Wednesday, February 23, 2011

CNN reporter in Libya: "The fight is hard and bloody"

The new civil Libya with: where the border guards before the days of the Gaddafi regime, the passports and visas of travelers controlled slide, to Libya's border with Egypt now volunteers from the neighborhood service. Most are not twenty years old, have Kalashnikov assault rifles slung, some armed with truncheons.

"Welcome to free Libya!" they are called Inbound welcome. The north-east of the insurgency-torn country's oil is largely in hands of the rebels against the rule of Muammar al-Gaddafi. The regular border guards have run away. The one who has described the scene at the Libyan-Egyptian border, is Ben Wedeman.

As the first foreign reporters on Monday he is able to travel to Libya. Wedeman the long-standing Cairo correspondent for the U.S. broadcaster CNN. From the Egyptian capital from Wedeman and his team had set out for western Egypt. About six hours later they arrived in the Egyptian Sallum, the border town on the Mediterranean to Libya.

With a hired local Libyan driver they had approached the checkpoint, Wedeman writes on CNN's website about his hussars piece. There, a young man asked for the passports of foreigners. "Why?" There is no government. That makes no sense, "said Wedeman back driver. He seemed to have internalized the new freedom already.

Chaos prevailed on the border, Wedeman describes the turmoil in the otherwise sleepy transition. As in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban and in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein's state power have left a vacuum. People are like intoxicated, but a sense of danger lay in the air.

Far from the border am an ammunition depot on fire, you always hear explosions. People are concerned that would be stored in the pit and old mustard gas tank, but so far there were no signs on them, Wedeman on Twitter. Uncontrolled exodus Wedeman car was the report of the CNN man's case to justify an entire fleet of mini buses, hundreds of Egyptian migrant workers appear to want only one thing: home.

Their bagged belongings piled up on the roof racks of their companion. After much back and forth an Egyptian aid convoy was allowed to bring drugs across the border. An Egyptian border officials, the Americans heard his own admission, that tens of thousands of Libyans were on the run. On Monday alone, 15,000 people had crossed the border to the neighboring country.

The Egyptian government has since sent additional troops to border Sallum: They should stop the uncontrolled exodus from Libya. On Monday afternoon Wedeman and his team had finally arrived on the Libyan side of the border. They drove to the west, towards Benghazi. The second largest with about half a million inhabitants city of Libya was the first in which a large-scale revolt broke out.

Much of the port city is now controlled by insurgents, witnesses reported in social networks and in telephone calls with international channels. Also of cruel scenes From the ground over the phone. Accordingly, even the army and local police have connected the Gaddafi's opponents. Nevertheless, the battle to Benghazi and the surrounding provinces is far from over.

On Monday, the Libyan air force bombed targets in the port city and the adjoining regions. According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry while the take-off and landing runways of the airport in Benghazi were destroyed. Did we have to get left behind the border, more the Free Libya "surprisingly normal, CNN-man Wedeman.

At the gas stations there are no snakes, even a few shops were open. There was electricity, even the cell phone networks operate. Only the Internet, which have Accurate Gaddafi days before can be disabled, was still not operational. were signs of looting, it barely even villas owned by the Gaddafi clan stood untouched.

Everywhere reportedly young men who are trying to bring order to chaos. To stop cars, want to see ID cards, ask questions. The reports of foreign mercenaries are apparently penetrated down to the last hole: For days now circulating serious stories that African but also European mercenaries in order Gaddafi in the areas controlled by the rebels were on their way.

They were hired to spread fear and terror. Twitter messages keep on running, that these men indiscriminately from moving vehicles out to passers-by shooting, entering houses and harass women and children - gossip bypassed even after the revolution in Tunisia. The young men seem to search for these mercenaries.

"Hard and very bloody," The militia, which they had been checked, had been surprised and happy to see a Western television team in the country, writes Wedeman. The young men were polite but a little cocky been. "Understandable, considering that it precisely the yoke of the 42-year reign of dropping Gaddafi," said the reporter.

"Deep Hatred of Muammar Gaddafi and his family," Wedeman Encyclopedia of the road. People would complain that the clan decades of theft, bribery, brutality and the neglect of the people. In the event that they fall Gaddafi loyal troops into the hands of its passengers are Wedeman drivers clear instructions: Then they should say they are German doctors.

After a long drive on bad roads, the CNN team reached their destination. Where was that, Wedeman wanted for security reasons not tell, but it appears to be at Tobruk, the first major city across the border. A dozen men, including one who introduced himself as the leader of the opposition, welcomed the Americans exuberant.

After the initial joy that Western media finally reports on the spot about what happened in Libya, the men told the CNN reporter, according to details: the majority stationed in Ostlibyen army units had joined the rebels, so Wedeman host. Other troops in the region but are loyal to Gaddafi and were only waiting for the moment to counterattack.

"He and many others in Ostlibyen clearly aware that the struggle against the regime of Gaddafi will be hard and very bloody," Wedeman writes about the man who granted the CNN team in a villa hideout.

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