Seasoned Libya rebels tackle hot spots
2011-08-25 10:51
Tripoli - Libyan rebels are mobilising their most experienced fighters to tackle the hot spots of Tripoli where sniper fire, rocket explosions and heavy weaponry make life dangerous.
Fighters from as far west as the Nafusa mountains and as far east as Benghazi are streaming into Tripoli in the hope of bringing the capital under full rebel control.
"There is some resistance and we are facing snipers," said Yussef al-Haj from the western mountain town of Yefren, who arrived in Tripoli with the first wave of rebels on August 20.
"Luckily there are constant reinforcements: from Yefren, Nalut, Zawiyah," he said in reference to flashpoint towns that opened the road to the rebels who marched into Tripoli on Sunday.
"We welcome rebels because we want to be free," said Miftah, 51, a teacher from Tripoli who picked up arms to protect his neighbourhood and who vows not return to the classroom until the revolutionaries seal their victory.
But none have received a warmer welcome than the battle-hardened fighters of Misrata who, after a surprise sea assault, are now driving into Tripoli by the dozens in large convoys of pick-up trucks fitted with anti-aircraft weapons.
In souk al-Jumaa, the arrival of at least 60 Misrata rebels on Wednesday sparked joy among residents.
Grenades
"We are very happy. Misrata's soldiers can win anything," said Taha Abu Zeid. "They could even win Afghanistan."
Some of them parked in the grounds of the beachfront house of Safia Gaddafi, wife of the veteran leader, which has become a base camp for their operations. Others headed straight to the action.
"I am going to Bab al-Aziziya," said Hisham Zeid from Misrata, referring to Gaddafi’s compound that was stormed by the insurgents on Tuesday.
"Today we will take Gaddafi, God willing," he added, but it was not to be. The whereabouts of the strongman were still unknown early on Thursday.
Osama Mohammed al-Ahrar, a 25-year-old raised in Benghazi, busily plotted strategies to take out snipers after two days of battles centred on the complex that once held Gaddafi’s residence and those of his top commanders.
"We will hit the fronts of buildings with armour-piercing grenades and RPGs to expose the snipers," he said.
Ahrar said he had gained experience fighting for the last three months with rebels in Misrata, which suffered heavy attacks from Gaddafi’s forces for weeks.
"For sure it is easier here than in Misrata. There wasn't as widespread resistance," said Ahrar.
"Battle is dragging"
The fighting is concentrated in the perimeters of Bab al-Aziziya and Abu Slim, where Gaddafi reportedly released, armed and paid former prisoners to fight for his regime.
"We kicked out Gaddafi from his home. We will kick him out of Tripoli," said Omar Gresa, age 20, a rebel fighter.
But rebels admit that the battle is dragging out in areas like Abu Slim, which remains a stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists, due to the difficulty of co-ordinating troops hailing from so many destination.
"This was once the home of Gaddafi and we took it with ease. But our military tactics still need centralising because we have come from all over the place," said Ahmed Mohammed, age 33.
"It has been a very hard fight. I was on the battle front from 07:00 to 23:00 yesterday," said rebel Ali Bin Said who took a bullet overnight as he raised a rebel flag on a rooftop of the demolished compound.
- SAPA