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Libyan Protests Widen

(New York Times) David D. Kirkpatrick and Mona El-Naggar - A five-day-old uprising in Libya took control of its second-largest city of Benghazi and spread to the capital of Tripoli on Sunday. Witnesses and rights activists say the uprising has left more than 200 people dead and hundreds wounded from gunfire by security forces. The U.S. condemned the Gaddafi government's lethal use of force. In Benghazi, three witnesses said that special military forces called in as reinforcements had instead helped the protesters take over the local army barracks. Under Gaddafi's rule, tribal bonds remain primary even within the ranks of the military. The powerful al-Warfalla and al-Zuwayya tribes came out against Gaddafi on Sunday. Fifty prominent Libyan Muslim religious leaders issued an appeal to Muslims in the security forces to stop participating in the violence against protesters.
2011-02-21 00:00:00
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