Daily Mail:
To the anti-Gaddafi protesters, it has already acquired the title The Great Swordfight of Sabratha.
On Friday afternoon 40 rebels brandishing 2ft swords and scimitars spearheaded a group of 1,000 men who clashed with army troops in Sabratha, a coastal town 40 miles west of Tripoli.
It made for a bizarre spectacle. While Colonel Gaddafi has the most modern of arms at his disposal, his civilians were relying on weaponry that hadn’t been used in anger since the days of Lawrence of Arabia.
‘Some said the swords belonged to their grandfathers in the First World War,’ said Egyptian waiter Mahmoud El Masri, who witnessed the fighting.
‘It was a crazy sight, all these swords being wildly swung in the main street. I was hiding in a cafe but I saw them connect with the soldiers and I heard blood was spilt.
‘The men with swords were at the front of the protesters, leading them. It scared me but they are brave to take on men with guns.’
...
The
Marine Corps officer sword is model after one
presented to Lt. O'Bannon after he helped to defeat the Barbary Pirates. It was officially adopted by the Marines in 1826. It is not clear whether any of the Libyans facing Gaddafi's army were carrying Mameluke swords. So far, Obama is keeping the Marines away from the
shores of Tripoli this time.
Image via Wikipedia
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