Rebels 'Waiting for NATO's Go-ahead to Push Forward Towards Tripoli'

In a bid to isolate Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi in his stronghold and the country's capital, Tripoli, Libyan rebels are preparing to push forward in their drive on the capital from two sides, the south and the west. However, They are just waiting for the go-ahead from NATO.

After heavy fighting, during the week, rebel fighters captured the desert hamlet of al Qawalish, that has taken them closer to the strategic garrison town of Gharyan, regarded as the last major objective standing between them and Tripoli to the north.

Right now, they have set their sights on Asablah, which is 17 kilometres north of Al Qawalish, on the road to Gharyan, which lies on the main highway south out of Tripoli, 80 kilometres away.

The rebel fighters tried on at least three occasions to capture the town before they eventually managed it, which is regarded as a morale-booster in their efforts to oust Al Qathafi from power. Now, the rebels say, it is going to be easier fro them to soldier on.

The rebels say they have quite a number of their fighters inside Asablah after heavy bombing by the NATO alliance there on Friday . It facilitates their push forward. But now they are awaiting the go-ahead from NATO before they can proceed. After that, their objective would be to head straight to Gharyan.

One of the rebel fighters very conversant with the situation, said that once the rebels control Gharyan, the pro-government forces would no longer be able to receive weapons from the south, or flee in that direction. By attacking on two or three fronts, the rebels say they could weaken Al Qathafi's troops.

Another important and strategic target for the rebels is the coastal city of Zawiyah, one of the few remaining strongholds loyal to the Libyan lead west of Tripoli.

Meanwhile, the authorities of Bir al-Ghanem, 50 kilometres inland, have been warned of an impending attack so that civilians can be evacuated. The rebels here, are also awaiting the go-ahead from NATO before they can move forward. This wait is frustrating some of the rebels who have criticised NATO for being too slow to act, particularly when it comes to its air campaign against the regime's troops in the past few days.

One of the rebel commanders, Fathi al-Aeieb has been reported saying: "For now, we are in a defensive posture, but we are ready to attack whenever. We don't know the word 'retreat.”

They hope they can concentrate on this region and succeed in fulfilling their goals before the start of the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan next month. They feel it would be more difficult to fight while they are fasting.

In the past two days, NATO said it had struck pro-government targets including tanks, rocket launch sites, artillery, military storage facilities and command and control centres. The rebels themselves also reported from Misurata, that they had been battling to within two kilometres of the centre of Zliten with the loss of five dead and 17 wounded. It has been confirmed by a rebels' commander that Zliten was in the insurgents' sights.

Despite what appear to be important setbacks for the regime, the embattled Libyan leader remains defiant. On Friday he told supporters that "the regime in Libya will not fall, because it is based on the people, not on Al Qathafi.”

Muammar Al Qathafi tried to put the message across, that NATO is wrong if it thinks it can topple the regime of this country. "Our only choice is resistance - we are on home ground and are not afraid of your war machine," he said, addressing NATO directly.

Amid the fighting, talks with the United Nations intended to find some sort of a peaceful solution that would end the conflict between the rival factions and also avert an acute shortage of medical and other essential supplies caused by international sanctions are taking place.

Last week, representatives of the National Transitional Council based in the rebels' stronghold of Benghazi, and the Al Qathafi regime held talks with the World Health Organisation aimed at drawing up a list of items for sanctions relief.

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