Libyan rebels take key suburb of Tripoli
Source: Agencies |
August 28, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LIBYAN rebels claimed victory over a suburb near Tripoli's airport yesterday after an overnight battle as the opposition moved to solidify its hold on the capital while fighting Moammar Gadhafi loyalists in other parts of the country.
Residents of Qasr bin Ghashir, about 30 kilometers south of the capital, celebrated by firing guns and anti-aircraft weapons into the air and beating portraits of the toppled leader with their shoes. Regime troops had been shelling the airport from the area.
"You can say that bin Ghashir has been liberated from Gadhafi soldiers," said Omar al-Ghuzayl, a rebel field commander in charge of forces at Tripoli's airport. "We've been able to push them completely outside Tripoli."
The celebration reflected the rebels' optimism after days of fierce fighting in the capital.
Gadhafi's whereabouts remain unknown. NATO and rebel fighters are focusing on his hometown of Sirte, his last major bastion of support.
But while fighting has died down, much of the capital remained without electricity and water. Streets are strewn with torched cars and stinking garbage. Stores are closed.
The shortages have made it difficult to bake pastries for this week's Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that caps the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
"People will start celebrating when Gadhafi is caught," a resident said. "That will be our Eid."
Rebel leaders said on Friday they'll establish a new interim government in the capital within 30 days, moving their headquarters from the eastern city of Benghazi, which fell into opposition hands early in the six-month civil war.
Residents of Qasr bin Ghashir, about 30 kilometers south of the capital, celebrated by firing guns and anti-aircraft weapons into the air and beating portraits of the toppled leader with their shoes. Regime troops had been shelling the airport from the area.
"You can say that bin Ghashir has been liberated from Gadhafi soldiers," said Omar al-Ghuzayl, a rebel field commander in charge of forces at Tripoli's airport. "We've been able to push them completely outside Tripoli."
The celebration reflected the rebels' optimism after days of fierce fighting in the capital.
Gadhafi's whereabouts remain unknown. NATO and rebel fighters are focusing on his hometown of Sirte, his last major bastion of support.
But while fighting has died down, much of the capital remained without electricity and water. Streets are strewn with torched cars and stinking garbage. Stores are closed.
The shortages have made it difficult to bake pastries for this week's Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that caps the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
"People will start celebrating when Gadhafi is caught," a resident said. "That will be our Eid."
Rebel leaders said on Friday they'll establish a new interim government in the capital within 30 days, moving their headquarters from the eastern city of Benghazi, which fell into opposition hands early in the six-month civil war.
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