AJDABYA - Hold on to the trailer of a pickup or trial pack of six or seven in their cars, the warriors of the new Libya rushing to lead the enemy, singing patriotic songs. Some are armed with old Kalashnikovs, while others only the courage of the brave. They go towards Brega, a town on the border between Tripolitania and Cyrenaica released, that yesterday morning the militia Gaddafi tried to recapture with armored and aviation.
The fighters are called to defend the uprising on 17 February are mostly boys, ready to die rather than yield an inch of land to the "dead chicken that still moves" as they call the Colonel a few days. When passing through the checkpoint Ajdabya, 170 km south of Benghazi, the crowd screams with them hosannas from the stadium, and some fanning of anti-aircraft battery.
At three in the afternoon comes news that the enemy was defeated, the militia, many of them mercenaries, were defeated. The report speaks of fourteen victims of war between the insurgents. Almost all of Brega, taken by surprise shortly after dawn, when hunting of Tripoli began bombing their positions and tanks to lean forward from the front of Sirte to the large reservoirs of oil.
Some of them I had met two days ago, to defend those oil terminals Libya freed without which it could not survive. One was a schoolteacher, another a truck driver of the Sirt oil company, a more morose and taciturn that a teenager shouldering his new gun with the devotion of a cult. None of them, but even the new members of the infant National Council of Benghazi, was expected to strike-back Colonel so sudden and so violent.
The news of the counter-Gaddafi has left everyone stunned. For the people of the revolt, intoxicated by its military and political success, unexpected and overwhelming, it was like a rude awakening. Military airport in Benghazi, they told us that several pilots had passed on their side with eight fighter planes, yesterday but no fighter has run up in the air to defend the refineries or Ras Lanuf Brega.
And the new recruiting base in the makeshift school Selmeny, troops of boys and older reservists were preparing to march on Tripoli relying only on old machine guns to bring down the twelve thousand men armed to the teeth still in the pay of Colonel. Tuesday morning, when it comes to the news of Gaddafi, the city is paralyzed by a frenzied traffic.
At the courthouse, home of the leader of the revolt, the coordinator of the international press, with tears in his eyes, said: "Now come and massacre us all." Outside, an old mullah uses a megaphone to harangue the young people ready to sacrifice, "Wait, do not go to die needlessly," pleads with them.
"Libya needs you, listen to one voice, that of your masters." But at that time, their commanders or still asleep or are they too stuck in traffic. Meanwhile, a French colleague who has run the day before yesterday evening drive up to Brega, and who is under fire of the insurgents and militiamen, sends us a text message to inform us that the troops of firing on Colonel Red Cross office the first wounded.
In the afternoon, we cross four ambulances from Benghazi, escorted by five anti-aircraft guns mounted on jeeps as many Toyota. Around 10 am, free patriots in Libya to begin to pour in mass Brega, which is about 240 km from Benghazi, and they do it before a few tanks and guns available to their wacky army.
The road is a strip in the desert, which run even 180 kmh. When we arrived at the checkpoint Ajdabya, half a dozen anti-aircraft batteries were deployed to protect an important star for storage of spent ammunition in the hands of insurgents. In the direction of Brega, south southwest, are also pointed two or three guns.
From the nearby town, which was also bombed two days ago by fighters of Gaddafi, have come many many potential martyrs and curious to crowd this last outpost. On the sand, there are hundreds of parked cars. Were it not for the drama of the situation, what happens at the checkpoint is more reminiscent of a village festival, or at most a military exercise.
Stop Coming from Brega. Some flaunt the joy of the winner. Others appear more skeptical, arguing that fighting is still at university, or airport, where the militias are hoping to get reinforcements. In the afternoon, hospital Ajdabya begin to get the wounded. They have no more than two decades and who have been hit in the chest, stomach those, who in the neck.
They are all aware of before entering the operating room. And everyone smiles. 
The fighters are called to defend the uprising on 17 February are mostly boys, ready to die rather than yield an inch of land to the "dead chicken that still moves" as they call the Colonel a few days. When passing through the checkpoint Ajdabya, 170 km south of Benghazi, the crowd screams with them hosannas from the stadium, and some fanning of anti-aircraft battery.
At three in the afternoon comes news that the enemy was defeated, the militia, many of them mercenaries, were defeated. The report speaks of fourteen victims of war between the insurgents. Almost all of Brega, taken by surprise shortly after dawn, when hunting of Tripoli began bombing their positions and tanks to lean forward from the front of Sirte to the large reservoirs of oil.
Some of them I had met two days ago, to defend those oil terminals Libya freed without which it could not survive. One was a schoolteacher, another a truck driver of the Sirt oil company, a more morose and taciturn that a teenager shouldering his new gun with the devotion of a cult. None of them, but even the new members of the infant National Council of Benghazi, was expected to strike-back Colonel so sudden and so violent.
The news of the counter-Gaddafi has left everyone stunned. For the people of the revolt, intoxicated by its military and political success, unexpected and overwhelming, it was like a rude awakening. Military airport in Benghazi, they told us that several pilots had passed on their side with eight fighter planes, yesterday but no fighter has run up in the air to defend the refineries or Ras Lanuf Brega.
And the new recruiting base in the makeshift school Selmeny, troops of boys and older reservists were preparing to march on Tripoli relying only on old machine guns to bring down the twelve thousand men armed to the teeth still in the pay of Colonel. Tuesday morning, when it comes to the news of Gaddafi, the city is paralyzed by a frenzied traffic.
At the courthouse, home of the leader of the revolt, the coordinator of the international press, with tears in his eyes, said: "Now come and massacre us all." Outside, an old mullah uses a megaphone to harangue the young people ready to sacrifice, "Wait, do not go to die needlessly," pleads with them.
"Libya needs you, listen to one voice, that of your masters." But at that time, their commanders or still asleep or are they too stuck in traffic. Meanwhile, a French colleague who has run the day before yesterday evening drive up to Brega, and who is under fire of the insurgents and militiamen, sends us a text message to inform us that the troops of firing on Colonel Red Cross office the first wounded.
In the afternoon, we cross four ambulances from Benghazi, escorted by five anti-aircraft guns mounted on jeeps as many Toyota. Around 10 am, free patriots in Libya to begin to pour in mass Brega, which is about 240 km from Benghazi, and they do it before a few tanks and guns available to their wacky army.
The road is a strip in the desert, which run even 180 kmh. When we arrived at the checkpoint Ajdabya, half a dozen anti-aircraft batteries were deployed to protect an important star for storage of spent ammunition in the hands of insurgents. In the direction of Brega, south southwest, are also pointed two or three guns.
From the nearby town, which was also bombed two days ago by fighters of Gaddafi, have come many many potential martyrs and curious to crowd this last outpost. On the sand, there are hundreds of parked cars. Were it not for the drama of the situation, what happens at the checkpoint is more reminiscent of a village festival, or at most a military exercise.
Stop Coming from Brega. Some flaunt the joy of the winner. Others appear more skeptical, arguing that fighting is still at university, or airport, where the militias are hoping to get reinforcements. In the afternoon, hospital Ajdabya begin to get the wounded. They have no more than two decades and who have been hit in the chest, stomach those, who in the neck.
They are all aware of before entering the operating room. And everyone smiles.
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