Major General Abdel Fattah Younes, Chief of Staff of rebel forces in Libya has dismissed recent rumors about his injury or death. The former Muammar Gaddafi aide mocked these rumors and accused Gaddafi regime of distributing this false information in order to influence the morale of the rebels.
According to Younes, the rebel forces have been making great progress on the ground during firefights against Gaddafi's battalions. Maj. Gen. Abdul-Fattah said the battle for the strategic oil city of Brega is a decisive battle for Gaddafi regime, which is defended by all its military forces to prevent it from falling completely in the hands of the rebels. Younes, who was the interior minister in the Government of Libya before defecting the Gaddafi regime added that the rebels actually control all entrances to Brega except the Western entrance, pointing out that the battle will be resolved during the upcoming hours. Younes said the operation of NATO is progressing well and is "excellent." He praised the close cooperation with the rebels to weaken Gaddafi regime militarily.
Younes was quoted assaying on Tuesday "The lightly armed rebels wish to overthrow Gaddafi and finish (the task) before the holy month of Ramadan." However, he stressed he could not speculate on the specific date of the completion of the military campaign.
