Abdul Gargani, who lives in Manchester, left Libya and and Gaddafi’s hateful regime in 1976. But when the Arab Spring started to take hold in north Africa earlier in the year, Gargani wanted to do something to help his homeland and overthrow the Colonel.
At 57, he was too old to fight, so he came up with a different plan. “I wanted to be there,” Gargani said. “When we saw the news we wanted to go immediately. We didn’t expect Gaddafi to last six months.”
According to the Guardian, he taught himself to use eBay and bought an old ambulance which he then drove to Libya via Italy and Tunisia. In Libya he donated the ambulance to the Red Crescent and also drove it himself through shellfire, transporting wounded rebel soldiers.
And as we know, Gaddafi managed to hold on to power for quite a few months and Abdul Gargani wasn’t idle. He made two subsequent trips with vehicles he bought on eBay. The first was a desperately needed four wheel drive ambulance and the other a people carrier, all bought on eBay. Hurrah for Abdul Gargani!
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toyota hi lux with bespoke anti aircraft weaponry is the next big thing in mossside
Is he now planning to move his activities to Syria where there seems to be a desperate need for Ambulances?
A few years ago there was a fully equiped(although decommissioned) Mobile Guided Weapons System that attended a few of the Traction Engine Rallies. It was an incredible device. But I understand that it could only do a few events because of the cost of fuel. Apparently it needed its own Oil Refinery to keep going. But it would have been ideal in Libya(after all they have their own Oil Refineries) all it would have needed was somebody with the right bits and the knowledge to get it all working again.
57 too old to fight? During the 20th Century there grew up the idea that War was a Young Mans thing. But this was not always true. Go back to 1066 How Old was King Harald Hardrada when he died at the Battle of Stamford Bridge?
The story is that he stood in the middle of a bridge and single handed stopped the whole Saxon Army. He was finally killed when a Saxon floated down the river in a barrel and under the bridge thrust his spear up between the boards of the bridge into King Harald Hardrada.
It was only at that point that the Saxon Army was able to get over the bridge and the massacre of the Viking Army really got going.
Also stand outside almost any city centre pub on a Saturday night. It is not all youngsters fighting there are a number of 57 year olds as well.
But Libya is to have its new goverment and law based on Sharia Law, so what was it all for (poor women, they’ve already re-legitamized polygamy). But that’s another discussion…
Yael: We’ll see how it pans out in Libya. But crucially the Colonel is gone. Let’s hope a great liberal arab democracy is born. I have optimism, but that maybe misplaced. I do hope not.
Chris: Harald Hardraada, your 57 year old warrior, was slaughtered at Stamford Bridge and did not take the throne of England. Evidence enough for me that he might have been better off supplying ambulances.
Why am I thinking of one of Spike Milligan’s war autobiographies:
Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall
All of Gaul is under Roman control, except for one small village of indomitable Gauls that still holds out against the Romans.
Centurion Crismus Bonus, head of the Roman garrison at the fortified camp of Compendium is very keen on discovering the secret of the Gauls’ superhuman strength after four soldiers are knocked out by one man, and sends a spy disguised as a Gaul into the village. The Roman’s identity is revealed when he loses his false moustache, but not before he discovers the existence of the magic potion brewed by the Druid Getafix. He also manages to drink the potion after pretending he needs it to get back home as he claims the Romans think he’s a spy, and reports his discovery back to the Centurion. Crismus Bonus believes that with this potion, he could overthrow Julius Caesar, and become Emperor himself. So, he and his second-in-command Marcus Ginandtonicus have Getafix captured using a pit in order to get the recipe. He is tortured by having a feather tickle his feet for hours, but does not give in.
Asterix learns of Getafix’s capture from a local man, and manages to sneak into the Roman camp where Getafix is being held captive in the man’s cart after telling him Compendium has a second-hand cart stall on. He hears Crismus and Ginandtonicus planning to overthrow Caesar using the magic potion. Asterix finds Getafix and they concoct a scheme to trouble the Romans. Getafix pretends to agree to the Centurion’s ultimatum of making the potion when Asterix pretends to give in to torture, despite the torture not actually having started yet, and demands an unseasonal ingredient like strawberry. While Crismus Bonus’ soldiers try to find strawberries, Asterix and Getafix lounge around in comparative luxury, enjoying themselves at the Romans’ expense. When the strawberries are bought at a vast sum from a Greek Merchant, the two Gauls eat them, causing anger to Crismus, before Getafix says the potion can be made without strawberries, they just leave a taste in the mouth. After all the ingredients are found, a potion is prepared that causes the hair and beard of the drinker to grow at a very accelerated pace. The Romans test it on the local man from earlier as Crismus worries about it being poisoned, and when he tests his strength on Asterix, Asterix pretends to be knocked out. The Romans are tricked into drinking this potion and the aftereffects are quite hilarious. They plead with Getafix to make an antidote, who makes a cauldron of vegetable soup (as the effects of the hair potion are about to wear off anyway) and also prepares a small quantity of the real magic potion for Asterix to drink so that they can fight their way out.
As Getafix and Asterix are attempting to escape, they are stopped by a huge army of Roman reinforcements just outside the camp and are captured again. It turns out that Julius Caesar is leading the army and checking on the condition of the area. Upon meeting Asterix and Getafix, Caesar learns of Crismus Bonus’ intentions. As punishment, he sends Crismus Bonus and his garrison to Outer Mongolia where there is a barbarian rebellion and frees Asterix and Getafix for giving him the information, while reminding them that they are still enemies.
The story ends with a traditional banquet in the village.