Libyan Fighters Renew Attack on Qaddafi’s Hometown
Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
An anti-Qaddafi fighter watches as a multiple rocket launcher is fired near Surt on Saturday. More Photos »
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: September 24, 2011
TRIPOLI, Libya — Fighters trying to root out loyalists of the fugitive Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi renewed their attack on his hometown, Surt, on Saturday as his daughter Aisha became the latest family member to broadcast a recorded taunt of the provisional authorities struggling to replace his government.
Multimedia
Photos: Battle for LibyaRelated
Accused of Fighting for Qaddafi, a Libyan Town’s Residents Face Reprisals (September 24, 2011)
Times Topic: Libya — Revolution (2011)
Ismail Zitouni/Reuters
Smoke rose from a fire at a naval base in Tripoli on Saturday. More Photos »
At the United Nations, the interim Libyan government asked for aid in rebuilding the country, including the release of all government assets, while here in the capital, an unexplained fire in the hangar of a naval base sent giant clouds of smoke over the harbor on Saturday afternoon.
Witnesses leaving the area and former rebel fighters guarding the site said car grease and old tires appeared to be on fire, though some reports indicated the site might have been an ammunition depot. Some fighters tried to stop journalists from photographing the flames.
The cause of the fire could not be determined. But extinguishing it safely appeared to pose a new challenge for the fledgling government still struggling to get on its feet and restore basic services.
“God is great!” a firefighter shouted from his truck, flashing a victory sign as he sped away from the still-burning hangar.
A few hundred miles to the east, there were reports that fighters aligned with the provisional government had once again battled their way inside Surt after retreating just days before. NATO warplanes were heard overhead, according to a report from Reuters.
But the loyalists inside continued to put up stiff resistance with rockets, mortars and gunfire. Along with the Western city of Bani Walid and some parts of the southern desert town of Sabha, Surt is one of Colonel Qaddafi’s last bastions of support and possible places of refuge within Libya.
At the United Nations, Mahmoud Jibril, the interim prime minister, said Libya needed political, technical and economic assistance to succeed in the monumental task of rebuilding the country after 42 years of abuse under the Qaddafi government.
He asked the Security Council to unfreeze Libya’s assets. The council has released about $15 billion so far, doing it piecemeal out of concern that Mr. Qaddafi or his sons might still gain access to Libya’s substantial holdings.
“Let the Security Council soon pass the historic resolution to lift the freeze,” Mr. Jibril said. “The regime has fallen, even though we have yet to liberate the entire homeland.”
That was not the message Ms. Qaddafi delivered in the recording broadcast Friday. She said her father was fighting on against the forces that unseated his government.
“I assure you, he is fine, a believer in God, in good spirits, is carrying his gun and is fighting side by side with the warriors,” she said, according to a translation by The Associated Press. The recording was broadcast by the Syrian television station Al Rai, and offered no clues to her father’s whereabouts.
Her message was the latest in a series of taunts of the provisional government, delivered in recorded statements by Colonel Qaddafi and his family, usually from unknown locations. Ms. Qaddafi warned the Libyan people not to trust their new leaders, who she said had betrayed her father.
“Those who have betrayed the pledge they offered, how come they won’t betray you?” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment