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Covering The Libyan Crisis - part 5 of 1 2 3 4 5

by Darrin Zammit-Lupi Published 01/08/2013

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A Libyan airforce pilot walks next to his Mirage F1 fighter jet after landing at Malta International Airport outside Valletta February 21, 2011. Two Libyan fighter jets and two civilian helicopters landed unexpectedly in Malta on Monday, witnesses said. The office of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said it was not clear whether the two fighter pilots intended to ask for asylum. They initially had asked to refuel, it said.

I returned to Libya a couple of days after the rebel forces moved into Tripoli. My newspaper was granted an interview with Libyan National Transitional Council Chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil, so we set off as a threeman team - myself as photographer, a journalist and a videographer. What was supposed to be a two-day visit to Benghazi stretched to over a week, with the interview constantly being postponed.


We didn't spend all our time waiting outside his office - we filled in the time doing other stories and getting as close to the front line on the eastern front as possible within our time and financial limitations.

Back in Malta, the two Mirage jets, their roundels of the all-green Gaddafiera Libyan flag replaced with roundels depicting the Kingdom of Libya flag, were returned to Libya a year after their arrival. I felt honoured to briefly meet the two pilots who had defected and to shake their hands. It's not every day that you get to be in the same room as two real-life heroes such as Libyan air force pilots Colonel Abdullah al-Salheen and Colonel Ali Al-Rabti.


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1st Published 01/08/2013
last update 11/11/2019 11:46:30

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Updated 11/11/2019 11:46:30 Last Modified: Monday, 11 November 2019