Libyan rebels aim knockout punch at Gaddafi

Hardened fighters streamed Thursday into Tripoli as Libya’s rebels sought to deliver a knockout punch to Moamer Gaddafi’s diehards and to flush out the elusive strongman, dead or alive. They were being supported in their hunt for the wily Gaddafi by NATO, which according to Britain’s Defence Minister Liam Fox is contributing intelligence and reconnaissance equipment. Rebel commanders said they were also readying fresh attempts to advance against Gaddafi’s forces in his hometown Sirte, 360 kilometres (225 miles) east of Tripoli and to break a siege of Zuwarah, a town to the west.
Leading the army of reinforcements into Tripoli were seasoned combatants from the city of Misrata, whose fellow fighters spearheaded the weekend assault that saw the Libyan capital swiftly overrun and Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound captured by Tuesday. Rebel commanders said that while they control most of Tripoli, hot spots remain where sniper fire, rocket explosions and heavy weaponry make life dangerous. The rebels are also hell-bent on finding Gaddafi, so they can proclaim final victory in an uprising that began six months ago and was all but crushed by Gaddafi’s forces before NATO warplanes gave crucial air support to the rebels.
Rebel leaders say they want to put Gaddafi on trial in Libya even though he also faces charges of crimes against humanity along with his son Seif al-Islam and spymaster Abdullah al-Senussi at the International Criminal Court. The rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) on Wednesday offered a $1.7 million reward for the capture of the elusive strongman, dead or alive.
Britain’s Fox told Sky news on Thursday that NATO is providing “intelligence and reconnaissance assets to the NTC to help them track down Colonel Gaddafi and other remnants of the regime.” The Defence Ministry said Fox was referring to “various assets such as military planes”. A ministry spokesman would not say whether SAS special forces members had been deployed in the search, as reported by the Daily Telegraph. The newspaper quoted defence ministry sources as saying SAS members were sent to Libya several weeks ago and played a key role in coordinating the battle for Tripoli.
Meanwhile diplomatic efforts were launched at the United Nations and in Qatar by backers of the insurgents to secure the unlocking of billions of dollars of Libyan assets for the rebels.
The rebels also made key diplomatic gains when two of Gaddafi’s staunchest African allies — Chad and Burkina Faso — said they recognise the NTC as the sole representative of the Libyan people. A rebel military spokesman told Al-Jazeera television that “Libyan territory is 90 to 95 percent under the control of the rebellion.”
Colonel Abdullah Abu Afra said “the fall of Bab al-Aziziya marked the end of the Gaddafi regime in Tripoli and in Libya” after 42 years in power.
Meanwhile, Gaddafi’s former central bank governor Farhat Bengdara said in an interview published Thursday that the former strongman will use the country’s gold reserves to buy his protection and sow chaos. “There are gold reserves worth 10 billion dollars in Tripoli. Now that he is on the run, Gaddafi could have taken some of that gold,” Bengdara said in the interview with the Corriere della Sera daily.
“I’m sure he’s now trying to pay and corrupt tribes or militiamen for his protection and to sow chaos,” said the banker, who deserted the regime several months ago to join the rebels.
According to Bengdara, Gaddafi had previously “desperately” tried to sell the gold and regime allies had contacted one of the banker’s friends “a short time ago,” offering to sell him 25 tonnes of gold. “I advised him to refuse and my friend immediately turned the offer down, but it’s a clear indicator,” he added.