Youth group Anakbayan today condemned the bombings against Libya by the U.S and other member organizations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), calling it ‘nothing more than a blatant grab for oil resources’.

“While Obama claims ‘defense of anti-government civilians’ as their motivation, not even a peep can be heard from them in regards to the ongoing slaughter in Bahrain and Yemen” said Anakbayan national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo.

Recently, anti-government protests in the two countries have turned violent as state security forces have begun using gunfire against unarmed protesters, killing dozens. Also, unlike Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, the heads of Bahrain and Yemen are close allies of the U.S in its so-called ‘war on terror’ and has opened their oil industries to control by multinational (MNCs) and transnational corporations (TNCs).

“Libya’s nationalized oil industry, which is free from the monopoly control of MNCs and TNCs, is a source of both relatively cheaper oil for the rest of the world and irritation for the U.S” said the youth leader.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation, in fact, is the 25th largest oil firm in the whole world.

Meanwhile, the militant group of young workers, professionals, and students called on its fellow youths to be ‘critical’ in regards to issues surrounding the North African nation.

“Our local media is dependent on reports from Western mainstream media outfits, which in turn has constantly portrayed Gaddafi a ‘dictator’ and the bombings a ‘humanitarian mission’. However, alternative news outfits show a very different story” said Crisostomo.

The Anakbayan leader noted that when the U.S invaded Iraq exactly a year ago, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s alleged possession of WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) was the ‘alibi’. However, until today, not a single WMD has been found, even according to the U.S military.

Crisostomo said “One thing that the Western media is trying to cover-up is the fact that Gaddafi enjoys the support of many Libyans, as well as peoples from neighboring countries. His surge of victories against the rebels can’t be explained simply by a ‘weaponry advantage’ since the rebels have whole defector military units in their fold”

He pointed out the fact that in the 2010 United Nations HDI (Human Development Index), Libya ranks #1 for the entire Africa, and 53rd worldwide, besting countries like Russia, China, India, and the Philippines. The HDI is a standard measure of well-being of citizens, using factors such as life expectancy, literacy, and child welfare.

“Even the majority of the Libyan opposition detests the presence of the U.S and NATO” he said.

Several weeks ago, Libyan rebels arrested a unit of the British SAS (Special Air Service), an elite military group, after they secretly entered the country with the objective of contacting leaders of the Libyan opposition.