Posted on 04/21/2011 10:32:56 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
The graves outside the shrine are packed tightly together, thick stripes of cement with small concrete blocks poking out of the earth at either end. Some of the graves are about six feet apart, like those marking the remains of Khalid Abushahma, the first protester to be shot dead by Muammar Gaddafi's forces in this Libyan port city on 20 February, and of Ali al-Hadi, who died just two days ago.
Other graves barely span two feet. Ibrahim Omran, a baby buried on 7 April. Amina Abdullah, a small girl, two weeks before. Sanad Aduraat, a toddler killed by a bullet on 6 March. Carved into the cement next to Aduraat's name, next to all the names, is the word al-shaheed, meaning martyr.
"Gaddafi is the reason for all this," said Abdullah Almohandis, an old man in a brown hooded cloak who oversees the cemetery.
Heavy explosions boomed in the distance, as they do here for many hours of each day and night. Almohandis held his open hands to the sky, shaking with rage.
The war in Misrata is now two months old. The graveyards are filling up and the hospitals are overflowing. In their attempt to end the uprising, Gaddafi's forces have killed at least 1,000 people. Around 90% are civilians who have died because of indiscriminate shelling or shooting, doctors here say.
Fighting has been so heavy that parts of the city centre are now almost completely destroyed. Buildings, homes and mosques are pockmarked with bullet holes. Walls have been completely blown away, or are blackened by fire. Entire suburbs near the front lines are empty of families, who have crammed into other parts of the city, closer to the sea. Communications have been completely cut.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
The rebels just won the siege of Misrata besides taking heavy casualties. Now that the Americans are sending the drones to go after the Loyalists, I think they’ll desert en masse and the Dictator’s 42 year reign is finally finished.
I guess they are only as good as the Intel that the guys operating them are getting?
After this Kinetic Military operation is done I wonder where the UN and its Kenyan leader will be sending our military forces. We'll just need to borrow another trillion to reload and attack. Gas should hit about 10 dollars a gallon by 2012.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.