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Unguarded munitions depot some 5 km south of Ajdabiya, a location known as Gasser al-Hanaya (fort of the kind ones), that was a fort during Roman times (ruins at present). We entered the abandoned Gaddafi area military complex through a large hole in the wall near the barricaded entrance and saw signs in English indicating that it had been visited by some munitions control contracting group from another country. The guide who brought us here showed us photos he had taken just two weeks earlier when more weapons were present. We were there on a Friday morning, the Muslim sabbath, and it was totally deserted. Past the barracks and mosque, etc. we found about a dozen munitions bunkers, most of them with doors open, and inside were a variety of heavy munitions, including large-caliber tank shells, mortar shells, and various kinds of rockets. In the loading area near the gate were two torpedoes. We were told by people in Ajdabiyah that the munitions depot had been used to supply fighters in Misrata by sea from Benghazi. Numerous buildings in the residential/admin area of the base had been destroyed by explosives but the munitions bunkers were all untouched. Apparently, Ajdabiya was over-run by the revolutionaries early in the war, and thus this may not have been in Khaddafi-regime control by the time NATO entered the conflict.

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©2012 George Steinmetz
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Libya Revisited
Unguarded munitions depot some 5 km south of Ajdabiya, a location known as Gasser al-Hanaya (fort of the kind ones), that was a fort during Roman times (ruins at present). We entered the abandoned Gaddafi area military complex through a large hole in the wall near the barricaded entrance and saw signs in English indicating that it had been visited by some munitions control contracting group from another country. The guide who brought us here showed us photos he had taken just two weeks earlier when more weapons were present. We were there on a Friday morning, the Muslim sabbath, and it was totally deserted. Past the barracks and mosque, etc. we found about a dozen munitions bunkers, most of them with doors open, and inside were a variety of heavy munitions, including large-caliber tank shells, mortar shells, and various kinds of rockets. In the loading area near the gate were two torpedoes. We were told by people in Ajdabiyah that the munitions depot had been used to supply fighters in Misrata by sea from Benghazi. Numerous buildings in the residential/admin area of the base had been destroyed by explosives but the munitions bunkers were all untouched. Apparently, Ajdabiya was over-run by the revolutionaries early in the war, and thus this may not have been in Khaddafi-regime control by the time NATO entered the conflict.

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