prepared to provide us with humanitarian assistance. Then the Turkish position fluctuated when the no-fly zone was put forward before it changed again when Turkey participated to the international coalition to impose the no-fly zone, then when arming the revolutionaries was out forward Turkey opposed again in the beginning then it changed its position, then it tried to mediate with Gaddafi which surprised us and then it took a clear position which is calling for Gaddafi to step down and today it is working with the international community to achieve that and we are pleased with this stance. There are concerns over the possibility of the division of Libya, especially after the call of Saif Al-Islam for elections under international supervision? What Saif Al-Islam says has no value, and he has no formal position to allow him to make such statements, we are the ones that will carry out the elections and not his crumbling father’s regime. Yes his father tried to divide Libya and tried to control Misurata and the Western mountain, but the revolutionaries regained control of the two areas and passed the opportunity for him, no division of Libya and Gaddafi has no option but to leave. Observers are concerned that Libya will see actions of reprisals in the period after the fall of Gaddafi, how are you going to deal with this possibility? We are working from now to insure stability after Gaddafi’s departure, we have committees specializing in upholding tolerance when things stabilize. Whose hands are stained with blood and robbery will be tried according to the law and will have all the legal guarantees, we want stability and nationalistic and appropriate security institutions. Are you going to celebrate the first of September? No our holiday is Feb 17th the day of the revolution even if the coincided with Eid Al-fater. (Laughing) we will celebrate Eid Al-fater only. How do you predict the end of Gaddafi? We will win the battle; he has been hit hard by air strikes that destroyed his destructive ability that he wanted to direct to his people, despite that he still committed massacres, we will not accept anything less than his trial, I think he will give himself up or get killed, he will not commit suicide because he is in my opinion a coward, he might be killed by someone close to him, even people close to him are leaving him day after day. How much do you estimate the Libyan economic losses? They can’t be accurately estimated, but it is certainly worth billions of dollars, and worst of all is the systematic destruction that Gaddafi is conducting to the economic and industrial infrastructure especially the oil infrastructure, Misurata for example is a manufacturing and commercial city that has been completely destroyed and other strategic areas.
France providing weapons to Libya rebels: report
June 29, 2011 - Reuters:
France providing weapons to Libya rebels: report
France is providing weapons to Libyan rebels in the Western Mountains in an effort to help them push on to Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold in the Libyan capital Tripoli, Le Figaro newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Citing unidentified sources, Le Figaro said France had parachuted "large amounts" of weapons, including rocket launchers, assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank missiles into the Jebel Nafusa region.
The decision to send arms without consulting its NATO partners was "because there was no other way to proceed," a senior source was quoted as saying.
The rebellion against Gaddafi's 41-year rule has made only slow progress since NATO-led countries began bombing three months ago, but rebels now say they getting closer to Tripoli.
Rebels based in the Western Mountains region southwest of the capital made their biggest breakthrough in weeks on Sunday to reach the town of Bir al-Ghanam, where they are now fighting pro-Gaddafi forces for control.
Officials at the Defense Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment and a Foreign Ministry official said it did not handle operational affairs and could not comment on the report.
Government spokesman Francois Baroin declined to comment.
Le Figaro said it had seen a confidential map stamped by French intelligence services showing various areas in the mountains including Yafran and Nalut under the control of rebels where weapons could be sent.
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