Libya's Ragtag Rebels: Why They Fight

Who are they, and can Operation Odyssey Dawn help these amateur warriors defeat Gaddafi?

By Bobby Ghosh and Abigail Hauslohner/Benghazi Friday, Mar. 25, 2011
    • Yuri Kozyrev / NOOR for TIME

    Lybian rebels rest outside of Ajdabiyah.

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    But many military experts are skeptical that allied airpower alone can tilt the battlefield in the rebels' favor. Gaddafi has the clear advantage because he has the armor and artillery, says retired U.S. four-star general Barry McCaffrey. To defeat the government forces, "we need to turn loose the full power of the U.S. Air Force to kill his tanks," he says. "They could drop leaflets telling people, 'Stay away from Gaddafi's armor because we're going after them tonight.' Not only would the Libyan civilians stay away from them, but so would the tank crews."

    And indeed, allied aircraft have begun to target Gaddafi's armored units, on the grounds that they represent the greatest danger to civilians. Briefing journalists from the U.S.S. Mount Whitney , Rear Admiral Gerard Hueber, the chief of staff of the Odyssey Dawn campaign, said his targeting priorities included "mechanized forces, artillery, those mobile surface-to-air missile sites, interdicting their lines of communications ... their command and control and any opportunity for sustainment of their activity." The goal, he added, is to hit the armor before it enters rebel-held cities, where any strike from the air would be likely to cause civilian casualties. For their part, the rebels want the air strikes to continue till the last tank is destroyed.

    Figuring out precisely how the aerial operations would be most useful was far from the minds of most rebels, who greeted the bombing on March 19 with celebrations. Help had arrived, and that was enough. And within a couple of days, they got a chance to show their appreciation to the first U.S. service member to land on Libyan soil — albeit by accident. A F-15E Strike Eagle on a bombing mission developed a mechanical problem, forcing the two pilots to eject. They parachuted down near the village of Bu Mariem, east of Benghazi, late at night on March 21. One was picked up by a rescue team from the U.S.S. Kearsarge in the Mediterranean. The other was rescued by the Libyans and taken to the Fadeel Hotel in Benghazi, where he was given a large suite and a satellite phone to call his family and tell them he was safe. In the end, a chopper came to pick him up and return him to U.S. hands. "He was treated with dignity and respect," said Admiral Samuel Locklear, the overall commander of the operations over Libya.

    The wreckage of the F-15 has already become the latest destination for what can only be described as war tourists: Libyans who, emboldened by the allied air strikes against Gaddafi's forces, turn up at the front line for a look. Many have come in the hope of seeing Western jets blow up some tanks. Their cars, indistinguishable from the rebels' vehicles, just add to the traffic chaos. When Gaddafi's forces start a bombardment, some people mistake it for an allied bombing run and begin cheering, "Allahu akbar" ("God is great"). Then, when the air strikes fail to materialize, some visitors lose heart and others talk of taking matters into their own hands.

    Ahmed al-Faytoori, 33, an employee in the government industrial administration in Benghazi, says he's contemplating a suicide mission. "I will drive as far as I can into [enemy] ranks and blow myself up," he says. He doesn't appear to have any explosives prepared. "Or a car bomb," one of his friends suggests. "Or blow up a car bomb," al-Faytoori agrees. "A lot of people here are prepared to do that." When will they take this extreme step? "Maybe we'll wait an hour," says al-Faytoori. "If an hour passes [without air strikes], it will be too late. Then the suicide operations will begin."

    The hour never comes. Instead, some of the voyeurs are exhorted to join the fighting. A man with a megaphone tries to organize the chaotic crowd of men and boys to march on the front, those with heavy machine guns leading the way. He stands on the roof of a car, shouting, "I know that many of you are civilians, but you have the courage to go and protect." People yell over him. A few trucks speed forward. But most people go back to milling around.

    Many young men in hooded sweatshirts and skinny jeans, some wearing sandals, are standing around with no weapons at all. A few have knives. Muatasim Billah Mohamed, from Tobruk, has fashioned a rebel flag into a bandanna and says he's here to defend Benghazi. How does he intend to do that? "I'm hoping someone will die, and I'll get his weapons."

    The man with the megaphone is still going, screaming, "Move! Move, everyone!" Most are no longer listening to him. Another man walks through the crowd waving a grenade, shouting, "Everyone with a weapon, move!" His shouts fall mostly on deaf ears. It may be only 6 miles to Ajdabiyah, but for Libya's rebels, victory at this moment seems far, far away.

    — With reporting by Mark Thompson / Washington and Vivienne Walt / Paris

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