TRIPOLI: Defiant Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi threatened Friday to carry out attacks in Europe against “homes, offices, families,” unless NATO halts its campaign of airstrikes against his regime. Gaddafi, sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for brutally crushing an uprising against him, delivered the warning in an audio message played to thousands of supporters gathered in the main square of the capital Tripoli. Addressing the West, Gaddafi said Libyans might take revenge. “These people (the Libyans) are able to one day take this battle ... to Europe, to target your homes, offices, families, which would become legitimate military targets, like you have targeted our homes,” he said. “We can decide to treat you in a similar way,” he said of the Europeans. “If we decide to, we are able to move to Europe like locusts, like bees. We advise you to retreat before you are dealt a disaster.” Friday's was one of the largest pro-government rallies in recent weeks. It came just four days after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Seif Al-Islam and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah Al-Sanoussi for crimes against humanity. International prosecutors allege government troops fired on civilian protesters during anti-Gaddafi street demonstrations earlier this year. Meanwhile, rebels who had advanced to within 80 km of Gaddafi's stronghold in the capital were forced to retreat Friday after coming under a barrage of rocket fire from government forces. The Libyan rebels' advance five days ago to the outskirts of the small town of Bir Al-Ghanam had raised the possibility of a breakthrough in a four-month-old conflict that has become the bloodiest of the “Arab Spring” uprisings. Rebel fighters who had been massing on a ridge near Bir Al-Ghanam and preparing for an attack were now pulling back under fire from Russian-made Grad rockets, reporters said. The reverse underlines the resilience of Gaddafi's forces, who have withstood 15 weeks of bombardment by NATO missiles and warplanes, and attempts by rebels on three fronts to break through their lines. Frustration at the slow progress is growing inside the military alliance, with some members worried about the cost, civilian casualties, and the fact the campaign has now been going on much longer than its backers anticipated.
