It appears that NTC rebel forces have closed in on Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s stronghold in the capital city of Tripoli. Alternative Energy Africa’s sister publication Petroleum Africa had sources as well as international media reports confirming opposition troops entering the capital from the east, west, and south.
Reports late Sunday evening local Tripoli time said that there were strong signs that Qaddafi’s 42-year reign is likely coming to an end, with members of the ruling government even conceding that parts of the city are now under rebel control.
By the wee hours of Monday morning, Green Square was filled with people celebrating wildly. The square is now being called Martyr Square by many (Egypt renamed its Mubarak subway stop to Shohadaa, which means martyrs in Arabic).
Reports say that Qaddafi’s whereabouts are currently unknown, but three of his sons were arrested according to Al Jazeera. However, Saif al Islam later showed up at a hotel where journalists were staying to refute rebel claims that he has been arrested.
Many analysts do not expect Qaddafi to flee Libya, but there are reports that he has asked neighboring countries to grant family members asylum.
Qaddafi had earlier Sunday joined the fray in discounting the NTC’s effectiveness. In an audio message played on state television the “Supreme Leader” rejected claims of rebel gains, saying his forces had beaten back the Tripoli uprising within hours and announced military successes in the same cities rebels had claimed to seize on over the weekend.
“The rebels are fleeing like rats, to the mountains,” Qaddafi said.
An Associated Press report said that the main military unit in charge of protecting Qaddafi surrendered to opposition troops. Mahmoud Shammam, the NTC minister of information, told the Associated Press on August 21 that the unit commander “has joined the revolution and ordered his soldiers to drop their weapons.” Shammam said that the unit dropped its arms, basically opening the door for the NTC troops to enter the city. It should be noted that conflicting reports dismantle the rebel faction’s credibility.
The recent campaign by opposition troops to push toward Tripoli has resulted in the taking of the town of Zawiyah, home to an oil refinery and a strategic point on the road to the capital. Another positive in the campaign was the capture of the eastern port city of Brega, which is also an oil hub containing the North African country’s second largest petroleum complex.
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