Raw Video: Amateur Video of Libya Fighting in Desert and at Misurata


Recent amateur video accessed via YouTube on Thursday showed groups of armed men fighting in the desert but it was unclear exactly when the video was filmed.



Dramatic amateur video emerged on Monday purporting to show the aftermath of a skirmish that happened late last week between troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and rebel forces at Misrata airport.

Misurata is the second largest city in Libya. Video shows buildings damaged by gunfire, while spent bullet shells and debris litter the runway. A tank perched on top of a small airplane is used for training purposes.

Gaddafi loyalists armed with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars fired at a group of opposition fighters guarding the airport. During the fighting, the airport’s defenders seized a ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun used by Gaddafi’s militias and turned it against them. When the battle started, officers from an air force school near the airport mutinied and helped the opposition attack an adjacent military air base where Gaddafi’s troops were stationed. The officers in mutiny then disabled fighter jets at the base to prevent them from being used against the uprising.


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Compelling new footage has emerged showing an intense street battle, and its aftermath in the Libyan city of Benghazi. The amateur video was supplied to AP Television by Libyan opposition groups.

Night fighting previously published.