Libya: rebels retreat as Gaddafi troops hit back
Libya’s eastern port of Ras Lanuf comes under air attack as pro-Gaddafi forces drive rebels back, as Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum questions the movements of UK special forces.
After heavy fighting and casualties in the western town of Misrata on Sunday, the focus of the struggle for power in Libya is now on the oil port of Ras Lanuf, a rebel-held town that is expected to be attacked by Pro-Gaddafi troops who have already taken the nearby town of Bin Jawad.
It has been reported that a Government jet unleashed two rockets on Ras Lanuf. The attacks apparently caused no casualties.
Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the opposition National Libyan Council, believes there are as many as 17,000 rebel fighters in the east but all spread across the vast region.
He also warned that unless there is international intervention soon, Gaddafi could target oil fields and supplies: “The west needs to move or this crazy guy will do something to the oilfields. He is like a wounded wolf. If the West does not intervene with tactical air strikes he could put the oilfields out of commission for a long time.”
If the west does not intervene with tactical air strikes he could put the oilfields out of commission for a long time. Mustafa Gheriani, National Libyan Council
The latest reports of air strikes may lend weight to David Cameron’s no-fly zone plan. The Arab League, through the French foreign ministry, has said it would support a no-fly zone after Sunday’s meeting between the French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and the League’s Secretary General Amr Moussa.
Channel 4 News special report – Arab revolt: Middle East uprisings
Foreign Secretary William Hague is set to confirm that there will be more diplomatic missions sent to Libya despite the failure of the SBS-led team that were captured by rebels at the weekend.
He explained: “We intend, in consultation with the opposition, to send a further team to strengthen our dialogue in due course.”
On Sunday Mr Hague explained was tight-lipped about details regarding the SBS team: “The team went to Libya to initiate contacts with the opposition. They experienced difficulties, which have now been satisfactorily resolved. They have now left Libya.”
Mr Hague will address the Commons with more details of the team to be sent in on Monday afternoon in stark contrast to the very secret mission that ended in capture at the weekend.
The missions are apparently designed to lay groundwork and dialogue between disparate opposition groups in Libya.
Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum has shed some more light on the presence of the team in Libya. Despite widespread media reports it is her understanding that the team sent in were Special Boat Service forces rather than from the Special Air Service, and were helicoptered in from the HMS York which has been used in the area to ferry UK citizens to Malta.
The team landed in the middle of the desert where they were met by a British manager of an agricultural project. Rebels searched the men and discovered multiple passports as well as guns and bombs in their luggage.
The need to arrive by night and in secret has been questioned by journalists who have travelled relatively easily in the area.
It raised the question raised by one member of the opposition council, “why did they come through the window when they could have come through the door?”
Lindsey Hilsum blogs from the scene where UK Special Forces and diplomats were captured