Fears of bloodbath as Gaddafi loyalists refuse to back down

Libya’s National Transitional Council has extended a deadline until next Saturday for the remaining towns loyal to the Gaddafi regime to surrender. However reports emerged last night that rebels were prepared to enter Bani Walid after talks had broken down.

Abdullah Kanshil, a rebel negotiator at Bani Walid, said opposition fighters stationed outside the town were now waiting for the green light to launch a final assault.

He said talks with Moussa Ibrahim have failed because Gaddafi’s spokesman had called on the rebels to disarm.

Rebels now control most of Libya with Gaddafi – and his staunchest allies – believed to have been on the run since the fall of the capital Tripoli late last month.

Loyalists have entrenched themselves in several towns, including Bani Walid.

Thousands of rebel fighters are surrounding Bani Walid, with the closest forces about 10 miles from the town centre.

Rebels said they had tried to negotiate a peaceful surrender, but accused Bani Walid tribal leaders of stalling.

A rebel commander, Mohammed al-Fassi, said “the negotiations are over”. Rebels have also said they hope to take over the town without the need for bloodshed.

There were reports yesterday that rebel forces were moving closer to Gaddafi’s birthplace in the coastal city of Sirte. However there more negotiations are expected to be held there.

The head of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said that his military forces were supplying the people of Sirte, Bani Walid, Jufra and Sabha with humanitarian aid but will keep up a siege until the towns and cities surrender.

The comments come after the rebels extended to September 10 a deadline for those in the area to give up peacefully or face assault. The previous deadline passed this weekend.

“We are by the grace of God in a position of strength, capable of entering any city, to deploy any of our fighters in any direction,” Mr Abdul-Jalil said.

“However, in our desire to avoid bloodshed and to avoid more destruction to public properties and national institutions, we have given an ultimatum of one week to the areas of Sirte, Bani Walid, Jufra and Sabha.”

Gaddafi remains a fugitive and there have been conflicting reports about his whereabouts.

The Ministry of Defence said British forces had hit a series of command and control installations on Saturday as they continued to monitor areas around Sirte and Waddan where Gaddafi loyalists were active.

Major General Nick Pope, the Chief of the Defence Staff’s communications officer, said: “South-west of Waddan, Tornado GR4s struck eight military command and control installations on Saturday morning, scoring direct hits on all the targets with Paveway guided bombs. At the same time, another formation of Tornadoes struck nine weapons and ammunition stores near to Sirte, again scoring direct hits on all nine targets.”

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said that Britain shared the NTC’s hope the military endgame could be achieved without further loss of life.

He said: “Nobody quite knows what will happen.

“The extension of the deadline, I think, indicates that there are negotiations going on.

“Clearly, bloodshed at this stage is entirely pointless.

“The regime is finished, it cannot come back to govern and therefore for it to commit some of its people to die without there being any need, for those who have liberated Libya to lose further people in taking these cities, would be needless bloodshed.”

Mr Burt said the NTC should be given “enormous credit” for its actions in pulling together people with different political views in a coalition to oust Gaddafi and win freedom for the Libyan people.

MORE VIOLENCE IN SYRIAN CRACKDOWN

SYRIA saw a wave of violence and arrests yesterday as the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Damascus to address issues including caring for the wounded and access to detainees during the government’s crackdown on the five-month-old uprising

Activists reported military operations and sweeping arrests in flashpoint areas including Idlib near the Turkish border and the eastern city of Deir el-Zour.

There was also unconfirmed reports that nine people – six soldiers and three civilians – were killed in central Syria in an ambush by armed groups.

Syria has banned foreign journalists and restricted local media.