Libyan opposition lays siege to pro-Gaddafi strongholds

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press

Tuesday September 06, 2011 18:27

by pat c

I wouldn't totally agree with the analysis in this article by Peter Symonds but its interesting in the way it deals with the divisions among the rebels and the continuing NATO bombing of Libya. Full story at link below.

Pro-Gaddafi forces continue to control Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte, Bani Walid and the regions of Jufra and Sebha. Attention is currently focused on Bani Walid, a desert town of 60,000 about 150 kilometres south-east of Tripoli. Negotiations for its surrender have broken down and opposition militia have cut off the town.

Over the weekend, NATO carried out more than 200 sorties over Libya, bombing 100 targets including near Bani Walid, Sirte, Hun, Buwayrat, Sebha and Waddan. Despite NATO air support and estimates that pro-Gaddafi fighters number fewer than 100, the NTC is using the siege to force tribal elders to negotiate a surrender.

...The comment underlines the fragile character of NATO’s new puppet regime in Libya and its tenuous grip on power. The NTC has delayed moving to the capital Tripoli from its eastern stronghold of Benghazi. Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Jalil referred to the continuing danger posed by Gaddafi loyalists and the new regime’s lack of control over the whole country.

The NTC, however, comprises a shaky alliance of ex-Gaddafi ministers, CIA assets and Islamist militants whose political influence beyond Benghazi in questionable. It is seeking to consolidate control of Tripoli by resurrecting Gaddafi’s state apparatus, appealing to police to return to duty and offering to keep officials in top positions. It has announced plans integrate 3,000 militia fighters into the police and to find civilian jobs for others. ...

Opposition groups in the city of Misrata have been critical of the domination of the NTC by those in Benghazi and have operated largely independently of its control. Protests erupted in Misrata last week after NTC Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril appointed former army general Albarrani Shkal in charge of security in Tripoli. Shkal, who defected to the opposition in May, had been operations officer for the 32nd brigade, notorious for its ruthless tactics in suppressing anti-Gaddafi activities. Other anti-Gaddafi militias from the western mountains, who played a central role in seizing Tripoli, also have their regional loyalties.

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Libyan opposition lays siege to pro-Gaddafi strongholds