Libyan Su-22UM-3K crashes near city of Benghazi

Libyan Su-22 fighter jet Pilot and co-pilot eject, refusing bombing orders, a newspaper reports

Even as Moammar Gaddhafi called on the military to crack down on anti-government protesters, reports emerged Wednesday that the Libyan leader was facing growing international and domestic opposition, including from his own military.

An opposition figure told CNN that a pilot who had been ordered to bomb oil fields southwest of Benghazi refused to do so and instead ejected from the plane.

A Libyan fighter jet crashed near the eastern city of Benghazi on Wednesday, Libyan news website al-Qurayna reported.

The jet's pilot and co-pilot parachuted out of the jet after allegedly refusing to carry out orders to bomb Benghazi, military sources told al-Qurayna.

The jet crashed into an empty space near the town of Ajdabiya, 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Benghazi.

Benghazi, where the anti-government protests began, is reported to be in control of protesters. Quryna itself is a sign of the changes sweeping through Libya. When protests began last week, it carried regime propaganda. But it later reported on the protests and casualty figures.


Source: Tobruk, Libya - by Agencies Report, Feb 23, 2011

Photo: Libyan Arab Republic Air Force Sukhoi Su-22M-2 Fitter-J



(24.02.2011)