On Libya we can’t let ourselves be scarred by Iraq | Ian Birrell

The international community must get over the foolishness of the 2003 invasion, and take swift action against Gaddafi It gets worse and worse. Muammar Gaddafi has declared war on his people and the streets of Libya are flowing with blood. Yesterday I heard of people watching their own air force attack the suburbs of Tripoli, leaving roads filled with burned bodies. When they tried to recover the corpses of friends and relatives, they risked being shot by gangs of roaming mercenaries. It is like an apocalyptic Hollywood film. There are even rumours of systematic male rape in this elegant city of jacaranda trees and Italianate buildings. Who knows what is true and what is false, only that there is a whirlwind of terror amid a media blackout as the people of Libya try to overthrow the despot who has ruined their country these past 41 years. Just a fortnight ago I was in these cities – Benghazi, al-Bayda, Tripoli – talking to people preparing for their day of rage. Now in the east of the country victory is in sight, with the old flag flying in place of Gaddafi’s green pennant. But in the west, Gaddafi has vowed to fight to the death and is keeping his word in the most brutal manner possible. Can anything be done to expedite his

Posted by on February 23, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry