LIBYA: Warship defects to Malta

A Libyan warship arrived in Malta on Tuesday after its crew refused to carry out orders to bomb Benghazi, the satellite network Al Jazeera reported.

A second Libyan ship has also reportedly been sighted in the area, the network reported.

A Libyan pilot, speaking from Switzerland, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that he had flown a planeload of mercenaries into Libya. The pilot said he did not realize what he was doing at the time, according to Al Jazeera, but that the group was chanting, although the members did not speak Arabic.

He urged fellow pilots not to go to work or answer their phones, Al Jazeera reported. He said that, in the chaos of Tripoli, they would not be found and he was sure that they and their families would be safe as the regime collapsed and lost power, according to Al Jazeera.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Photo: Graffiti targeting Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi appear on the walls of the burned City Council building Tuesday in the eastern port city of Tobruk. Libyan soldiers in the city told a Reuters correspondent that they no longer backed Kadafi and that the eastern region was out of his control. Residents said the city was now in the hands of the people and had been so for about three days. The Arabic graffiti read: "Enough for 41 [years]," referring to Kadafi's four-decade rule in the country. Credit: Asmaa Waguih / Reuters

Comments

[Mario Spiteri]

@Caithy - the last word in Arabic is: Tobruk

[peter]

I've been watching Aljazeera and they are pushing a lot of bias news. It's good reporting, and much appreciated. But they push a lot of unconfirmed stuff. They aren't lying; they will tell you that they've gotten information from such and such person, but that person wont be able to reveal their source.
For example, Kadafi being on his way to Venezuela. It was a british ambassador (or something like that) that said he had information about Kadafi going to Venezuela. They pushed it pretty hard, why? Common sense; they want to inspire Lybians to feel more inspired and feel as if they were winning . But Aljazeera didn't push any of the unconfirmed info coming from the government. For example, I believe Italians have been able to land planes in the Capitol's airport. That means enough people are working that they can still maintain a functional airport. Or, they airplane pilot in the piece above stated that he recommends that pilots not answer their phones. Why would they even be working if the're are Africans running around shooting anyone? Aljazeera is trying to bomb the airways with images of the areas that are not functioning and are in revolt. If the whole country represented what the images imply, then Lybia's entire economy would be upside down and the government's own soldiers would be running home to make sure their own families were safe. But the soldiers of the government are not abandoning Kadafi, atleast not all of them.
So, Thank you Aljazeera for giving us a look at raw data. I appreciate it. I just don't think the LA times should quote you for material that Aljazeera doesn't even accept as verified. And the LA times should always let readers know how unreliable Aljazeera is. They are very biased.

[Larkin]

Malta is going to be armed to the teeth by the end of this thing.

[Charley Ramm]

Al Jazeera reported. reportedly the network reported. according to Al Jazeera Al Jazeera reported, according to Al Jazeera.

Editor?

[ארכיב]

Is that the beginning of the end?

[Simon]

That is absolutely terrifying. Any updates on what language the mercenaries spoke/where they were from?

[K Tabone]

Please note that NO War ships have landed in Malta.... please dont believe everything you read!!!!

[Caity]

To an editor: I wonder if someone can double-check the meaning of the Arabic on that wall. I don't know about the Libyan dialect, but to me it looks like it says, "Enough, 41 youth..." and then I can't make out the last little bit. But I don't se anything about "years" on the wall.
شباب is the word for youth, and سنوات is the word for years, and I'm seeing "youth." Maybe someone else can confirm?