Gaddafi loyalists raze rebel mosque

Journalists are shown cleared site, emptied rebel graves and hospital on tour orchestrated by Libyan government minders A mosque that became a focal point of the anti-Gaddafi rebellion during fierce fighting in the western town of Zawiya has been razed by city authorities loyal to the Libyan leader. Rubble from the demolition of the mosque, which was badly damaged during battles that raged for more than a week, has been cleared leaving a vast expanse of bare earth in central Zawiya. Evidence of fighting remains in the shelled and bullet-pocked buildings lining the central square, their windows blown out and gaping holes in their walls. The Zawiya Jewel hotel has been abandoned along with many other buildings. In a small park opposite the site of the mosque the bodies of about 20 rebel fighters have been removed from their makeshift graves. A huge loyalist green flag flies from the post where rebels had raised their tricolour. On a government-organised trip to the town, 30 miles west of Tripoli, with journalists accompanied by a large group of minders, it was impossible to find a consistent explanation for the mosque’s destruction – an unusual act in a Muslim society. One bystander said the structure had become unstable and was razed for safety reasons. Another said it was destroyed because it had become a haven for al-Qaida. “There were drugs, alcohol and dirty women inside,” the man said. Journalists were shown the carcass of a police station – the minders said it was shelled and burned by rebel forces looking for weapons. In one blackened room, amid a pile of charred documents, lay photographs that appeared to show detainees injured and possibly tortured. Papers covered with fingerprints were scattered on the floor; broken glass crunched underfoot. In the teaching hospital on the outskirts of Zawiya, where most beds appeared unoccupied, staff spoke of treating the injured and dying from the battle. Rebel fighters and government soldiers had been treated equally, most insisted. But Mohammed al-Araby, a consultant surgeon, said he had heard rumours that some doctors refused to treat wounded soldiers loyal to Gaddafi. He himself had abided by the Hippocratic Oath to practise medicine ethically, but he had seen clear reluctance in some doctors’ faces. Reliable numbers of the dead and wounded were impossible to obtain, although Massoud Edeeb, head of surgery, cautiously said that up to 100 people may have died. According to Araby, opposition forces had removed their wounded after initial treatment for fear that they would be taken by loyalists. As government forces gained ascendancy in Zawiya a final group of injured rebel soldiers were removed from the hospital by the military for investigation, he said. A group of white-clad female medics mounted a noisy pro-Gaddafi demonstration for the benefit of the visiting foreign media. In the central square traffic was held up as loyalists clad in Gaddafi-green scarves and bandanas chanted and sang their support from cars and pick-up trucks. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 6, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.