A Libyan-Irish fighter has said that current conditions in Libya are much worse than last year’s civil war battle against ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Dubliner Hussam Najjar, who goes by the name Sam, has a Libyan father and an Irish mother. A trained sniper, Najjar was part of the team, led by Mahdi al-Harati, a militia chief, who stormed Col Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli last year. Harati now leads a unit in Syria and asked Najjar to join him from Dublin a few months ago.
Describing the Syrian rebels as poorly armed and disorganized, Najjar told Reuters that Syria's Sunni Muslim majority are now more repressed under Assad.
"I was shocked. There is nothing you are told that can prepare you for what you see. The state of the Sunni Muslims there - their state of mind, their fate - all of those things have been slowly corroded over time by the regime."
"I nearly cried for them when I saw the weapons. The guns are absolutely useless. We are being sold leftovers from the Iraqi war, leftovers from this and that," he said.
"Luckily these are things that we can do for them: we know how to fix weapons, how to maintain them, find problems and fix them."
Since he arrived, five months ago, the rebel arsenal has become "five times more powerful" he claims. The fighters have attained large caliber anti-aircraft guns and sniper rifles.
He said the Syrian rebels are never out of reach of Assad's air power.
"In Libya, with the no-fly zone, we were able to build up say 1,400 to 1,500 men in one place and have platoons and brigades. Here we have men scattered here, there and everywhere.
"One of the biggest factors delaying the revolution is the lack of unity among the rebels," he said.
"Unfortunately, it is only when their back is up against the wall that they start to realise they should [unite].
"This is not just about the fall of Assad. This is about the Sunni Muslims of Syria taking back their country and pushing out the minority that have been oppressing them for generations now," Najjar said.
As a member of the Umma Brigade, lead by Harati, Najjar said thousands more Sunni fighters from the Arab in neighboring countries are prepared to join the cause. However, Harati’s unit is reluctant to recruit them as he does not want his cause “tarnished by the perception that foreign Islamists are linked to al Qaeda,” Najjar said.
"The Western governments are bringing this upon themselves. The longer they leave this door open for this torture and this massacre to carry on, the more young men will drop what they have in this life and search for the afterlife," Najjar said.
"If the West and other countries do not move fast it will no longer be just guys like me - normal everyday guys that might do anything from have a cigarette to go out on the town - it will be the real extreme guys who will take it to another level."
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seamus60 | Aug 18, 2012, 09:06 AM EDT
Well the man himself has stated that at the moment the more fundalmentalists aren`t in control. I doubt that. However as for the mans reasons for being there and fighting for what he believes to be a just cause, why should he be arrested on return to Ireland. I don`t think its the rebels who have demolished cities, unless he`s telling porkies about his groups armoury.
merefalow | Aug 16, 2012, 04:24 PM EDT
all the west has done in Iraq Libya, Egypt,and Afghanistan and now Syria is to pave the way for extremist Muslim brotherhood sharia law fundamentalist Islam,the concept of democracy is something that the tribal Arab states will not and can not embrace.not even taking into account the enormous gulf between shia and Sunni.i don't consider the vast expenditure of weaponry and lost lives,the total destruction of 3 countries,4 and 5 coming up to be justifiable,millions of deaths and ruined lives,crippled blinded maimed people,on going instability,total anarchy,total infrastructure destruction everywhere,whats to be proud of,made all the armament supplying people rich though didn't it.how can what we have done on the scale we have done it be better than leaving these countries alone,surely they were better off than being bombed back into the stone age.
Scrivner | Aug 16, 2012, 03:41 PM EDT
The Western govts did do an intervention-in Iraq. A brutal dictator abused his people, ignored UN resolutions and thretened his neighbors. NATO came in and kicked him out, but alas, the population was only glad to greet the liberators for a couple of weeks. Then, like the Cop who tries to stop a domestic disturbance, everyone ganged up on the "good guys" and commenced to butchering each other. Certain small self-righteous countries took glee in the suffering and offered useless advice. I think that the NATO countries do not wish to repeat the same mistakes--there are lots of new ones to be made.
mairint | Aug 15, 2012, 07:39 PM EDT
Its always about themselves and the 'other tribe'. Not a mention of the terrified Christians caught up in the infighting. The aim is to Islamize the whole area and eliminate anyone who does not believe the Islamic way. We have heard of the great cultural contributions they have given to the world. Well, we only have to look at the destruction and primitive mess they have created in their countries of origin. The current aim is to bring down all the governments in the Middle East / African areas and bring them under radical Islamic law. Never mind where the gunmen are from. The western world does not want to live under their dictatorship so stop the sobs of pity.
aloistmartin | Aug 15, 2012, 05:15 PM EDT
Socialist ( Middle Ground ) " Twilight Zone " ?
aloistmartin | Aug 15, 2012, 05:12 PM EDT
If Romney wins the Election in November, the Arab Spring can go back to washing dishes at the Hilton. The choice for Arabs seeking Social Reform is the same as it is for Sinnfein; Iether accept the Bi-Partisan Capitalist "Catechism", ( 0R Where O Where is Barack Obama, when you really need him ? )or get back to the Commune, and stop whining about Corruption and Human Rights, People; There is no Soicalist " Middle Ground " ( France, Romania, Spain, Italy, Chile, Greece ... )
irishamerica46 | Aug 15, 2012, 12:49 PM EDT
Why does the "West" have to be everyone's saviour? Soon as they get what they want, they turn on the very people that helped.
WoundedKnee | Aug 15, 2012, 09:05 AM EDT
Correction: On rereading the piece I see that this guy has an Irish mother, which I assume is how he got his Irish nationality. My other questions stand: Why is an Irishman going overseas to kill people? Will the Irish police detain this guy when he comes back? Where will he head once he has done his worst in Syria? The US?
WoundedKnee | Aug 15, 2012, 09:02 AM EDT
On what basis was this guy given Irish citizenship? Why is it not revoked, now that he is participating in foreign wars? He's a Libyan, why is he killing people in Syria? Was this guy involved in some of the murders we have seen on Youtube? And why does Irish Central give Al Quaeda uncritical publicity?