Tripoli Update
Source: Reliable Tripoli residents who managed to leave Tripoli this past weekend 7-8 May 2011
Security/Military situation
• All entries & exits to Tripoli are controlled by checkpoints. Before 3pm checks are selective. After 6pm all vehicles are checked without exception.
• The distance is about 160 km between Tripoli and the border. There are now exactly 34 checkpoints between Tripoli and Tunisia border including a number of electronic checkpoints dedicated to checking laptops, cameras and mobile phones.
• All telephones are monitored. Even boasted by the TV presenter who calls himself Dr. Hamza. The monitoring of calls is particularly obvious when making international calls
• No tanks on main streets but almost every intersection you will see one or two General Security (Amn Aam امن عام) standing with their AK47s
• Mercenaries not seen on Tripoli’s streets since the first days of the revolution
• Surrounding Tripoli there are military check points (different from the checkpoints inside the city). These check points have female in military fatigues to check women and children.
• These military check point search every single car and have tanks, anti aircraft mounted on trucks, AK47s and machine guns. Tanks are hidden under trees and covered in blue or green coloured tarp(plastic sheets)
• 4 main military check points in Tripoli
- Airport road ((طريق المطار
- Alhadba Alkhadra road near Salah Aldeen Hospital (عند مستشفى صلاح الدين فى الهضبة الخضراء)
- 27 km West of Tripoli (Jidayam) جدايم
- 32km East of Tripoli (End of the highway after Tajura)( اخر الطريق السريع )
• The infamous Khamis brigade is mainly located in Tripoli. It is estimated to be 30,000 strong before the revolution. In total there are thought to be 18 Gaddafi military units in Libya at around 4,000 strong each (Total 72,000) excluding the Khamis brigade which is the only one which has Naval and Air force units. Some of the Khamis brigade have been used in the attacks on Misurata. Khamis himself is alive and based in Zletin running the Western front operation. Whilst Muattasim is based in Sirte running the Eastern front operation.
• The Khamis brigade specifically (which is properly known as the 32 brigade اللواء32 المدعم ) is located in 4 main locations in Tripoli
- At the kilometre 27 West of Tripoli
- At the kilometer 27 East of Tripoli (in front of the Heart hospital ( امام مستشفى القلب
- Khlilet Alfurjan خلة الفرجان
- Kasr Bin Ghasheer قصر بن غشير
• It has been confirmed by a Brigadier in the Libyan Air force that Algeria supplied Gaddafi with 6 jet fighters and 3 military transport planes. This occurred between 17-19 February. Also the Syrian pilots captured where in Libya training Libyan pilots and then took part in the air operations.
• It is commonly believed in Tripoli that a massacre has taken place in the Police College in Salah Aldeen area where student from the East of Libya in particular were executed en masse.
• Eyewitnesses confirm in the neighbourhood of Bab AlAzizia that 2 huge fire fights occurred in the compound. One occurred after the Libyan Jet fighter pilot plunged into the compound. The jet fighter plunging was witnessed by people living in the buildings near the compound. It is thought it was possibly Saif AlArab that was killed in this attack. But this is speculation.
• The house in the area of Gharghur which Saif AlArab is claimed t0 have died in used to be Muammar’s wife’s house, then most recently became Hannibal’s.
• Sources confirm that at the start of the revolution a large number of neighbourhoods had demonstrations including Tajura, Soug Aljuma, Fashloum, Alsiyahya, Gurjy amongst others. The protesters reached Green square. However after 3 days, the resistance became restricted to nightly raids on check points due to the shoot on sight policy of Gaddafi forces.
• No one in Tripoli is sure which of Gaddafi’s grandchildren if any died, if any actually did.
• It is believed in Tripoli by many that mass rape in cities in West of Libya have reached extreme levels. In the most extreme case between 40% to 60% of adult female population of some towns has been raped.
• Conscription has been introduced for 20 to 40 year olds (thosse born between 1971 and 1991)
• The mood according to the top military brass is one of resignation that Gaddafi will eventually go. Hence, many in the top brass are doing the minimum required.
Daily Life
• It can take up to 4 days to fill a car due to petrol shortage. Of the working petrol station queues are 3 to 5 miles long. Not all petrol stations are working.
• Prices have tripled for all food commodities. For example, 1kg of sugar used to cost 50pence, now it costs 1.25 dinars, cost of ¾ litre of sunflower oil was 2.75 dinars two months ago and is now 7.5 dinars
• Electricity and water are working fine. However, everyone is buying small generators as they expect power to get cut at some point. Tripoli’s electricity is run by gas powered turbines. The Gas is sourced from Wafa gas field 60 km south of Ghadamis and pipelines run from the Wafa gas field to the Melita complex(which lies between Zuwara & Sabratha). The key worry is that at some point there will be a lack of technicians to run the city’s utilities.
• Normal traffic &movement in the City occurs from 11am to 3pm. After 3pm very few cars are on the roads.
• 60% of banks are closed. Only 10% of bank staff go to work. Mainly managers and deputy manager who don’t wish to lose their jobs or are forced to attend.
• Banks have a severe shortage of Libyan currency. Libyans are only allowed to withdraw 500 dinars a month regardless of how much money lies in their account. It has reached the point where the old 10 large dinar notes have been re-introduced into circulation
• All Public & Private sector employees don’t wish to go got work and do the minimum possible. Utility companies are the only companies with around 50% attendance or less.
• All Oil sector related companies have closed and Libyan employees of foreign oil companies have been laid off.
TV
• The popular channels in Tripoli are Aljazeera, Alarabiya, France 24, Alhurra. At the start people watched Russia Today but then people quickly turned off it.
• People only really watch Gaddafi TV after NATO strikes as they are usually the first TV channel to report the location of the bombings.
• My source says Libya must be the only country where people are ecstatic to hear the bombs and everyone rushes to the balconies and tops of their houses to see the smoke.
• Apparently everyone in Tripoli wants to kill Hala Almisrati, Shakeer, Gadr Bu and Dr Hamza the Gaddafi TV presenters. They have become hate figures in the city.
• Due to presence of Satellite channels no is falling for Gaddafi TV lies.
Education
• School exams that normally would have finished by now are set for last week of May. This is in order to force students to go to school to fake a sense of normalcy in the city and to students to participate in Gaddafi rallies as witnessed often on Libyan TV
• All High School student (thanawy) have been required to provide their finger print on documents stating they want Gaddafi as leader and Saif Al islam his son as president of the country
• Majority of teachers and students do not attend school using the excuse of petrol shortages
• Majority of University Students do not attend and have not registered for subjects because there have been no lectures since the start of the revolution. Despite this exams have been set.
Travelling
• Prime Minister Mohamed AlZwai issued a decree that no Libyan is allowed to leave the country without prior authorisation from the relevant ministry particularly Managing directors and their deputies. For example, a tourism company employee requires a permit from the tourism ministry and so on.
Hospitals
• The Green hospital in Alhadba المستشفى الخضراء has a heavy military presence. It is believed to be where Gaddafi forces casualties are treated. The Hospital in Zawiya street مستشفى شارع الزاوية أو كما يسمى المركزى القديم is where the injured protesters were taken and where they were kidnapped them.
• Gaddafi soldiers check the hospitals daily to kidnap any injured protesters
• Injured protesters do not go to hospital anymore, they would rather die at home than at Gaddafi’s hand
• Rumours say that Uqba hospital was where dead protesters bodies were stored to be place in the locations of NATO bomb sites after the bombing
Psychology
• There is a sense of fear mixed with hope that the NATO bombings will bring an end to Gaddafi regime. However, running in tandem with these feelings is a strong sense of defiance and determination to get rid of Gaddafi.
• Everyone supports the National Transitional Council. However, they believe more media attention should be given to Nafusa and other western cities such as Zuwara and Zawiya.
News from Zuwara , Zawiya, Sabratah and Gheryan
• Zuwara has becomea ghost towns. Men under 45 are either dead, escaped or detained.
• In Zuwara, Gaddafi forces steal property with abandon, for example, literally ripping jewellery off women.
• Zawiya has been almost completely destroyed. Gaddafi forces continue to raid houses on a daily basis. Getting raided once does not mean you won’t get raided again the next day. Gaddafi soldiers on rais often waste or destroy the food in the house so families can’t use them.
• However, despite this, both Zuwara and Zawiya are still resisting with raids on Gaddafi forces and checkpoints.
• Sabratha rose at the beginngin of the revolution however Gaddafi forces led by Alkhweldy Alhemedi and his son Khaled have prevented further protests.
• Gheryan also revolted in the first days of the revolution. Apparently Bu Zaid Aldurda was present in the city at the time and gave the city licence to protest as long as they did not attack the Sahban brigade. However, after a day and a half the brigade occupied the city.
from Thanku4theAnger THANKU4THEANGER
Comprehensive update of situation in Tripoli before tonight with exclusive/sensitive military information #Feb17
http://twitdoc.com/7E8vor 18 Minuten