BIN JAWAD: Libya's ramshackle rebel army pushed west Sunday to retake a series of towns from the forces of Muammar Gaddafi as they pulled back under pressure from Western airstrikes. Meanwhile, international air raids targeted Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte for the first time Sunday night as rebels made a high-speed advance toward the regime's stronghold, a formidable obstacle that must be overcome for the government opponents to reach the capital Tripoli. A heavy bombardment of Tripoli also began after nightfall, with at least nine loud explosions and anti-aircraft fire heard, an Associated Press reporter in the city said. Emboldened by the capture of the strategic town of Ajdabiyah with the help of foreign warplanes Saturday, the rebels have within two days dramatically reversed military losses in their five-week insurgency and regained control of all the main oil terminals in eastern Libya, as far as the town of Bin Jawad. Rebels said they now had their sights on the coastal town of Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown and an important military base about 150 km further along the coastal road. “We want to go to Sirte today. I don't know if it will happen,” said 25-year-old rebel fighter Marjai Agouri as he waited with a hundred others outside Bin Jawad with three multiple rocket launchers, six anti-aircraft guns and around a dozen pickup trucks mounted with machine guns. The advance along Libya's Mediterranean coast by a poorly armed and uncoordinated force of volunteer rebels indicated that Western strikes under a UN no-fly zone were shifting the battlefield dynamics dramatically, in the east at least. The rebels are now back in control of the main oil terminals in the east – Es Sider, Raslanuf, Brega, Zueitina and Tobruk - while Gaddafi appears to be retrenching in the west. Nearer the capital, Gaddafi's forces fought rebels in the center of Misrata to try to consolidate his grip on western Libya. Misrata is the only western city still in rebel hands and has been sealed off for weeks. A resident called Saadoun told Reuters by phone that at least eight people were killed and 24 wounded as Gaddafi's forces fired mortars while attacking Misrata from the west in a day of fighting. Pro-Gaddafi snipers were also pinning down rebel forces but late on Sunday night the fighting died down. At least six blasts resonated in Tripoli Sunday night, followed by long bursts of anti-aircraft fire by Libyan forces. Libyan television said there had been airstrikes on the “civilian and military areas” in the capital. On the diplomatic front, NATO agreed Sunday to take full command of military operations in Libya after a week of heated negotiations, a diplomat and a NATO official said, as the United States seeks to scale back its military role in another Muslim country following operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Western air strikes had “eliminated” Gaddafi's ability to move his heavy weapons. Gates also raised the possibility that Gaddafi's regime could splinter and said an international conference in London Tuesday would discuss political strategies to help bring an end to Gaddafi's 41-year rule. Any rebel advance on Sirte or especially Tripoli would raise questions about the justification for airstrikes, conducted under a UN mandate to protect Libya's civilians, and any suggestion of a move to carry out the explicit wish of the United States, France, Britain and others that Gaddafi leave power. While rebels have advanced almost unopposed to Bin Jawad, any fight over Sirte is likely to be tough because the town is psychologically and strategically important to Gaddafi. Further west, Gaddafi's forces appeared to have beaten a hasty retreat from the oil towns. Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters in Tripoli that Gaddafi was personally “leading the battle” but appeared to suggest the leader might be moving around to keep his whereabouts a mystery. The rebels are now back in control of the main oil terminals in the east – Es Sider, Raslanuf, Brega, Zueitina and Tobruk – while Gaddafi appears to be retrenching in the west. Nearer the capital, Gaddafi's forces fought rebels in the center of Misrata to try to consolidate his grip on western Libya. Misrata is the only western city still in rebel hands and has been sealed off for weeks. A resident called Saadoun told Reuters by phone that at least eight people were killed and 24 wounded as Gaddafi's forces fired mortars while attacking Misrata from the west in a day of fighting. Pro-Gaddafi snipers were also pinning down rebel forces but late on Sunday night the fighting died down. At least six blasts resonated in Tripoli Sunday night, followed by long bursts of anti-aircraft fire by Libyan forces. Libyan television said there had been airstrikes on the “civilian and military areas” in the capital. On the diplomatic front, NATO agreed Sunday to take full command of military operations in Libya after a week of heated negotiations, a diplomat and a NATO official said, as the United States seeks to scale back its military role in another Muslim country following operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Western airstrikes had “eliminated” Gaddafi's ability to move his heavy weapons. Gates also raised the possibility that Gaddafi's regime could splinter and said an international conference in London Tuesday would discuss political strategies to help bring an end to Gaddafi's 41-year rule. Any rebel advance on Sirte or especially Tripoli would raise questions about the justification for airstrikes, conducted under a UN mandate to protect Libya's civilians, and any suggestion of a move to carry out the explicit wish of the United States, France, Britain and others that Gaddafi leave power. While rebels have advanced almost unopposed to Bin Jawad, any fight over Sirte is likely to be tough because the town is psychologically and strategically important to Gaddafi. Further west, Gaddafi's forces appeared to have beaten a hasty retreat from the oil towns. – Agencies
