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Latest update: 29/03/2011
- Arab world - Libya - Muammar Gaddafi - unrest
Libya, the battle of the East (part 2)
For over a week, rebel forces have been gaining ground on the eastern coast. But it is just a matter of time before government troops launch a counter-offensive.
By Cyril VANIER
I think the defining moment of our assignment in Libya took place in our hotel room in Ajdabiyah on Tuesday March 8th, as Ahmed finished trimming our sideburns. We were sending our latest report to the newsroom, and while the satellite fed the file through to Paris, we got the local barber to give us a cut.
He couldn’t have been more than 20 years old, dressed like a back-up dancer in a music video: sneakers, faded jeans, flashy T-shirt. As he put away his scissors, he looked slightly uneasy:
“Sorry guys, I have to go.
- Where? we asked.
- To the frontline. I’m going to fight.”
The young, slightly chubby, fashion-conscious barber from Ajdabiyah was telling us he couldn’t hang around because he had a war to fight. One more combatant had joined the ranks of Libya’s rebellion.
Did he have any kind of military training? Did he know how to handle a weapon? No. But his friends were going, and he would too.
Ahmed packed his scissors, refused to take any money for the haircut, and left.
Although we did encounter some professional soldiers within the ranks of the rebellion, the majority of the insurgents we met were like Ahmed: improvised fighters.
We don’t know how much action Ahmed actually saw, how much fighting he got done, but that was the feeling in Ajdabiyah at the time: anyone who could, should rush to the frontline.
The rebels just prayed that their audacity and enthusiasm would translate into military victories. And for a while they did. Rebels made significant gains early March, capturing the towns of Brega, Ras Lanuf and Ben Jawad. But pro-Gaddafi forces mounted a counter-offensive and swiftly repelled the insurgency in those towns.
The inside story posted on this page brings together reporting from three separate France 24 teams in Libya - in the capital Tripoli and on the east coast - to give you a comprehensive picture of what is happening on the ground.
A special report by FRANCE 24's team: Jean-Marie Lemaire, Cyril Vanier, Chady Chlela, Jérôme Bonnard, Catherine Norris Trent, Willy Bracciano et Khalil Béchir.
Watch the first part of our exclusive report on Libya: 'The battle of the East'
Watch the short version of our special report
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Comments (4)
war in any part of globe
Each world country govt must think the poverty in counytry.and population welfare,any mismatch is cause of war,political divided opnions are causes of war in world,once war occurs and other side can not be silent and to aggressive too so prtest is necessary ,in fact first who start war is in mistake but,even international court can not decide to put justice of countries,thus globe becomes disturbed and peace goes and whole world suffer,is consequence of war
so avode war in world must be the motto of whole world population either in favour of govt or disfavour,since iraq,war all continents are in trouble,in war there is no any benefit only losses,human loss,country loss.
,and mentality of population disturbs,so in world you can think of how dangerous are military weapons,
moreover think of nuclear,chemical,and bio weapos will be too destructive
hence all country must follo to WPT world peace treaty draft
"to limit military,army,navy,airforce,and nuclear,bio,and chemical weapons
a total every country must think to its groth even one country must not sell weapons to other countries,then automatic war will be controlled"
killing animal is offence think' human kill is as if lost the humanright
world politics is disturbed and nothing.
pramod deshpande
senior scientific officer atomic energy ,india
protect globe protect world protect population.
US State Department silent on Saleh...why? double standards
it has not escaped out attention to note that the USState Department is silent on Saleh...why?, as opposed to Gadhafi. Gadhafi was outspoken, and hence lacked political guise, officially termed diplomatic tact, that was his no 1. undoing. not through Obama will Gadhafi fall. we are waiting for a US say on Saleh, "the friend" who helps clean out terrorists.
KHK- Botswana.
excellent report
Very informative report. Only coverage i've seen which gives the viewer an understanding of how things really are on the ground; the motivations of the rebels and some of the background on how things were in society and how people were treated.
I feel well informed!
I would like to thank the team of france24 reporters who put this report together; the pictures speaks for themselves, but are backed up by very well by the speaker who is really on-site as it happens. I sit here in one of the Scandinavian countries watching it all, and you know what: I feel like being involved in the cause these rebel fighters struggling with! But I can't do anything more than over and over again return to the excellent reports from france24. Thank you so much and please carry on doing what you are doing so well!
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