Libya: Rebels battle Gaddafi forces near Sirte
Libya’s opposition rebel army moves closer to capturing Muammar Gaddafi’s birthplace of Sirte, as coalition airstrikes weaken defences.
Rebel spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah claimed that Sirte had been captured early on Monday, saying: “It’s confirmed Sirte has fallen into pro-democracy hands” – adding that opposition forces had not faced much resistance.
Celebratory gunfire erupted and car horns sounded in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi as news of the rebel statement about Sirte spread.
But it soon became clear that Sirte was still under the control of the Gaddafi regime.
The rebels have reversed military losses in their five-week insurgency and regained control of all the main oil terminals in eastern Libya, as far as the town of Bin Jawad over the weekend.
They are now back in control of the main oil terminals in the east – Es Sider, Ras Lanuf, Brega, Zueitina and Tobruk – while Gaddafi appears to be retrenching in the west.
Photo gallery - allied air strikes on Libya
Rebels also seized control of Adjabiya on Saturday.
Another rebel spokesman in Zintan said Gaddafi‘s forces bombarded the western Libyan town with rockets early on Monday. Ali Saleh said: “The city of Zintan was bombarded by Gaddafi’s forces from the north with Grad rockets.”
And in a reversal of fortunes for the rebels, pro-Gaddafi forces are believed to have gained control of part of the western city of Misrata – Libya’s third largest – according to rebels there, and the government confimed the claim, stating that it has “liberated” the rebel stronghold.
Tenuous gains
However, one of the United States’ most senior commanders, Vice Admiral Bill Gortney – the director of the US military’s Joint Staff – said the opposition fighting Gaddafi is not robust and the gains they have made on the battlefield in recent days are ‘tenuous.’
He went on to say the United States was not directly supporting the Libyan opposition but they had clearly achieved a military benefit from the coalition’s air strikes.
Vice Admiral Gortney said coalition forces were attacking the command headquarters of one of Gaddafi’s most loyal units, which has been ‘one of the most active attacking civilians’.
He said six Tomahawk cruise missiles had been fired from Sunday to Monday across the country, and 178 air sorties – mostly air strikes – had been carried out.
There were no confirmed casualties caused by the US since the operation began, he also added.
Calls for Gadafi to be exiled
Rome is attempting to persuade Germany to back its plan which also includes a ceasefire and a permanent humanitarian corridor, according to Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.
Mr Frattini will present the proposal at a London meeting on 29 March.
“We have a plan and we will see if it can be translated into an Italian-German proposal, perhaps in a joint document that can be presented on Tuesday,” he said.
Read more in the Channel 4 News Special Report on Libya
Italy is seeking commitment by the Arab League and African Union for the plans, which include setting up a dialogue with the Libyan opposition.
Mr Frattini said it was “unthinkable” that any outcome could leave Gaddafi in power, adding that the African Union was working on trying to persuade him to quit and that even members of his regime were trying to do so.
Mr Frattini will present the proposal at a London meeting on 29 March.
“We have a plan and we will see if it can be translated into an Italian-German proposal, perhaps in a joint document that can be presented on Tuesday,” he said.
Read more in the Channel 4 News Special Report on Libya
Italy is seeking commitment by the Arab League and African Union for the plans, which include setting up a dialogue with the Libyan opposition.
Mr Frattini said it was “unthinkable” that any outcome could leave Gaddafi in power, adding that the African Union was working on trying to persuade him to quit and that even members of his regime were trying to do so.
Russia criticism
Elsewhere, Russia has once again poured scorn on coalition operations in Libya, saying that attacks on regime forces are tantamount to intervention in a civil war, adding that such actions are not backed by the UN resolution that authorised no-fly zones.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the resolution passed by the UN Security Council on 17 March set the sole aim of protecting Libyan civilians.
“And yet there are reports – and nobody denies them – of coalition strikes on columns of Gaddafi’s forces, reports about support for actions by the armed insurgents,” Lavrov said. “There are clear contradictions here.”
“We consider that intervention by the coalition in what is essentially an internal civil war is not sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution,” Lavrov said when asked about Libya at a news conference with his Kyrgyz counterpart.
Russia holds veto power as a permanent UN Security Council member but chose not to block the resolution, which authorised “all necessary measures to enforce compliance” with no-fly zones.