Libyan troops sent home after sexual assault allegations

[terry5]

Police patrol around Bassingbourn base as Libyan military training ends amid claims of poor discipline and sexual assault

Several hundred Libyan army cadets will be sent home from a Cambridgeshire barracks within days – ending a scheme intended to train 2,000 troops to bring security to the north African state – after sexual offences were committed in the area.

Two Libyan cadets who had left Bassingbourn barracks pleaded guilty last week to sexual assault and a third was charged with the same offence.

Two others, Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abogutila, 22, were charged with raping a man in a Cambridge park on 26 October and were remanded in custody on Tuesday.

So serious is the disorder that police are conducting frequent patrols around the Bassingbourn base as residents of the nearby village fear more “escapes” and attacks. The base has been reinforced with further troops from 2 Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, who were drafted in “to bolster security and reassure the local population” according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The Libyan training scheme has been beset with problems since it began in June and the MoD has admitted that 90 recruits – almost a third of the 325 who were carefully selected to take part in the programme – have withdrawn.

About 20 recruits are reported to have claimed asylum in the UK, although the Home Office and the MoD refused to either confirm or deny this.

The former Conservative health secretary Andrew Lansley, who is MP for the area, said the security problems represented a serious failure by the MoD, which must be held accountable.

“A lot of constituents and I are very unhappy that a decision was made that trainees could go off the base unescorted,” said Lansley. “When did it happen and who made those decisions? I feel very disappointed. The consequences are serious and the MoD has to account for that.”

Labour said the scheme had collapsed in “scandal and disarray”. Local residents have demanded to know why the MoD did not act earlier to stop the Libyans leaving the barracks when problems had already been reported. One family told how they had to call out the army after finding one Libyan in their driveway and another hiding under their car three days before the alleged attacks in Cambridge.

The MoD said the majority of recruits had been making good progress but confirmed the repatriation of the Libyan troops would take place following the disciplinary problems.

Lansley said he understood one in 10 of the recruits “were not accepting the discipline and weren’t accepting what they were asked to do and were not becoming part of a military force”.

Last week, the Libyan cadets Ibrahim Naji el-Maarfi, 20, and Mohammed Abdalsalam, 27, appeared before Cambridge magistrates court where they admitted two counts of sexual assault.

El-Maarfi faces two counts of sexual assault and one count of exposure. Abdalsalam faces charges including sexual assault. Khaled el-Azibi, 18, has also been charged with three counts of sexual assault but has yet to enter a plea.

“It felt like it was going wrong a few weeks ago,” said Lansley. “They [the MoD] were probably aware that some trainees were not adhering to discipline from an early stage and I wonder why [they had] not at a much earlier stage recognised that and taken a proportion of the trainees out and repatriated them much earlier.”

Peter Robinson, the chairman of Bassingbourn parish council, said: “The main problem has been escapees and the fear that has caused. I have had ladies tell me they don’t want to walk their dogs any more. There have been people who have come out of their house and have discovered Libyans hiding under their car, and it doesn’t give someone the feeling of safety and, following the allegations of what happened in Cambridge, it has made fears all the worse.” He said he spoke for many local residents when he reacted “with joy” to the news the troops were leaving.

Colonel Ali el-Karom, the military attache at the Libyan embassy in London, apologised for the bad behaviour and said Libya was “very disappointed that a few people have made stupid choices”. He said tensions between recruits who supported different factions in Libya were behind some of the problems. “When this particular conflict has died down, we will still need the training from the MoD in order to make our country strong and secure,” he said. “I hope that what has happened at Bassingbourn will not lead to a loss of trust between us and the MoD and that our two countries will continue to work together.”

The MoD confirmed that some recruits had left over disciplinary and behavioural issues, while others returned home for personal and medical reasons.

A spokesman insisted the group was carefully chosen after undergoing immigration, security and medical checks and that the majority responded positively. “As part of our ongoing support for the Libyan government we will review how best to train Libyan security forces – including whether training further tranches of recruits in the UK is the best way forward,” he said. “The majority of recruits have responded positively to training, despite ongoing political uncertainty in Libya, but there have been disciplinary issues.

“Training was initially expected to last until the end of November but we have agreed with the Libyan government that it is best for all involved to bring forward the training completion date. The recruits will be returning to Libya in the coming days.”

Ian Lucas, the shadow defence minister, said: “Having been significantly delayed in the first instance, the UK-based training programme has now collapsed in disarray and scandal and there are no plans to continue it elsewhere.

“The defence secretary needs to explain how this has gone so badly wrong and urgently clarify the government’s strategy for helping to build a safe and stable Libya, including whether or not training Libyan soldiers is part of it.

Andrew Lansley said: ‘A lot of constituents and I are very unhappy that a decision was made that trainees could go off the base unescorted. When did it happen and who made those decisions?’

The main problem has been escapees and the fear that has caused,’ said Peter Robinson, chairman of the parish council. ‘I have had ladies tell me they don’t want to walk their dogs any more.’

 

[al-Hasani]

Haha, due to 5 morons all 2000 of them are going home!

They must be really proud of themselves!

EDIT: It's only a few hundred. Still idiotic.

 

[terry5]

Police patrol around Bassingbourn base as Libyan military training ends amid claims of poor discipline and sexual assault

Several hundred Libyan army cadets will be sent home from a Cambridgeshire barracks within days – ending a scheme intended to train 2,000 troops to bring security to the north African state – after sexual offences were committed in the area.

Two Libyan cadets who had left Bassingbourn barracks pleaded guilty last week to sexual assault and a third was charged with the same offence.

Two others, Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abogutila, 22, were charged with raping a man in a Cambridge park on 26 October and were remanded in custody on Tuesday.

So serious is the disorder that police are conducting frequent patrols around the Bassingbourn base as residents of the nearby village fear more “escapes” and attacks. The base has been reinforced with further troops from 2 Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, who were drafted in “to bolster security and reassure the local population” according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The Libyan training scheme has been beset with problems since it began in June and the MoD has admitted that 90 recruits – almost a third of the 325 who were carefully selected to take part in the programme – have withdrawn.

About 20 recruits are reported to have claimed asylum in the UK, although the Home Office and the MoD refused to either confirm or deny this.

The former Conservative health secretary Andrew Lansley, who is MP for the area, said the security problems represented a serious failure by the MoD, which must be held accountable.

“A lot of constituents and I are very unhappy that a decision was made that trainees could go off the base unescorted,” said Lansley. “When did it happen and who made those decisions? I feel very disappointed. The consequences are serious and the MoD has to account for that.”

Labour said the scheme had collapsed in “scandal and disarray”. Local residents have demanded to know why the MoD did not act earlier to stop the Libyans leaving the barracks when problems had already been reported. One family told how they had to call out the army after finding one Libyan in their driveway and another hiding under their car three days before the alleged attacks in Cambridge.

The MoD said the majority of recruits had been making good progress but confirmed the repatriation of the Libyan troops would take place following the disciplinary problems.

Lansley said he understood one in 10 of the recruits “were not accepting the discipline and weren’t accepting what they were asked to do and were not becoming part of a military force”.

Last week, the Libyan cadets Ibrahim Naji el-Maarfi, 20, and Mohammed Abdalsalam, 27, appeared before Cambridge magistrates court where they admitted two counts of sexual assault.

El-Maarfi faces two counts of sexual assault and one count of exposure. Abdalsalam faces charges including sexual assault. Khaled el-Azibi, 18, has also been charged with three counts of sexual assault but has yet to enter a plea.

“It felt like it was going wrong a few weeks ago,” said Lansley. “They [the MoD] were probably aware that some trainees were not adhering to discipline from an early stage and I wonder why [they had] not at a much earlier stage recognised that and taken a proportion of the trainees out and repatriated them much earlier.”

Peter Robinson, the chairman of Bassingbourn parish council, said: “The main problem has been escapees and the fear that has caused. I have had ladies tell me they don’t want to walk their dogs any more. There have been people who have come out of their house and have discovered Libyans hiding under their car, and it doesn’t give someone the feeling of safety and, following the allegations of what happened in Cambridge, it has made fears all the worse.” He said he spoke for many local residents when he reacted “with joy” to the news the troops were leaving.

Colonel Ali el-Karom, the military attache at the Libyan embassy in London, apologised for the bad behaviour and said Libya was “very disappointed that a few people have made stupid choices”. He said tensions between recruits who supported different factions in Libya were behind some of the problems. “When this particular conflict has died down, we will still need the training from the MoD in order to make our country strong and secure,” he said. “I hope that what has happened at Bassingbourn will not lead to a loss of trust between us and the MoD and that our two countries will continue to work together.”

The MoD confirmed that some recruits had left over disciplinary and behavioural issues, while others returned home for personal and medical reasons.

A spokesman insisted the group was carefully chosen after undergoing immigration, security and medical checks and that the majority responded positively. “As part of our ongoing support for the Libyan government we will review how best to train Libyan security forces – including whether training further tranches of recruits in the UK is the best way forward,” he said. “The majority of recruits have responded positively to training, despite ongoing political uncertainty in Libya, but there have been disciplinary issues.

“Training was initially expected to last until the end of November but we have agreed with the Libyan government that it is best for all involved to bring forward the training completion date. The recruits will be returning to Libya in the coming days.”

Ian Lucas, the shadow defence minister, said: “Having been significantly delayed in the first instance, the UK-based training programme has now collapsed in disarray and scandal and there are no plans to continue it elsewhere.

“The defence secretary needs to explain how this has gone so badly wrong and urgently clarify the government’s strategy for helping to build a safe and stable Libya, including whether or not training Libyan soldiers is part of it.

Royston residents on Libyan trainee troops: ‘I have never felt so unsafe’
Town near barracks criticises MoD scheme after alleged sexual assaults in Cambridge leave them afraid to walk streets alone

A heavy police presence is patrolling the lanes around Bassingbourn barracks in Cambridgeshire in a belated attempt to stop any more of the 235 Libyan trainee troops inside from jumping the fence and spreading further fear among residents.

Only three years ago, in the flush of hope that followed the toppling of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the town of Royston, which is near the barracks, was considering twinning with a valiant Libyan town, such as Benghazi. Now, after the collapse of a disastrous Ministry of Defence initiative to use the nearby barracks to train Libyan soldiers – several of whom fought against the dictator – any sense of solidarity has gone and many residents want them sent home, fast.

The initiative put backs up from the start. Clubs for golf, fishing, hockey, badminton, land yachting and skiing on a dry slope were stopped from using the barracks to make way for the Libyans, allowing an estimated £1m worth of facilities to lie unused. Then villagers complained that, despite MoD assurances that the trainees would only be allowed out with escorts, they were finding “escaped” cadets hiding in garden bushes, buying vodka in the local store and “mobbing” a supermarket branch in fatigues and ogling young women.

Several villagers said they had no problem with the cadets, but those who lived closest to the barracks grew increasingly worried.

“I was inside the house when my dad was coming home from work and there was one of the Libyans in our drive,” said Kelly Wollaston, 21, a bakery worker. “He nearly ran him over. As he got out there was another one of them hiding underneath my car. I don’t think they were out to cause trouble, but my dad said: ‘What the hell are you doing?’ but they didn’t speak any English and ran up the road.”

The incident happened on 23 October and British army soldiers tried to round up the Libyans. Three days later another group left barracks and went to Cambridge where they were alleged to have carried out sexual assaults and rape. Residents now want to know why the MoD allowed them out again or allowed them to leave without permission, given it was already known they were causing trouble.

The alleged attacks have spread fear through the village, particularly among young women. Rumours swept between friends through Facebook: “There has been an escape. Lock up your doors and windows.”

Sofie Costello, 21 said her sister saw two trainees trying to jump over the barracks fence. “She phoned my mum scared and she told her not to open the door. I have lived here 16 years and I have never felt so unsafe. I look after three children and I know that people don’t want to let their children walk to school [alone] because they don’t feel safe. We hear the stories about sex assault charges and it is so close. They weren’t supposed to be allowed out.”
The authorities have been urging precautions too.

“I was walking my dog in Royston and was stopped by a military policeman,” one young woman said. “He asked if I was alone and just told me to go home. I knew why straight away. We’d heard some of them had escaped the previous night. It has not been nice.”

Des Downey, 68, is a golf club member who represented the sports clubs in talks with the MoD. “Here were a group of Libyan troops deposited in rural Cambridgeshire and we had no protection,” he said. “They just jumped over the fence. Was a risk assessment done about how they were going to manage this? I think now they have realised the gravity of what has happened and they can’t manage it.”

The Libyans are being sent home in the coming days, but the fears persist.

“Are there 250 people in there seething and about to jump the fence?” asked Downey. “Will they do a runner before they are sent back?”

 

[Hashshāshīn]

Raping a man?

 

[al-Hasani]

Raping a man?

Out of 2000 troops it is not impossible that 2 of them were wild perverted gays incapable of controlling themselves. Maybe they were under the influence of alcohol and drugs too? Who knows about the details?

 

[Donatello]

That too in the beautiful city of Cambridge?

 

[Steve781]

Raping a man?

In the US I believe prison rape is so bad that there are now more men raped every year than women.

 

[Falcon29]

Expected from pro-Haftar Godless secularists.

 

[RazPaK]

libiyan butt pirates on the loose.

 

[jamahir]

Two others, Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abogutila, 22, were charged with raping a man in a Cambridge park

of course they would do that... they are from ikhwaan and qaeda ( al gay-da )... those kinds don't like ladies...

the british government deserves this... they were part of the nato militaries which invaded libya... and those libyan "cadets" were the ikhwaan/gay-da/taliban bunch of drug addicts who slaughtered 200,000+ libyans and ruined a once properous, influential and glorious nation...

the british earlier let in the bearded fools from south asia, saudia etc... oh, yes... that fool with the hook-hand... now they have let in ikhwaani rapists-of-men...

you deserve this, britain...

 

[jerry_tan]

Raping a man?

yep, its normal in Arab countries

 

[HAIDER]

Royston residents on Libyan trainee troops: ‘I have never felt so unsafe’
Town near barracks criticises MoD scheme after alleged sexual assaults in Cambridge leave them afraid to walk streets alone

A heavy police presence is patrolling the lanes around Bassingbourn barracks in Cambridgeshire in a belated attempt to stop any more of the 235 Libyan trainee troops inside from jumping the fence and spreading further fear among residents.

Only three years ago, in the flush of hope that followed the toppling of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the town of Royston, which is near the barracks, was considering twinning with a valiant Libyan town, such as Benghazi. Now, after the collapse of a disastrous Ministry of Defence initiative to use the nearby barracks to train Libyan soldiers – several of whom fought against the dictator – any sense of solidarity has gone and many residents want them sent home, fast.

The initiative put backs up from the start. Clubs for golf, fishing, hockey, badminton, land yachting and skiing on a dry slope were stopped from using the barracks to make way for the Libyans, allowing an estimated £1m worth of facilities to lie unused. Then villagers complained that, despite MoD assurances that the trainees would only be allowed out with escorts, they were finding “escaped” cadets hiding in garden bushes, buying vodka in the local store and “mobbing” a supermarket branch in fatigues and ogling young women.

Several villagers said they had no problem with the cadets, but those who lived closest to the barracks grew increasingly worried.

“I was inside the house when my dad was coming home from work and there was one of the Libyans in our drive,” said Kelly Wollaston, 21, a bakery worker. “He nearly ran him over. As he got out there was another one of them hiding underneath my car. I don’t think they were out to cause trouble, but my dad said: ‘What the hell are you doing?’ but they didn’t speak any English and ran up the road.”

The incident happened on 23 October and British army soldiers tried to round up the Libyans. Three days later another group left barracks and went to Cambridge where they were alleged to have carried out sexual assaults and rape. Residents now want to know why the MoD allowed them out again or allowed them to leave without permission, given it was already known they were causing trouble.

The alleged attacks have spread fear through the village, particularly among young women. Rumours swept between friends through Facebook: “There has been an escape. Lock up your doors and windows.”

Sofie Costello, 21 said her sister saw two trainees trying to jump over the barracks fence. “She phoned my mum scared and she told her not to open the door. I have lived here 16 years and I have never felt so unsafe. I look after three children and I know that people don’t want to let their children walk to school [alone] because they don’t feel safe. We hear the stories about sex assault charges and it is so close. They weren’t supposed to be allowed out.”
The authorities have been urging precautions too.

“I was walking my dog in Royston and was stopped by a military policeman,” one young woman said. “He asked if I was alone and just told me to go home. I knew why straight away. We’d heard some of them had escaped the previous night. It has not been nice.”

Des Downey, 68, is a golf club member who represented the sports clubs in talks with the MoD. “Here were a group of Libyan troops deposited in rural Cambridgeshire and we had no protection,” he said. “They just jumped over the fence. Was a risk assessment done about how they were going to manage this? I think now they have realised the gravity of what has happened and they can’t manage it.”

The Libyans are being sent home in the coming days, but the fears persist.

“Are there 250 people in there seething and about to jump the fence?” asked Downey. “Will they do a runner before they are sent back?”

Instead of soldier trained them as pornnnnn star......they born for battle on the bed...

 

[mike2000]

Instead of soldier trained them as pornnnnn star......they born for battle on the bed...

Lool that was funny man. Lool

Well, coming to topic,this indeed is a sad news. These soldiers shouldn't have been allowed here in the first place, if we really wanted to train them we could have done it in Libya itself , why bring them here in the first place? Our foolish/clueless politicians as usual.
By the way , we had no bussines with Libya in the first place, who are we to go and topple another sovereign country's president in the first place? Libya was once the wealthiest country in Africa (I myself visited the country 5 years ago ), it was self sufficient in every aspect and the citizens lived a very good life(better than even some European countries), reason many Africans (even those from so called 'democratic' countries) from. Egypt to cameroon to kenya to senegal etc were migrating to Libya in search of a better life. Now look at what the country has become, a failed
state.

People in developing countries have to educated, informed so they can know how geo politics works, its not everything that you see or hear in news/media and politicians that is truth, there are always several back/dirty deals that goes on behind the scenes. As such, no foreign power will eve come and help develop your country or even help you in this endeavour. So thinking a foreign power cares about Libyans and their 'democracy' is all but laughable. So people from middle east to Africa to south america (they seem to have learned this though. Lol) should wake up and be aware that any change they might want must come from within the country (by themselves) not from a foreign power. Since I can't blame our governments since they are only looking after our interests (like every country should do). So don't expect us to look after your interests, it has never happened and will never happen. Countries are always after their own interests.

Its indeed a tragedy for Africa's once most prosperous country has turned into a failed state. I'm really sad to see this, since this is a continent I love. Any group clamouring for foreign intervention in your country shiuld immediately be discarded by the people, since such groups/individuals dont want the interest of their own country, be it free syrian army or the so called freedom fighters in Libya against kadaffi. Change/revolution(if its indeed a real one) must always cone from the people themselves not through foreign tomahawk missiles lool So Africans/middle easterners have to wake up and be aware of the great game.

 

[jamahir]

Lool that was funny man. Lool

Well, coming to topic,this indeed is a sad news. These soldiers shouldn't have been allowed here in the first place, if we really wanted to train them we could have done it in Libya itself , why bring them here in the first place? Our foolish/clueless politicians as usual.
By the way , we had no bussines with Libya in the first place, who are we to go and topple another sovereign country's president in the first place? Libya was once the wealthiest country in Africa (I myself visited the country 5 years ago ), it was self sufficient in every aspect and the citizens lived a very good life(better than even some European countries), reason many Africans (even those from so called 'democratic' countries) from. Egypt to cameroon to kenya to senegal etc were migrating to Libya in search of a better life. Now look at what the country has become, a failed
state.

People in developing countries have to educated, informed so they can know how geo politics works, its not everything that you see or hear in news/media and politicians that is truth, there are always several back/dirty deals that goes on behind the scenes. As such, no foreign power will eve come and help develop your country or even help you in this endeavour. So thinking a foreign power cares about Libyans and their 'democracy' is all but laughable. So people from middle east to Africa to south america (they seem to have learned this though. Lol) should wake up and be aware that any change they might want must come from within the country (by themselves) not from a foreign power. Since I can't blame our governments since they are only looking after our interests (like every country should do). So don't expect us to look after your interests, it has never happened and will never happen. Countries are always after their own interests.

Its indeed a tragedy for Africa's once most prosperous country has turned into a failed state. I'm really sad to see this, since this is a continent I love. Any group clamouring for foreign intervention in your country shiuld immediately be discarded by the people, since such groups/individuals dont want the interest of their own country, be it free syrian army or the so called freedom fighters in Libya against kadaffi. Change/revolution(if its indeed a real one) must always cone from the people themselves not through foreign tomahawk missiles lool So Africans/middle easterners have to wake up and be aware of the great game.

your post deserves a thread by itself... you are a wise man, my friend...

 

[Steve781]

Lool that was funny man. Lool

Well, coming to topic,this indeed is a sad news. These soldiers shouldn't have been allowed here in the first place, if we really wanted to train them we could have done it in Libya itself , why bring them here in the first place? Our foolish/clueless politicians as usual.
By the way , we had no bussines with Libya in the first place, who are we to go and topple another sovereign country's president in the first place? Libya was once the wealthiest country in Africa (I myself visited the country 5 years ago ), it was self sufficient in every aspect and the citizens lived a very good life(better than even some European countries), reason many Africans (even those from so called 'democratic' countries) from. Egypt to cameroon to kenya to senegal etc were migrating to Libya in search of a better life. Now look at what the country has become, a failed
state.

People in developing countries have to educated, informed so they can know how geo politics works, its not everything that you see or hear in news/media and politicians that is truth, there are always several back/dirty deals that goes on behind the scenes. As such, no foreign power will eve come and help develop your country or even help you in this endeavour. So thinking a foreign power cares about Libyans and their 'democracy' is all but laughable. So people from middle east to Africa to south america (they seem to have learned this though. Lol) should wake up and be aware that any change they might want must come from within the country (by themselves) not from a foreign power. Since I can't blame our governments since they are only looking after our interests (like every country should do). So don't expect us to look after your interests, it has never happened and will never happen. Countries are always after their own interests.

Its indeed a tragedy for Africa's once most prosperous country has turned into a failed state. I'm really sad to see this, since this is a continent I love. Any group clamouring for foreign intervention in your country shiuld immediately be discarded by the people, since such groups/individuals dont want the interest of their own country, be it free syrian army or the so called freedom fighters in Libya against kadaffi. Change/revolution(if its indeed a real one) must always cone from the people themselves not through foreign tomahawk missiles lool So Africans/middle easterners have to wake up and be aware of the great game.

The Africans drowning in the Mediterranean are a direct legacy of the war. Gadaffi made sure to keep them from reaching Europe.