Gaddafi forces overpower rebels in the west

MUAMMAR Gaddafi’s better armed and organised troops yesterday reversed the westward charge of rebels and world powers meeting in London piled pressure on the Libyan leader to end his 41-year rule.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, opening the London conference, accused Libyan troops of “murderous attacks” while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said military strikes would press on until Gaddafi loyalists ceased violence.

“All of us must continue to increase the pressure on and deepen the isolation of the Gaddafi regime through other means as well,” Clinton said after the London talks finished.

“This includes a unified front of political and diplomatic pressure that makes clear to Gaddafi that he must go,” she said.

The United States is scaling back to a “supporting role” to let NATO take full command from US forces today, but air strikes by US, French and British planes remain key to smashing Gaddafi’s armour and facilitating rebel advances.

It took five days of allied air strikes to pulverise Libyan government tanks around the town of Ajdabiyah before Gaddafi’s troops fled and the rebels rushed in and began their 300km, two-day dash across the desert to within 80km of the Gaddafi loyalist stronghold of Sirte.

But the rebel pick-up truck cavalcade was first ambushed, then outflanked by Gaddafi troops. The advance stopped and government forces retook the small town of Nawfaliyah, 120km east of Sirte.

“The Gaddafi guys hit us with Grads (rockets) and they came round our flanks,” Ashraf Mohammed, a 28-year-old rebel wearing a bandolier of bullets, said.

The sporadic thud of heavy weapons could be heard as dozens of civilian cars sped eastwards away from the fight.

Later, a hail of machinegun and rocket fire hit rebel positions. As the onslaught began, rebels leapt behind sand dunes to fire back.

After a few minutes they gave up, jumped into their pick-up trucks and sped off back toward the town of Bin Jawad. Shells landed near the road as they retreated.

A rebel spokeswoman in the main rebel stronghold of Benghazi said the frontline was now just west of Bin Jawad, 25km east of Nawfaliyah.

Without air strikes it appears the rebels are not able to make advances or even hold ground.

Reports that some Nawfaliyah residents had fought alongside government troops are an ominous sign for world powers hoping for a swift end to Gaddafi’s rule.

Britain said the international partners meeting in London agreed to continue their military mission until Gaddafi complied with all terms of a UN resolution to protect civilians.

They also agreed to set up a contact group, including Arab states, to give political guidance for the response to the war and coordinate long-term support to Libya. The Gulf Arab state of Qatar agreed to convene a first meeting as soon as possible.

Gaddafi accused Western powers of massacres of Libyan civilians in alliance with rebels he said were al- Qaida members.

“Stop your brutal and unjust attack on our country... Hundreds of Libyans are being killed because of this bombardment. Massacres are being mercilessly committed against the Libyan people,” he said in a letter to world leaders.

“We are a people united behind the leadership of the revolution, facing the terrorism of al-Qaida on the one hand and on the other hand terrorism by NATO, which now directly supports al-Qaida,” Libya’s official news agency quoted him as saying.

The rebels deny any al-Qaida links and on Tuesday promised free and fair elections if Gaddafi is forced from power.

Admiral James Stavridis, head of US European Command, told the US Senate there was no indication of any “significant al-Qaeda presence or any other terrorist presence”.

Both Britain and Italy suggested Gaddafi might be allowed to go into exile to bring a quick end to the six- week civil war, but the US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said there was no evidence the Libyan leader was prepared to leave.