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US rescue plane strafes villagers as they go to aid of downed American pilot
by Chris Hughes, Daily Mirror
WITH a stricken US pilot lost, alone and terrified in the dark, Gaddafi-hating villagers rushed to his aid and to thank him for taking on the tyrant.
But as they approached, American special forces unleashed a terrifying volley of gunfire, scattering them in all directions fearing for their lives.
Shooting from an Osprey attack aircraft, afraid their comrades were about to fall into the hands of Gaddafi's brutal forces, troops strafed the ground to clear the way for a dramatic rescue.
But several villagers were injured in the melee, including a man who was said to have lost a leg.
Channel 4 reporter Lindsey Hilsum witnessed the aftermath.
She said: 'Osprey aircraft came in, all guns blazing, assuming, as the American military tends to do, that this was hostile territory.'
The reporter spoke as Colonel Gaddafi made his first public appearance since the air strikes began and branded the allies 'crazed fascist'. He also cynically told supporters his people are Libya's 'air defence'.
Among the injured in the strafing was 43-year-old Hamad Abdul Ati, who is said to have multiple shrapnel and bullet wounds, and a broken arm.
The doomed US F-15 Strike Eagle jet crashed in a ball of flames near Bu Mariem outside rebel-held Benghazi city. Both pilots ejected and landed safely, one in a scrub area full of sheep, the other in a wheat field. One was picked up immediately by rebel leaders, say witnesses, but the other was left behind, before the Osprey swooped in to snatch him.
Villager Younis Amruni was first on the scene of the crash. His cousin Hamdi Ahmad 23, is in hospital after losing a leg in the gunfire, it is claimed.
Younis said: 'We saw the plane fall in front of us and explode and we saw the pilots coming down in parachutes. We didn't know if it was Gaddafi's or coalition forces.'
Younis found one of the pilots near the burning wreckage of his plane, when it exploded again. The 27-year-old added: 'He was terrified. I walked up to him, hugged him and said, 'Don't be scared, we are your friends'.' The pilot is said to have called out: 'OK, OK.'
Younis told how a string of villagers then lined up to shake the pilot's hand. He said: 'We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies. We gave him juice and then the revolutionary people took him.
'They could speak English. This reassured him. People were gathering around. They were worried for his safety.' Dissident Major General El Gatrani said last night: 'The pilot is in a safe location.' It is believed he was picked up by Americans later. Another witness told how he was shot and suffered shrapnel wounds in his leg and back during the rescue of the second pilot.
Hamid Moussa el-Amruni said: 'We thought it was a Gaddafi plane. We started calling out to the pilot, but we only speak Arabic. A villager came who spoke English and he called, 'we are here, we are with the rebels' and then he came out.'
Hamid used an old broomstick as a crutch after being hit. But he insisted he bore no grudge.
The strafing of villagers is the first embarrassment to the coalition since they began air strikes on Saturday to enforce a no-fly over Libya.
But military experts said shooting in the vicinity of a downed plane is a recognised strategy. Western forces always try to destroy vehicles or aircraft damaged beyond repair in battle so no weapons or technology can be seized.
There was also the possibility US forces feared the villagers were hostile and could harm the pilot so they acted to scare them off.
The US jet crashed after it was set alight mid-air. An investigation was last night launched into the crash.
RAF crews in spy planes played a key role in the rescue of the two pilots. They saw the plane crash and were able to tell special forces on the ground where the two pilots had landed. They also kept watch for enemy aircraft.
In his speech, broadcast live on Libyan state TV from his shattered Tripoli compound, Colonel Gaddafi vowed to repel the allies. He added: 'We will be victorious in the end.'
The 68-year-old dictator said of the coalition: 'In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them.' Hundreds of supporters could be seen waving Libyan flags as he added: 'Oh great Libyan people, you have to live now, this time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living.'
As the blitz on Libya continued last night, Gaddafi's forces and command posts were hit by 20 US Tomahawk cruise missiles. Fierce fighting broke out in Zintan, with more than 12 civilians reported dead from a ferocious bombardment of the rebel town.
The Mirror
by Chris Hughes, Daily Mirror
WITH a stricken US pilot lost, alone and terrified in the dark, Gaddafi-hating villagers rushed to his aid and to thank him for taking on the tyrant.
But as they approached, American special forces unleashed a terrifying volley of gunfire, scattering them in all directions fearing for their lives.
Shooting from an Osprey attack aircraft, afraid their comrades were about to fall into the hands of Gaddafi's brutal forces, troops strafed the ground to clear the way for a dramatic rescue.
But several villagers were injured in the melee, including a man who was said to have lost a leg.
Channel 4 reporter Lindsey Hilsum witnessed the aftermath.
She said: 'Osprey aircraft came in, all guns blazing, assuming, as the American military tends to do, that this was hostile territory.'
The reporter spoke as Colonel Gaddafi made his first public appearance since the air strikes began and branded the allies 'crazed fascist'. He also cynically told supporters his people are Libya's 'air defence'.
Among the injured in the strafing was 43-year-old Hamad Abdul Ati, who is said to have multiple shrapnel and bullet wounds, and a broken arm.
The doomed US F-15 Strike Eagle jet crashed in a ball of flames near Bu Mariem outside rebel-held Benghazi city. Both pilots ejected and landed safely, one in a scrub area full of sheep, the other in a wheat field. One was picked up immediately by rebel leaders, say witnesses, but the other was left behind, before the Osprey swooped in to snatch him.
Villager Younis Amruni was first on the scene of the crash. His cousin Hamdi Ahmad 23, is in hospital after losing a leg in the gunfire, it is claimed.
Younis said: 'We saw the plane fall in front of us and explode and we saw the pilots coming down in parachutes. We didn't know if it was Gaddafi's or coalition forces.'
Younis found one of the pilots near the burning wreckage of his plane, when it exploded again. The 27-year-old added: 'He was terrified. I walked up to him, hugged him and said, 'Don't be scared, we are your friends'.' The pilot is said to have called out: 'OK, OK.'
Younis told how a string of villagers then lined up to shake the pilot's hand. He said: 'We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies. We gave him juice and then the revolutionary people took him.
'They could speak English. This reassured him. People were gathering around. They were worried for his safety.' Dissident Major General El Gatrani said last night: 'The pilot is in a safe location.' It is believed he was picked up by Americans later. Another witness told how he was shot and suffered shrapnel wounds in his leg and back during the rescue of the second pilot.
Hamid Moussa el-Amruni said: 'We thought it was a Gaddafi plane. We started calling out to the pilot, but we only speak Arabic. A villager came who spoke English and he called, 'we are here, we are with the rebels' and then he came out.'
Hamid used an old broomstick as a crutch after being hit. But he insisted he bore no grudge.
The strafing of villagers is the first embarrassment to the coalition since they began air strikes on Saturday to enforce a no-fly over Libya.
But military experts said shooting in the vicinity of a downed plane is a recognised strategy. Western forces always try to destroy vehicles or aircraft damaged beyond repair in battle so no weapons or technology can be seized.
There was also the possibility US forces feared the villagers were hostile and could harm the pilot so they acted to scare them off.
The US jet crashed after it was set alight mid-air. An investigation was last night launched into the crash.
RAF crews in spy planes played a key role in the rescue of the two pilots. They saw the plane crash and were able to tell special forces on the ground where the two pilots had landed. They also kept watch for enemy aircraft.
In his speech, broadcast live on Libyan state TV from his shattered Tripoli compound, Colonel Gaddafi vowed to repel the allies. He added: 'We will be victorious in the end.'
The 68-year-old dictator said of the coalition: 'In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them.' Hundreds of supporters could be seen waving Libyan flags as he added: 'Oh great Libyan people, you have to live now, this time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living.'
As the blitz on Libya continued last night, Gaddafi's forces and command posts were hit by 20 US Tomahawk cruise missiles. Fierce fighting broke out in Zintan, with more than 12 civilians reported dead from a ferocious bombardment of the rebel town.
The Mirror