Gaddafi using women as soldiers

Time.com reports how Gaddafi is resorting to teen soldiers, African mercenaries and now also women to fight his battles. The website reports that with half of Libya controlled by the rebels, Gaddafi is having difficulty finding soldiers.

According to the website says Gaddafi has been recruiting Africans from neigbouring countries such as Chad and Niger to fight the rebels. However, Gaddafi’s government has repeatedly denied recruiting mercenaries from neigbouring countries.

The news media managed to interview a 16-year-old boy who had been forced by troops loyal to Gaddafi to fight. He says that after being removed from school, he was trained for three weeks in a small army camp in Gaddafi's capital of Tripoli, with weapons such as 14.5mm anti-aircraft guns.

“I never thought I was going to go to the front,” he said. “Then one day they came and told us we had to defend the nation.”

Along with about 90 other 16-to-17 year olds, the teenage was taken to Misrata, given a Kalashnikov, and told to fight. But on his first day at the front, a heavy salvo of anti-aircraft artillery shredded his left leg. He was soon caught and taken to the Hikma hospital, but it was too late to save his leg, which was amputated slightly below the knee.

The teenager now spends his days hobbling around a room filled with teenagers from Misrata suspected of collaborating with Gaddafi's forces.