Encircled Gadhafi loyalists battle on
Source: Agencies |
October 17, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LIBYAN government fighters battled yesterday to subdue pockets of resistance by pro-Gadhafi fighters who refuse to abandon the ousted leader's hometown of Sirte.
Ruling National Transitional Council forces kept up their bombardment of a small area in the centre of Sirte but there was no push by ground troops.
NTC militia have besieged Sirte for weeks, slowly boxing Gadhafi diehards into an area of about two square kilometers.
Some fighters have expressed irritation with their commanders for failing to order an advance and for poor communication between brigades.
One said: "There are no orders coming in even though we have the power to push them out. We do not know what is happening."
The failure to seize Sirte - and the other remaining Gadhafi stronghold, Bani Walid - has delayed Libya's democratic transition. The country's new rulers say the process will begin only once Sirte is captured.
Fighting also continued in Bani Walid, with sniper fire hindering an NTC advance into the city.
Some fighters in Sirte said they suspected the failure to order an advance was a result of NTC leaders not being ready to set out a program for national elections. Other fighters blamed the delay on a lack of communication between NTC militias.
NTC fighters continued to fire on an area known as Neighborhood Two and said they believed one of Gadhafi's sons, Motassim, was there.
Commander Omar Abu Lifa said: "We know Motassim is inside, that is why they are fighting to the last drop of blood. We are surrounding that area. We are taking it slowly because we want to catch him alive."
It was reported last week that he had been captured but the reports could not be confirmed.
NTC officers say Gadhafi loyalists continue to hold out because they fear reprisals if they surrender. Some captured fighters have been abused, according to rights groups.
A doctor for the medical aid charity Medecins Sans Frontieres in Sirte estimated 10,000 people remain trapped in the city of 75,000 residents. Many are women and children, some are sick or injured.
Some political analysts say the long sieges of Sirte and Bani Walid risk undermining the NTC's efforts to control the whole country.
The often chaotic struggle for Sirte has killed scores of people, left thousands homeless and laid waste much of what was once a showpiece Mediterranean city where Gadhafi enjoyed entertaining foreign leaders.
Ruling National Transitional Council forces kept up their bombardment of a small area in the centre of Sirte but there was no push by ground troops.
NTC militia have besieged Sirte for weeks, slowly boxing Gadhafi diehards into an area of about two square kilometers.
Some fighters have expressed irritation with their commanders for failing to order an advance and for poor communication between brigades.
One said: "There are no orders coming in even though we have the power to push them out. We do not know what is happening."
The failure to seize Sirte - and the other remaining Gadhafi stronghold, Bani Walid - has delayed Libya's democratic transition. The country's new rulers say the process will begin only once Sirte is captured.
Fighting also continued in Bani Walid, with sniper fire hindering an NTC advance into the city.
Some fighters in Sirte said they suspected the failure to order an advance was a result of NTC leaders not being ready to set out a program for national elections. Other fighters blamed the delay on a lack of communication between NTC militias.
NTC fighters continued to fire on an area known as Neighborhood Two and said they believed one of Gadhafi's sons, Motassim, was there.
Commander Omar Abu Lifa said: "We know Motassim is inside, that is why they are fighting to the last drop of blood. We are surrounding that area. We are taking it slowly because we want to catch him alive."
It was reported last week that he had been captured but the reports could not be confirmed.
NTC officers say Gadhafi loyalists continue to hold out because they fear reprisals if they surrender. Some captured fighters have been abused, according to rights groups.
A doctor for the medical aid charity Medecins Sans Frontieres in Sirte estimated 10,000 people remain trapped in the city of 75,000 residents. Many are women and children, some are sick or injured.
Some political analysts say the long sieges of Sirte and Bani Walid risk undermining the NTC's efforts to control the whole country.
The often chaotic struggle for Sirte has killed scores of people, left thousands homeless and laid waste much of what was once a showpiece Mediterranean city where Gadhafi enjoyed entertaining foreign leaders.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
