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Ear to the Ground

Two Libyan Fighter Pilots Defect Rather Than Bomb Protesters

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Posted on Feb 21, 2011
mashleymorgan (CC-BY-SA)

Two Libyan air force colonels landed their Mirage F-1 fighter jets in Malta on Monday, explaining that they were ordered to bomb protesters in Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city, and chose instead to flee.

Many of the country’s diplomats around the world, appalled by their government’s vicious assault on protesters, have resigned.

The Guardian:

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.

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By Gadafi, September 7, 2011 at 6:38 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

what kind of wimpy fighter pilots are they?! NATO pilots would never turn back from bombing civilians.

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By miami web design, May 5, 2011 at 10:29 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

very well done…you guys deserve a medal. I pray they didn’t suffer any consequences for their heroic actions and that there families are safe.

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By Brian, March 26, 2011 at 5:31 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Well done guys for being human.

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By Somechic, February 28, 2011 at 2:56 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

We should all send our support and good thoughts to the people of Libya.

These pilots have just shown the world what true heroism is. It is nice to see that some people in the military remember that they are there to protect the people, even if they are protecting them from the government. Something that more military and police should remember.

For them I say all military and police action should be to protect and serve the people against all enemies Foreign and Domestic. Even if domestic is the government that tells you what to do and who to fight. If you know it is wrong then don’t do it. The people will stand behind you if you stand behind them.

But let us not forget all the heroes that are still there and fighting for their lives every second. Just know Libya that we are all hoping for your safety and an end to your struggles.

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By Phil E. Drifter, February 27, 2011 at 2:33 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Good job, guys.

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, February 25, 2011 at 6:22 pm Link to this comment

Bisbonian, February 24 at 8:13 pm,

It is too bad that the fighter pilots you know wouldn’t falter in
shooting citizens of their own nation, if so, they have no personal
character, which makes them equal or lesser than dogs and cats.

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By NZDoug, February 25, 2011 at 6:04 pm Link to this comment

Ya, just imagine, in Top Gun 2 , Tom Cruise, with the sound track to “Danger
Zone” blaring, lines up Air force One in the pipper on his heads up.
Just before Bush is about to declare “Operation Enduring Occupation”  from the
aircraft, Cruise screams “INSHA ALLAH!” and pops those heat seekers!!!
I was going to save the plot for the book, but, its O.K. Hollywood, you can rip off
my idea…...

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By Uncle B, February 24, 2011 at 4:05 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Heroes! Educated men in positions of importance, making good decisions. The world needs more of these.
Libya will overcome the nut-job dictator, and no matter who replaces the nut-bar, he will be better, they will be better off! Good on them.

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By Frank, February 24, 2011 at 2:21 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Rock the Casbah!

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By Bisbonian, February 24, 2011 at 2:13 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

“With the new killer drone technology, the operators
are in a room on a base surrounded by armed guards.
No chance that they might ‘defect’ in opposition to
tyrannical orders.”

I know quite a few fighter pilots.  Not much danger that they would behave as the Libyan ones did.

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, February 22, 2011 at 11:57 pm Link to this comment

It is the excellent character of a human being who has a law of excellence unto themselves that will not allow them to kill their fellow citizens on command indiscriminately.  I much admire the character of these two fighter pilots.  Our world needs more people with this type of character in government.  May God keep these two fighter pilots safe and bless them for their act of kindness to their fellow citizens.

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Arabian Sinbad's avatar

By Arabian Sinbad, February 22, 2011 at 3:55 pm Link to this comment

I take my hat off in salute to these two Libyan-Arab heroes. For the first time in my adult life I fee so proud of being from Arab stock due to the heroism of the average Tunisians, Egyptians and now Libyans who stood and are standing up to tyranny and autocracy and are paying for it in precious blood.

I think these two brave pilots can even top their heroism if they bomb to the ground the headquarters of Qaddafi and his corrupt family, who just today showed his f…n bloody nature, after his son’s earlier evil nature exhibited in his long speech, full of falsehoods and threats.

Down with Qaddafi and all tyrannical, misguided politicians, including many in these sad United States of America; especially the supporters of terrorist, apartheid, Zionist Israel!

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By SarcastiCanuck, February 22, 2011 at 12:58 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Damn,these Arabs seem like pretty decent people.After all the American media’s been saying,I’m confused.Guess I should stop watching Wolf Bluster.The horror,the horror….

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prisnersdilema's avatar

By prisnersdilema, February 22, 2011 at 11:59 am Link to this comment

Wisconsin state police take note…

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By Simon Girty, February 22, 2011 at 3:50 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

They’d be in deep shit over here! Fox would be shrieking for gun-camera video of progressive union radical terrorists, vaporizing in a hail of uranium mini-gun slugs; to show every three minutes, over and over and over again as their snuggie-clad audience called for moar gravy, hooting Hoo-RAH… USA, USA, USA! Yep, you right, drones a LOT more dependable!

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By NZDoug, February 22, 2011 at 2:37 am Link to this comment

israeli and american military must show equal courage.
Stop the B.S.

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By Amon Drool, February 22, 2011 at 1:35 am Link to this comment

these boys is gettin’ my vote as TruthDiggers of the week

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Robespierre115's avatar

By Robespierre115, February 21, 2011 at 10:24 pm Link to this comment

Gaddafi deserves to fall. But let’s not forget that other leader who also likes to send war planes to bomb civilians: BARACK OBAMA.

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Queenie's avatar

By Queenie, February 21, 2011 at 8:51 pm Link to this comment

These men are heroes. I just hope they did not have any family back in Lybia.

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By radson, February 21, 2011 at 8:35 pm Link to this comment

Bombs away ;oh correction bombs in the bay and we made it to Malta with a full ‘empty’ tank of Gaz.Because the pocked marked leader has gone mad ,perhaps due to his love with a ‘nurse’ from a land farr away and now the clowns are playing with chairs ,to be seated with the new song from the ‘west’.

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By gerard, February 21, 2011 at 8:02 pm Link to this comment

Very sad news from Libya, and big difference from Egypt. Quoted from the article:  “He (Qaddafi) repeated several times that “Libya is not Tunisia or Egypt.”  and vowed to fight to “the last bullet.”He tried to divide them by calling attention to their tribal differences. It would also have probably been better if they had recognized that they are quite probably dealing with a madman.

Apparently enraged by his speech, protesters converged on the capital’s central Green Square soon after and clashed with heavily armed riot police for several hours, witnesses in Tripoli said by telephone.

From the report:  “Young men armed themselves with chains around their knuckles, steel pipes and machetes, as well as police batons, helmets and rifles commandeered from riot squads. Security forces moved in, shooting randomly.” 
  This is the usual scene when protesters arm themselves and give the more heavily armed forces (police or army) the excuse they need to kill. Very often, if it doesn’t just happen, the so-called
“security forces” will provoke it because they need a “reason” to fire on their fellow citizens. Of course this makes them lose legitimacy, but at that point they are beyond caring. They are on automatic pilot.
  Nonviolent tactics require understanding of the psychology of violence, the courage to resist peaceably in the face of violence and/or threats of violence, and a deep commitment to holding the upper hand morally.  It’s a learned response, not something you do without trained leadership, understanding, and a lot of human caring, faith and determination.

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By TDoff, February 21, 2011 at 6:58 pm Link to this comment

Good choice, Libyan Pilot-Colonels to abscond and abort to Malta. But wouldn’t it have been a better option to bomb Gaddafi’s palace before departing?

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Samson's avatar

By Samson, February 21, 2011 at 5:44 pm Link to this comment

See, this is the advantage of the new killer drone
technology over the old pilot driven aircraft.

With pilots off in the plane, there’s always this
embarrassing chance that the pilot might fly off in
the wrong direction if you give them an order to go
kill civilians.

With the new killer drone technology, the operators
are in a room on a base surrounded by armed guards. 
No chance that they might ‘defect’ in opposition to
tyrannical orders.

About the worst they can do is leak to Wikileaks
later about what’s really going on.

Ghadaffi has really got to be wishing he’d bought a
couple of those new killer drones at the last big
merchants of death weapons fair.

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