Libyan Rebel Commander Admits Fighters Have Al-Qaeda Links
Submitted on September 6, 2011
By Praveen Swami, Nick Squires and Duncan Gardham - March 25, 2011
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Mr al-Hasidi admitted that he had recruited "around 25" men from the Derna area in eastern Libya to fight against coalition troops in Iraq. Some of them, he said, are "today...on the front lines in Adjabiya"...[He] insisted his fighters "are patriots and good Muslims, not terrorists," but added that the "members of al-Qaeda are also good Muslims and are fighting against the invader".
