Libya has a national service/conscription. So It's not a wonder that people are pretty capable of operating even modern military arsenal.SpliFF wrote:I don't think foreign meddling can be ruled out as the cause of the uprising. I'd even go as far as to say it's pretty likely. I know some of the rebels are turncoat army units but on the whole the rebels appear surprisingly well equipped and trained. I mean where does your average pissed off mob find so many AA cannons and heavy machine guns and people capable of operating them effectively? There is a pretty marked difference between the rioters in Egypt throwing stones and the rioters in Libya shooting down fighter jets and taking out tanks. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find the leaders of the attacks are actually SAS, Sandline or Blackwater mercenaries.
That also leads me to think how problematic It is to define who is purely just a civilian and who is not.
You have no doubt point there, the situation is completely different than in Egypt - this is a civil war, not just an uprising.
There has been some debate whether it could be a tribal war going on? - Tribes loyal to Gaddafi against Tribes against his office.