Libyan: Qaddafi forces shoot hospital patients

Gunmen prepared to fight against Libyan leader Muammar al Qaddafi stand on a small military truck with weapons taken from a Libyan military base in Benghazi, Libya, Feb. 24, 2011.

/ AP Photo

A resident of the increasingly violent Libyan capital of Tripoli told CBS Radio News Thursday that armed supporters of Muammar Qaddafi, the country's longtime leader, have stormed into hospitals to shoot wounded demonstrators and take dead bodies to an unknown location.

"They go in with guns into hospitals," said the resident, identified only as Adel to protect his safety. "They take the bodies that are dead. In some hospitals, they have shot the wounded. This is true. I know it's very strange for the States, but this is happening today in Tripoli."

Complete Coverage: Anger in the Arab World

Because the situation in Libya is growing more dangerous day by day and reporting from the country is difficult for Western journalists, the statements Adel made to CBS Radio News could not be independently verified.

In one example of the violence in Libya, Adel said he saw 62 protesters killed and about 100 more wounded in Tripoli's Green Square Tuesday.

"They're putting the bodies on half pickup trucks, and they're taking them somewhere we don't know yet because they don't want these bodies to go into hospitals," Adel said.

That's not the only action being taken to cover up what is happening in the capital, Adel said. Armed pro-government supporters Thursday were forcing people to help clean up parts of downtown Tripoli and paint buildings.

"There are some streets where he's using the people in the houses; if they don't go out, he will shoot them with gunpoint to do that," Adel said.

What the protesters want most from the international community is the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya, Adel said.

"The guys are using helicopter gun ships to shoot people, shooting not bombing," Adel said. "It is terrifying. It takes a lot of pushing your guts to go out, but you have to."

The situation in Tripoli continues to deteriorate, Adel said. Because shops are running low on basic supplies, lines more than 1,000 yards long form outside bakeries that do have food to sell.

"It's very unsafe," Adel said. "They have cars where mercenaries are shooting at random. Trying to keep a low profile, only at night do we move out to do the demonstrations."

One thing protesters reportedly face is so-called thugs being flown in from other countries. Adel said he noticed increased activity at the air base near where he lives.

"The amount of planes that are coming in are tremendous," Adel said. "They're flying them through ... and taking helicopters around to other places around Tripoli. Most are Africans."

Also, the so-called "hallucination pills" that Qaddafi mentioned in a rambling speech Tuesday are being handed out during protests, Adel said. However, they aren't being distributed by foreign instigators, as Qaddafi said, but by the leader's own supporters.

(Watch Qaddafi talk about the pills at left)

"His people are giving them for free," Adel said. "Not to the demonstrators against him, to anybody who wants to take them or his people or the drunks or the thugs."

[Uncle_Eccoli]

I don't believe anything these "opposition witnesses" say any more than I believe what Qaddafi says. They're both trying to control the media image of what's going on to suit their own interests.

[youlyseas]

Go Obama doit! Save the victims of terror now!

[youlyseas]

NO fly zone, and Marines to Tripoli, and do it yesterday! Bomb their planes on the ground, and bomb Qaddafi's Palace again, it's just a museum anyway.

[youlyseas]

What are we doing with this military that costs us our benefits? Might as well use it to do a no fligh zone and yes, send in Marines to Tripoli, as we had no problem doing it in Iraq where there was no mass murder taking place, ditto Afghanistan. Our foreign policy is pure madness. I guess Obama wouldn't have save done squat to save the Jews of Europe up until it was too late, like FDR, just "consult other rich people who screw the middle class and don't care a thing about anyone but themselves, like Kaddaffi!!"

[euge005]

Now, now. Obama is not a Bush. Bush might have sent the dictator help, just to protect the oil fields of course. And when the US did bomb his country, it was in violation of all sorts of international laws. But that was our first idiot war monger, Reagan. It jis not our place to decide which dictator is ok and which has to go. The Chinese kill 2-400 a day in mock trials where the prosecuter writes the sentance for the judge. Want to attack them next?

[MichaelRivero]

I note you do not deny that the stolen incubator story was a fraud. Hence, nothing else stated about US intentions and policies can be assumed to be true.

IN any event, there are enough problems here in the United States that need dealing with (like a corrupt and criminal Wall Street) that the US should leave the rest of the world to solve their own problems.

[MichaelRivero]

I do not trust this story.

First off, we know the United States has decided to use the revolution in Libya as an excuse to take over the place militarily. All they need is a means to sell the "necessity" of the war to an already war-weary public. This hospital story frankly reeks of the infamous Iraqi stolen incubator story, a product of Hill & Knowlton Public Relations (professional liars and deceivers), to sell America on Desert Storm.

So, would Qaddafi storm the hospitals and shot the wounded? Maybe, if he had unlimited men and ammunition. But Qaddafi's forces are limited. Soldiers and officers both are joining the protesters. The remaining loyalist are already fighting an uphill battle dealing with the people in the streets. the wounded people in the hospitals are already out of action. They pose no direct immediate threat. Nobody is going to waste precious resources killing them, especially as live but wounded protesters requiring medical care impose a harder workload on the revolution than already dead protesters. This is why military weapons are designed to wound rather than kill. So this story about killing patients in hospitals does not make much sense. I think it is propaganda to sell a US invasion of Libya.

[jschmidt27]

It is a called a reign of terror. Plus the US has no reason to take over Libya. No we don't want the oil. Just like Iraq, we did not go there for the oil. Since no US firms got contracts after the war. The best thing to do with Libya is to enforce a no fly zone and shoot down his jets and helicopters. We are not the enemy of the world which you seem to think.

[Uncle_Eccoli]

"First off, we know the United States has decided to use the revolution in Libya as an excuse to take over the place militarily."
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I don't trust this report, either, but where are you getting this?

[Calendular]

Time for member nations of the U.N. to remove Libya as a member of the United Nations Committee which overseas human rights abuse complaints?

[hamiltongrad]

WHAT would JFK or Nixon do ? I think they would deploy heavily armed troops to the airport, and to areas where people could be safe, like hospitals, so the BARBARIANS would get a message. And then they would find the royal head of state, and give him a deal he could not refuse.

[euge005]

They did not inherit an extra 5 trillion in debt from a moron either.

[billkol]

"Gadhafi is mentally deranged and has been for a long time. Like, Hitler, he has retreated to a bunker. It is well known by the United States that this man has biological weapons to use at his whim. This being mustard gas that was supposed to be destroyed but the United States dropped the ball and failed to see that he complied. President Obama, for some unknown reason, refuses to denounce this man and his actions and will not even use his name when referring to Libya."

[euge005]

You will see that change once our Americans get out of there. No point in antagonizing the mad man when he could grab them as hostages. LIke what would he have to lose? Stop and think before you start to critizise Obama. He does actually think instead of calling Rove or Exxon to get instructions.