Unlucky camel finds Libya's largest minefield

Source: Al Jazeera English

A civilian team with pool cues and little training unearths more than 500 mines laid by Gaddafi's forces near Misurata.
Ruth Sherlock |Last Modified: June 28 2011 13:00

Libyan rebels located hundreds of anti-personnel landmines buried by Gaddafi forces by using billiard cues to gently probe the ground where they were buried.

Around 550 mines were dug up in a suburb of Misurata in what is believed to be the biggest minefield found so far in the four-month conflict, discovered when an unlucky farmer's camel wandered into a field and was blown up. Landmines are banned in most countries but Colonel Gaddafi's forces have repeatedly planted them in areas where rebels were attacking.

Behind the dangerous expanse of land, are trenches that were abandoned by the regime forces after they fled. Strewn inside are boots and green uniforms belonging to regime forces.

Residents said they found a string of Grad rocket launchers stationed behind the field. From here the regime forces pounded the port side, and the residential area of Qasr Ahmed. In early April, up to eighty rockets hit the neighbourhood in one hour.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/06/201162892022264206.html

So I'm told by people who are sure that Ghaddafi is more trustworthy than the International Criminal Court.

Being used as a weapon of terror in Libya. Some people are apparently willing to believe that a brutal dictator is more trustworthy than the prosecutors of the ICC.

Not to mention HRW and AI (unless it's a cherry-picked story about rape accusations).

Tim Thomas rocks!

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

So clutch your pearls all you want, we would do it in a heart beat too. And in a way, we do, every time we fire an anti personnel missile.

Please show me what an "anti personnel missile" is. Unless you mean a regular missile, which is fired at a place where there are people, which is a shitload different from the use of landmines.

And no, bullshit aside, the only reason we haven't signed the land mine treaty is because of the roughly million or so landmines in the Korean DMZ, which the treaty would require us to remove. It's been repeatedly pointed out that with those excepted, the US would happily sign the treaty.

This doesn't mean there haven't been some severe shitstorms over the years there, including everyone's favorite...the Axe Murder Incident.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paul_Bunyan

However I was thinking antipersonnel bombs that release bomblets. As for the DMZ, fuck it, they will have to be removed eventually.

But the fact remains that the US would sign the treaty with the exception of the main thing that keeps everybody where they are supposed to be on the Korean Peninsula for the time being.

I'm assuming that we don't replace those mines in Korea regularly.

And why is mining Koreans okay, but not Libyans? Hell, they're all foreigners to us.




Right?

because we promised to help defend our ally South Korea. Mining the DMZ (where no one is supposed to be anyway)is saving lives by keeping the "North" in North Korea

schools, highways and all of our domestic promises?

Do you find that desirable?

Doesn't matter what I find desirable. What I find desirable doen't change jack

board?

Weird, isn't it?

Like buying a ticket on the Titanic tomorrow morning. No point. So I'll bid you adieu. Have a whatever kind of life you have when what you find desirable doesn't change jack.

What a load of shit.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

I only thing you can "trust" about the ICC is that they'll find some 3rd world despot to indict, but world class killers like Bush and Cheney will never see true justice by those courts.

who will bite you as soon as look at you ( maybe the GOP should change symbols)I had a buddy that was a door gunner on a Black Hawk he claims ( and who am I to doubt him) to have shot one camel every time his aircraft took of during Desert Shield/ Storm.

I've jacked one or two w/ a .50 cal myself

I have zero sympathy for the camel.

That said , land mines suck

any day than someone who randomly kills animals for the fun of it.

I have zero sympathy for them every time something bad happens to them. In fact, that's the only reason I watch shows about hunters who shoot each other or fall into pits or get eaten in their sleep.

THAT's entertainment.

or spit on you (Camels have been known to do that)

Break into my house and steal my tools.

Shoot holes in the side of my garage.

Play some sort of thumpa thumpa "music" until 5 am.

Try to intimidate my spouse into lending them money while I'm at work.

And these were people I went to high school with, not total strangers.

No camel ever did a damn thing to me. Irresponsible, bored, drunk and/or drugged neighbors? Yep. Loan me that 50 cal. I'll give it right back.

Did you shoot dogs too? Or were camels the only thing you could hit?

But I did have the misfortune of killing two of the enemy by direct fire and probably a hundred or so more by artillery. As I said, camels are stinky,mean,nasty,dangerous beasts. The world will not mourn their passing

the next time the nightmares keep me up all night.

But I'm also sorry for the owners of the camels you killed, because in your esteemed opinion, they are nasty beasts. Never mind that they could probably ill afford to replace the beasts, you got to take out your frustrations on their camels. Way to go, way to bolster our reputation abroad.

I am sorry you have bad dreams, but I'll bet the Iraqis' dreams are worse.

but I'll bet the Iraqis' dreams are worse.

I refuse to feel bad for coming home alive

Not glad that you think killing for the pure joy of it is okay.

In the grand scheme of things between killing people and killing camels (or anything else that happens to be non-people)Killing a camel is a non event.

I had just cleaned and assembled a M2 .50 caliber machine gun and need to test fire it (you do that when your life might depend on that machinegun working properly) The camel was a simply target of opportunity.

As I have said , camels have no redeeming qualities. I don't even think you can eat them. They smell bad, they bite, they fill their mouths w/ spit and sling it all over you. They are nasty and it is no great loss when one leaves this world. It's like shooting a rat

You're probably beyond redemption. I don't hate you, but I sure do hate the culture that made you.

Look bitchkitty , I'm not going to feel bad about killing a camel no matter what you say. it was 20 frigging years ago and the camels would be dead by now anyway.

So, how about we agree that you get to think I'm evil and I get to not care what you think and call it a day?

They just got to pay the price for your behavior.

I shot them from an M109 A2 (on the ground)

If you depended on an animal for transportation, beast of burden, milk, meat, sire, dam or whatever---and guys from a foreign country started shooting your animals from the air and the ground, you would consider these guys your enemy, right? I would if they're destroying my animals and my livelihood.

Great way to make friends in the Mideast. :sarcasm:

Also, nice friend you have there, shooting defenseless animals from the air. :sarcasm: Please get some help for yourself.

the camels that I killed were targets of opportunity,I had just cleaned and assembled a .50 and needed to test fire it. Camles are nasty, shooting a camel is like shooting a rat. It's not like I shot someone's dog or a goat I shot a useless vermin animal.

ETA

Look guy, I'm not going to feel bad about killing a camel no matter what you say. it was 20 frigging years ago and the camels would be dead by now anyway.

So, how about we agree that you get to think I'm evil and I get to not care what you think and call it a day?

You are making more enemies in the Mideast for yourself, your buddies and US

Look guy, I'm not going to feel bad about killing a camel no matter what you say. it was 20 frigging years ago and the camels would be dead by now anyway.

So, how about we agree that you get to think I'm evil and I get to not care what you think and call it a day?

Every dog I own is a rescue. My cat is a stray. My home has been home to Ferrets, guiena pigs , several dogs , several cats and 1 or 2 hamsters.

I try very hard to not even kill spiders now.

As for the human Karma

"But if someone has a gun and is trying to kill you ... it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun."
- Dalai Lama

It actually could have been far worse than killing someones dog or cat, as the animal may have been used for transportation. Although, I don't think it really matters either way.

But whatever, I doubt we'll see eye to eye on this. I hope no one ever shoots up your car and dog because they were targets of opportunity.

why are so many of them domesticated?

Ah, getting really upset. Need to calm down. Hard to respect someone who would shoot a camel for no reason.

edit-BTW Camels I came across which weren't many were very affectionate. No biting as soon as I looked at it. Horses can be pretty mean sometimes and both animals have similar uses. A camel can travel longer distances without food or water though.

Did you eat it? Was it attacking you or someone else? That's a bit creepy, dude. There are lots of ugly and 'mean' animals, still not cool to kill 'em because of it. I find that rather crazy to be honest. The way you worded it seems even creepier than people who hunt solely for sport. I'm not anti-hunting either.

I was in a (soon to be) war zone I was more worried about the people I was about to be killing. A camel just didn't/doesn't seem like that big a deal.

I find it odd that I stated in one post that I killed two Iraqis (M16) and a guesstimated 100+ or more by artillery. ( I haven't a clue how much arty we actually shot I just know we shot every round they gave us and it amounted to several truck loads)and you people expect me to get all teary eyed over a fucking camel.

I really don't get it

Spent a night in the Moroccan Sahara sleeping not too far from 20-30 camels.

Holy Christ, those things farted LOUDLY all night long.

Problem has never been with their intended use. But with the inability/unwillingness to clean up the mess afterwards.

Field Artillery Air SCAtterable Mine System that allows you to deploy a mine field by artillery fire that explodes on its own at a predetermined time after deployement.

Does away w/ the clean up entirely