MISURATA, Libya - As Ahmod Essreati helped evacuate 2,100 Chinese nationals on Monday morning, military helicopters suddenly flew over Libya's third largest city, gunfire erupted and bombs exploded.

Then his mobile phone rang, and his beloved wife pleaded: "We are scared, and you should come back home with us."

After comforting his wife, Essreati continued to keep order, assisting customs officers checking passports and saying goodbye to his teary-eyed Chinese friends.