Libyan forces turn on Gadaffhi, declare "Free Benghazi," capture foreign mercenaries

Soldiers and police in Beghazi, Libya's second city, have thrown in with protesters on the ground and declared the city to be "Free Benghazi." The Guardian is carrying eyewitness reports of more than 4,000 foreign mercenaries being brought to the country to fight for Gadaffhi, some of whom are in custody of the revolutionary army. The "ransacked" government buildings are flying pre-Gadaffhi-era flags.

An air force officer, Major Rajib Faytouni, said he personally witnessed up to 4,000 mercenaries arrive on Libyan transport planes over a period of three days starting from 14 February. He said: "That's why we turned against the government. That and the fact there was an order to use planes to attack the people."

Numerous witnesses in Benghazi have said that while artillery was used against citizens, air force planes did not fire on them here. They did, however, according to Faytouni, drop two bombs inside the Rajma military base to stop weapons falling into the hands of anti-government forces.

"The two colonels who defected in MiGs had refused orders to bomb the people," he said, referring to a pair of air force officers who fled to Malta in their jets on Monday. He added: "There were also two helicopters that flew to Tunis."

All around Benghazi there were indications that Gaddafi has lost control of the city. The military is no longer operating checkpoints, which are now manned only by a handful of traffic police. Every physical sign of the dictator has been taken down or burned. While there has been no violence in the past two days, angry demonstrators are driving through city firing Kalashnikov rifles into the air and demanding Gaddafi cede control and leave the country.

Libyan city dubbed 'Free Benghazi' as anti-Gaddafi troops take control

• [SteveKiwi]

  Where does one get 4000 mercenaries? Is there a Mercenaries-R-Us? Does Amazon deliver them? Or do you just have to know the right people?

  Not that I’m needing any right now, it’s just for future reference.

  • [Anonymous]

    Africa mostly. But there are several folks thinking that it may be exaggerated and that several of the “mercenaries” are simply immigrants.

• [jungletek]

  Good for them.

  I hope that if the time ever comes, we westerners will be similarly active, and have the balls to stand up for what is right, and what we believe in.

• [Brainspore]

  I hope that if the time ever comes, we westerners will be similarly active, and have the balls to stand up for what is right, and what we believe in.

  What is right and what we believe in are not always the same thing, unfortunately. The last time we had a widespread armed uprising against the Federal government it was largely led by people who wanted to keep slavery legal.

  • [travtastic]

    To be fair, most southerners didn’t much care about slavery. Racism, hell yes. But not slavery.

    The civil war was no more detached from the top one percent than any other war has been.

• [Prufrock451]

  Here’s a good Guardian peace about the reports of mercenaries.

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/22/gaddafi-mercenary-force-libya

• [rebdav]

  It is interesting that UnitedStatesians look toward their right to keep and bear arms as a bulwark against despotism. Unfortunately while arms in the hands of citizens makes a revolt much more effective it also requires a citizenry who cares enough about freedom or whatever cause riles them to get off the sofa and demand freedom not more bread and circuses.

  In Libya I am not clear on the sudden motivation other than everyone else is throwing out the dictators. I wish these movements were able to express what they want beyond no more of the same.
  If FoxNews makes up the news, AlJazeera seems to be creating their own real news. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani funds AlJazeera and is probably the man most responsible for the uprisings via his popular Arabic news channel. It could be he is a good guy, he actually has dialogued with the Israeli opposition parties, not enough data.

  • [mdh]

    “not enough data” keeps responsible people from casting aspersions they have no basis for. But that’s just responsible people.

  • [Ugly Canuck]

    perhaps this article may help clear up motivations in North Africa:

    http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/02/guest-post-cooking-up-trouble-%E2%80%93-soaring-food-and-fuel-prices-in-north-africa-and-the-middle-east.html

    Then again, perhaps not.

    I think that the linked article gives some food for thought. Although what North Africa needs may in fact be affordable food for bellies.

• [ultranaut]

  About an hour ago I heard a report from another Libyan city that had just liberated itself and is now holding a public assemblies to democratically form a new government. Fucking incredible.

  I predict Gadhafi will be dead very soon.