Tripoli, Libya (AHN) – As unrest continues to spread in Libya, Americans are fleeing the country by planes and boats but first navigating streets of bloodshed, demonstrations, marauders and foreign mercenaries. Governments around the world have chartered flights and ferries to get their people out of the country that many believe is descending into civil war.
Some report hours of shoving and pushing as it was a literal fight to get to airline ticket counters as it was first come first served…out of Libya.
Fighting in Tripoli continued as rebels and the general population mounts increasing pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Foreign governments have told their people to get out of the danger zones because of reports that Libyan security forces have shot and killed protesters. As Tripoli remains the last stronghold of Gaddafi, violence is likely to grow fierce in that region.
Gaddafi told supporters in Green Square: “We can crush any enemy. We can crush it with the people’s will. The people are armed and when necessary, we will open arsenals to arm all the Libyan people and all Libyan tribes.”
The streets of the city have become roving clashes and mobs of fights between security forces loyal to Gaddafi and crowds of protesters. Heavy shooting broke out after Friday prayers.
Many Americans have spent days hiding, huddled inside any safe refuge they could find, fearful of the gunfire, bombs, and bands of foreign mercenaries creating havoc on the streets.
People lucky enough to get to airports still open were forced to stand shoulder to shoulder as thousands in a congested airport did whatever it took to get out of the country.
A U.S.-chartered ferry carrying more than 300 evacuees and a US evacuation plane flew out amid a bloody revolt in Libya, the State Department said.
“The M/V Maria Dolores has departed Tripoli, Libya, at 1:37 p.m. local (1137 GMT), en route to Malta,” on a trip expected to take eight hours, “subject to weather conditions,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.
“Aboard are more than 300 passengers, of whom more than half are US citizens,” he said.
With some 6,000 US nationals registered with the US embassy in Libya–most of them dual nationals–Washington was in a predicament about how to get them out as the situation was growing more unstable by the hour.
Travelers had to manage to get to Mitiga Air Field near the downtown part of Tripoli to reach U.S. government provided ground transportation for U.S. citizens.
Based on a Twitter message, the charter airplane “departed Libya at 1:49 p.m. EDT (1849 GMT) with additional American and international citizens on board, bound for Istanbul.”
Passengers about the chartered ferry included evacuated embassy staff, American diplomats and members of their families.
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