WITNESS STATEMENT ON SITUATION IN BENGHAZI AS OF 23 MARCH 2011, 0100 BENGHAZI TIME

RUSH TRANSCRIPT - Emphasis Added by Editor

“Update on how things are going from the inside of Benghazi.

Ok. Hi everyone, here are the updates for how Benghazi has been doing in the past days.
Of course, it all started on Saturday ........ when the Gerdaffi [Gaddafi] forces started bombing us. The
bombing reached into areas like Tabalino and Keesh. Keesh al-Jaded ***. There was a big massacre in
Gwarsha area , that’s were the forces came in from.

At the same time, there was something new going on. The LIJAN THAWRIYA [pro-Gaddafi civilians]
started coming out, armed and shooting randomly in the city, especially in these areas on Saturday.
Tabalino, where it all started and where Mo alah yar7amah, died not far away from. Plus alra7aba ,
Pepsi area and Alberka. People were shot in front of their homes, and in their cars. Kids were killed that
were playing in front of their homes. About 94 reached the hospital ( those are the dead ones ) not
talking about the injured and not talking about the bodies that were collected from the Lijan Thawriya
and that were burnt because the families were not able to get their beloved ones’ bodies from the
streets because of the heavy shooting. The hospitals got attacked at around 7, but thank God we had
some security around them, and after that happened they got totally secured. Of course, the bombing
damaged a lot of homes and killed people as well, but that was something already known to everyone.
So on Saturday, our Men started going after the Lijan, and there [were] a lot of confrontations between
them going on in different locations, mostly in empty buildings where the Lijan would go hide in, like
schools and unfinished houses.

Now to SUNDAY…
Sunday we started to get confirmed information that the Lijan weren’t men only but Women as well.
They were driving in cars and shooting. They were, and still are, knocking on homes asking for shelter
pretending they are refugees and then they shoot the family once they enter. Also there are from
time to time, [there are] snipers on top of buildings shooting at civilians. A lot of confrontations took
place between our brave men and the Lijan on Sunday and a lot from the Lijan got killed and captured.
[and] That’s how it has been going on since.

We are after the Lijan and we won’t stop until we get them all. The random shooters and the snipers
have been trying to hide but they won’t be able to for long .........so it’s getting more quiet and safe again
in the streets. But we have so many check points now everywhere to ensure security

That’s the latest news about Benghazi ..... we didn’t have Gerdaffi forces attacking us from the outside ,
and the NATO is doing a great job for Benghazi, cuz they has successfully stopped a masacare that was
going to happen in Benghazi. Alhamdulilah .........................