Al-Mehdi Al-Harathi was the head of Tripoli’s Rebels Division, the first to enter the city of Tripoli on August 21, 2011. He then became the deputy head of the Tripoli Military Council Abduhakeem Bilhaj, but resigned due to health problems.

Al-Harathi then traveled to Syria to help form the Nation’s Brigade to fight Baschar Al-Assad’s army and liberate Syria.

Were you in Syria?

Yes, I just came back two weeks ago. I spent a year there.

 

What were you doing there?

Al-Mehdi Al-Harathi was the head of Tripoli’s Rebels Division, the first to enter the city of Tripoli on August 21, 2011. He then became the deputy head of the Tripoli Military Council Abduhakeem Bilhaj, but resigned due to health problems.

Al-Harathi then traveled to Syria to help form the Nation’s Brigade to fight Baschar Al-Assad’s army and liberate Syria.

Were you in Syria?

Yes, I just came back two weeks ago. I spent a year there.

 

What were you doing there?

The same things I was doing in Libya.

 

But Libya is your country, and not many others came to help Libya.

Our battle in Libya was small, and cannot be compared to that of Syria. The battle there is huge, and people from all over the world should go and help the Syrian people. You cannot believe what is happening there.

 

Wasn’t Libya your priority after the revolution? There are still kidnappings and killings and other crimes.

We have to deal with it on our own. In the past, everyone blamed Gaddafi and his loyalists. I really think Gaddafi has affected the Libyan people.

 

Have you heard that the opposition figures in Syria claim that Libya is sending them extremists that Libya is trying to get rid of?

Yes, I heard that. First of all, Libya didn’t send any rebels there; I went by myself and have no connection to the government. We went there on a Friday designated “Where are the Arabs,” and we went to help the Syrian people, not the opposition.

 

Where do you get your support? We have heard that Libya has sent weapons to Syria.

We get support from all over the world. Each denomination helps it people. Muslims help Muslims, and Jews help Jews. Libya was supposed to send weapons to Syria, but they haven’t yet.

 

Is it true that you receive support from the American and Irish intelligence?

No, that’s nonsense. That would mean that I’m an American agent, and that would never, ever happen.

 

You said that you went to Syria to respond to their call for help. Do you think that the Syrian rebels will be able to achieve their goals without the help of the West and NATO?

The Syrian people have no more hope in either Muslims or people from other countries, so they only hope that God will help them. Victory comes only from God’s will. Many factors played a role in the Libyan revolution; NATO was not the only cause of our victory. The main role was played by the Libyan people.

 

What is your opinion on the violations committed by extremist militias in Libya?

Of course, I am against those violations, but violations are committed by all types of militias, and not only extremists.

I want to add that during the time I was in charge of the prisons here in Libya, I had the chance to torture those who had tortured me under Gaddafi. I had the chance to take revenge, but I did not do so. We are not here to torture and kill people. We want to change Gaddafi’s policies and let justice play its role.