Gaddafi bids to halt rebel advance

Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, some in helicopter gunships, pounded opposition fighters with artillery, rockets and gunfire, dramatically escalating their counter-offensive to halt the rebels’ rapid advance towards the capital.

They also battled to loosen the grip of rebels on two cities close to Tripoli, but in at least one case their tactics appeared to lead them into a trap.

Residents said pro-Gaddafi troops punched into the city of Misrata, 120 miles east of Tripoli with mortars and tanks but were pushed out five hours later by rebel forces.

The rebel commanders intentionally opened the way for government tanks to enter the city, then surrounded them and attacked with anti-aircraft guns and mortars, said one of them, Abdel Fatah al-Misrati.

“Our spirits are high,” he said. “The regime is struggling and what is happening is a desperate attempt to survive and crush the opposition. But the rebels are in control of the city.”

As fighting across Libya grew more fierce, the international community appeared to be struggling to put military muscle behind its demands for Gaddafi to give up power.

A British delegation sent to talk to the rebels headquartered in the main eastern city of Benghazi, meanwhile, was arrested by the rebels themselves, who said the group had entered the country without permission.

The rebels have set up an interim governing council that is urging international air strikes on Gaddafi’s strongholds and forces, though they strongly oppose foreign intervention on the ground.

Yesterday’s fighting appeared to signal the start of a new phase in the conflict, with Gaddafi’s regime unleashing its air power on the rebel force trying to oust the ruler of 41 years. Resorting to heavy use of air attacks signalled the regime’s concern that it needed to check the advance of the rebel force toward the city of Sirte – Gaddafi’s home town and stronghold.

Anti-Gaddafi forces would get a massive morale boost if they captured Sirte and it would clear a major obstacle on the march toward the gates of Tripoli.

The uprising against Gaddafi, which began on February 15, is already longer and much bloodier than the relatively quick revolts that overthrew the long-time authoritarian leaders of neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia.

Libya appears to be sliding towards a civil war that could drag out for weeks, or even months. Both sides seem to be relatively weak and poorly trained, though Gaddafi’s forces have the advantage in numbers and equipment.

The conflict took a turn late last week when government opponents, backed by mutinous army units and armed with weaponry seized from storehouses, went on the offensive. At the same time, pro-Gaddafi forces have conducted counter-offensives to try to retake the towns and oil ports the rebels have captured since they moved out of the rebel-held east.

An opposition force estimated at 500 to 1,000 fighters pushed out of the rebel-held eastern half of Libya and has been cutting a path west towards Tripoli. On the way, they secured control of two important oil ports at Brega and Ras Lanouf.

If the rebels continue to advance, even slowly, Gaddafi’s heavy dependence on air power could prompt the West to try to hurriedly enforce a no-fly zone over the country. The United Nations has already imposed sanctions against Libya and the US has moved military forces closer to its shores to back up its demand that Gaddafi step down.

Enforcing a no-fly zone could take weeks to organise, however, and US defence secretary Robert Gates has noted that it must be preceded by a military operation to take out Libya’s air defences.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said yesterday that a no-fly zone over Libya was still in an early stage of planning and ruled out the use of ground forces.

Mr Hague also said a small British diplomatic team sent to Libya to try to talk to the rebels left after it “experienced difficulties”, but that another team would be sent. He said it would be inappropriate to comment on an article in the Sunday Times that soldiers were captured by rebel forces when a secret mission to put British diplomats in touch with leading opponents of Gaddafi went awry.

Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, spokesman for the rebels’ provisional transitional national council, said eight people with British passports were arrested, including one who claimed to be a British diplomat.

“The reason they were arrested is because they came into the country unofficially without previous arrangement with Libyan officials. Libya is an independent nation, and we have our borders that we expect to be respected,” he said.

He added that there was “no crisis” between the council and Britain and that anti-Gaddafi forces were “more than willing” to talk to any delegation sent “in a legitimate way”.