Hakiim

Watching the news just doesn't do it justice- I didn't really get what was going on in Libya until I actually met some Libyan revolutionaries tonight, pretty ordinary guys who did some extra-ordinary stuff and really put their lives on the line. There are several thousand Libyans in Jordan these days for medical treatment from war wounds, which presents an awesome opportunity to get some inside information on the Libyan revolution. If only I could understand their Libyan accent better.

Tonight, I met Hakiim, who was a tugboat captain before the war in Misrata. When Misrata revolted against Gaddafi, he became a gun runner between Bengazi and besieged Misrata, supplying vital weapons to a city whose only supply lines were through the ocean. Following the liberation of Tripoli, Hakiim spent a day or so at home to rest before going to Sirte to finish the war. While driving a truck (I think it was a truck that had mounted artillery, but I didn't quite catch it), he was shot through the foot by a sniper. Two other bullets that would have hit him were stopped by the truck door. A couple months later, he is in Amman, Jordan, getting treatment for his injured foot.

Pictures will hopefully follow.