two heroic libyan pilots flee to malta

[AhlulbaytSoldier]

Libya defectors: Pilots told to bomb protesters flee to MaltaAs Muammar Gadaffi's ambassadors and most of Libya's UN mission resign, two air force pilots escape rather than obey orders


Share55 John Hooper in Rome and Ian Black guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 February 2011 21.21 GMT Article history
Two civilian helicopters, which landed without authorisation after leaving Libya, at Malta International Airport. Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

Two high-ranking Libyan air force pilots have who fled to Malta in their aircraft are reported to have told officials they escaped rather than carry out orders to bomb civilians.

The officers defected as Libyan diplomats in several countries and international organisations resigned in protest at the regime's violent response to the deepening crisis. They included Muammar Gaddafi's ambassadors to China, India, Indonesia and Poland, as well as Libya's representative to the Arab League and most, if not all, of its mission at the United Nations.

Omar Jelban, head of the London People's Bureau, flatly denied an al-Jazeera report he too had quit. Jelban was earlier called to the Foreign Office to hear what William Hague, the foreign secretary, called "our absolute condemnation of the use of lethal force against demonstrators".

The two Mirage F1 jets touched down in Malta after the pilots said they urgently needed to refuel and sought emergency clearance to land. The Times of Malta reported on its website the pilots had told officials they flew to the island after being ordered to bomb protesters occupying Libya's second-biggest city of Benghazi.

One report said they had also brought with them two other members of the Libyan armed forces. The pilots – both colonels – said that, after taking off from Okba Ben Nafi base, they flew low through Libyan air space to avoid radar detection.

The pilots were being questioned by Maltese police who were also trying to identify seven other people who landed from Libya in two civilian helicopters shortly before the arrival of the jets. The helicopters took off from Libya without official clearance and a source in Malta said they appeared to have been in haste, with only one of the seven people aboard carrying a passport.

All seven said they were French. The helicopters' passengers said they were working on an oil platform off Benghazi when the violence in Libya erupted.

The two military jets were at Malta international airport near Valletta, away from the commercial area.

A spokesman for Libya's delegation at the UN told Reuters its members had declared their allegiance to Libya's people, not the government. The spokesman, Dia al-Hotmani, said: "The members of the Libyan mission are representing only the Libyan people and not anyone else."

The deputy UN ambassador told the BBC: "All the Libyan people want Gaddafi to go." Other members of the UN mission had said they were resigning to support anti-government protesters: "We are aware that this will put our families back home in danger, but they are in danger anyway," said member Adam Tarbah.

In New Delhi, Ali al-Essawi accused his government of deploying foreign mercenaries against protesters. And three local employees of the Libyan embassy in Sweden said they had quit in protest.

"It would be hypocritical to assist the Libyan government while we see them attacking people in the streets," said Sayed Jalabi.



Subhanallah, this reminds me of the dowladdii ridada 1989 which ordered pilots to kill muslims.
Many hutus rejected the command of the tyrant.

[kadarre]

waa gob.

[Cali_Gaab]

Masha'allah, may Allah reward them

[Scarletmoon1]

Very Sad...They did the right thing

May Allah reward them

[VybzKartel]

Asylum stories. The situation in Libya is at the point where bombing the stupid protestors is necessary.

[Kukri]

May they rot in hell for refusing a direct order.

[AbdiWahab252]

They must be Berber not Jeberti

[abdalla11]

lol@ thee hidden messages

[kadarre]

[S-D-M]

lol@ thee hidden messages

Abdi,

I was thinking they were beesha "damn I need euro visa"

[AbdiWahab252]

SDM,

Negative, it was a native son with a conscious who will not kill his own.

[Du$ty]

Bollocks

[abdalla11]

lol@ thee hidden messages

Abdi,

I was thinking they were beesha "damn I need euro visa"

The similarities are just too much. Waryaa i worry about the north east part of Libya

[S-D-M]

SDM,

Negative, it was a native son with a conscious who will not kill his own.

I didn't know Richard Wright was a Libyan .

Anyway respect to anyone who is true to what they believe rather then change their believe like the wind.

[AbdiWahab252]

SDM,

Pour out some Jaegermeister for all the dead bros in Libya.