Gaddafi’s Fleeing Mercenaries Describe the Collapse of the Regime

Right from the start, Mario, an ethnic Croatian artillery specialist from Bosnia, suspected it was a lost cause.

“My men were mainly from the south [of Libya] and Chad, and there were a few others from countries south of Libya,” said Mario, who spoke on condition that his last name not be published. A veteran of the wars of the former Yugoslavia, he had been hired by the Gaddafi regime to help fight the rebels and, later, NATO. “Discipline was bad, and they were too stupid to learn anything. But things were O.K. until the air strikes commenced. The other side was equally bad, if not worse. [Muammar] Gaddafi would have smashed the rebels had the West not intervened.”

By early July, Mario said, more than 30% of the men under his command had deserted or defected to the rebel side. NATO missiles scored several direct hits on his forces, causing “significant casualties.” At that point in the war, he said, “military hardware stopped having the role it [once did]. We had to use camouflage and avoid open spaces.”

Away from the front, at the heart of the regime, mistrust and excess further undermined Gaddafi’s hold on power, Mario said. “Life in [Gaddafi's] compound and shelters was so surreal, with partying, women, alcohol and drugs,” said Mario, 41. “One of the relatives of Gaddafi took me to one of his villas where they offered me anything I wanted. I heard stories about people being shot for fun and forced to play Russian roulette while spectators were making bets, like in the movies.” Jovo Martinovic- TimeWorld

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