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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Italian invasion of Libya


Binbaşı Mustafa Kemal Bey (left) with an Ottoman military officer and Bedouin forces in Darnah, Tripolitania Vilayet, 1912.  Kemal later went on to become Ataturk, the Father of modern Turkey.


History Lesson  -  1911 or 2011.  Europeans just can't keep their hands off Libya


The 100th anniversary of the Italo-Turkish War   -  The war was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.

The European backed attack on Libya in 2011 falls right on the anniversary of the first war.  It appears that the more things change the more they stay the same.

As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica.  These provinces together formed what became known as the new Italian colony of Libya.  During the conflict, Italian forces also occupied the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea.

Ottoman forces lost 14,000 killed in action and 5,370 wounded.

Shortly after his "bloodless coup" against King Idris,  in 1969, Gaddafi expelled 20,000 Italians from Libya.

Below are photos from the Ottoman war and the Arab revolt against Italian rule that followed.

The Ottoman Empire in 1900
The Ottoman Empire had already lost the provinces of Algeria and Tunisia to the French and Egypt and the Sudan to Britain.  Now Italy was taking away the Ottoman provinces in Libya.


Italian dirigibles bomb Turkish positions on Libyan Territory. The Italian–Turkish war of 1911–1912 was the first in history that featured air attacks by airplanes and dirigible airships.

Italian landing at Tripoli, October 11, 1911, Invasion against the Turks


Italian Encampment at the oasis of Tripoli


Arab Encampment,Tripolitania, Libyans fighting with Italians against the Turks


Italian troops fighting the Turks in Libya, 1911

Italo-Turkish War, the trenches at the Agricultural College

Turkish soldiers head to battle, during the Italo-Turkish War


Damage by Italians at Tajura, 1912


Italian soldiers of an Alpine Division, surrounding fallen Libyan resisters, during the Italo-Turkish War, 1912


Resistance fighters against the Italians, in Janzour, early 1900's


Spahis, Libyan Resisters against Italy, from Janzour, at Al Marcia


Libyan resisters killed by Italian troops


Libyan resisters being taken to concentration camps


Libyan civilians being taken to concentration camps



Libyan civilians forced into concentration camps


Italian soldiers with a Libyan captive 1914, Tobruk


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