Libyans bulldoze Gaddafi's Tripoli compound

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Libyans bulldoze Gaddafi's Tripoli compound

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Libyan revolutionary forces bulldozed green walls surrounding Moammar Gaddafi's Tripoli compound.

17 October,2011 04:25 am

The sprawling, fortress-like compound known as Bab al-Aziziya has long been hated by Libyans who feared to even walk nearby during Gaddafis more than four decades in power and its capture was seen as a turning point in the civil war as revolutionaries overran the capital in late August.Ahmad Ghargory, commander of a revolutionary brigade, said the area will be turned into a public park accessible to all Libyans.Its the revolutionary decision to tear down this symbol of tyranny, Ghargory said. We were busy with the war, but now we have the space to do this.Already, the courtyard in front of Gaddafis former house, which he used for many fiery speeches trying to rally supporters during the uprising, has been turned into a weekly pet market. Tripoli residents roam the premises as if at a museum, with vendors selling revolutionary flags and other souvenirs.Libyans are eager to move on after decades of repression, even though fighting persists on two fronts and tensions between supporters of the former regime and revolutionary forces remain high even in Tripoli. The continued instability has delayed efforts by the transitional leadership to move forward with efforts to hold elections and establish democracy.The Bab al-Aziziya compound, surrounded by high walls lined with barbed wire, had been a mystery to most Libyans though it is one of the citys largest landmarks. Many Tripoli residents said they wouldnt go near it, fearing security guards on the compounds high green walls would get suspicious and arrest or shoot them.The compound was a main target for NATO airstrikes during the months leading to Gaddafis ouster in late August.Fighters forced their way into the area on Aug. 23 during the battle for the capital, jubilantly rampaging through the remnants of barracks, personal living quarters and offices seen as the most defining symbol of Gaddafis nearly 42-year rule.Gaddafis residence, now gutted and covered with graffiti, was also targeted in a US bombing raid in April 1986, after Washington held Libya responsible for a blast at a Berlin disco that killed two U.S. servicemen. A sculpture of a clenched fist crushing a US fighter jet that had been erected after the strike has been removed.Gaddafi entertained guests in a Bedouin-style tent pitched near two tennis courts about 200 yards (meters) from the family home.