Niger Fears an Influx From Libya of Soldiers Loyal to Qaddafi

Officials in this mostly desert nation bordering Libya are warily watching and bracing for what they call the disaster scenario that has not yet happened: a huge influx of defeated soldiers loyal to the fallen Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

So far, they have had to contend with only a thin trickle of loyalists making their way across hundreds of miles of desert to the bare-bones towns in northern Niger, including one of Colonel Qaddafi’s sons, a handful of his generals and his security chief.

But officials here in one of the world’s most impoverished nations — the third from the bottom on the 2010 United Nations Human Development Index ranking of 169 countries — emphasized that the diplomatic awkwardness of allowing the former government’s dignitaries here was nothing compared with the influx they feared with somewhat more urgency each day the Libyan conflict was drawn out.

“If there is a negotiated solution, we won’t get the worst case,” said Massaoudou Hassoumi, the chief of staff to Niger’s president, Mahamadou Issoufou. “Unfortunately, it looks like that won’t happen. So, it looks like there will be armed men. If they don’t hand over their weapons, we will disarm them.”

“What’s happened so far is very minimal,” Mr. Hassoumi added.

Colonel Qaddafi’s son Saadi — one of the less politicized of his progeny — is believed to have arrived in Niger on Sunday night. The three generals have been in a hotel in the central desert town of Agadez, the first major agglomeration after the frontier. Colonel Qaddafi’s security chief, Mansour Dhao, is in the capital, Niamey, and is “under surveillance,” Mr. Hassoumi said.

“When he goes out, we are watching him,” he said. “If there is a demand for their arrest, of course we will turn them over.”

Officials here are at pains to emphasize that they are not playing host to the uninvited fugitives out of any attachment to the fallen leader’s government. Rather, there are no international warrants for their arrest, they say, so there is no choice but to give them sanctuary on humanitarian grounds. Several officials said they had no intention of meeting with the fugitives.

“All they are doing, they are saving themselves, and that’s the frame of mind they are in,” said Marou Amadou, the justice minister.

Some officials here complained that Colonel Qaddafi had done little for Niger. The grandiose building projects and streets named for him in neighboring countries are largely absent, apart from a principal mosque in the capital. Farther to the west, the tiny and destitute coastal nation of Guinea-Bissau said over the weekend that it would welcome the former leader and guarantee his safety, according to news reports, one of the few places so far to overtly bid for his presence.

Mr. Issoufou, a mining engineer who became president this year, was recently welcomed at the White House as one of four West African leaders symbolizing so-far-successful transitions to democracy. A number of his top appointees, including Mr. Amadou, were persecuted by preceding authoritarian governments here.

Mr. Hassoumi, the president’s chief of staff, was critical of the new Libyan leadership for not policing its country’s borders more carefully. He pleaded with Western nations for more surveillance help and emphasized that Niger’s recognition of the new government in Tripoli was “pragmatic,” based on what he described as common interests. But he suggested that the new leadership in Tripoli was not upholding its end.

“Why are they letting them flee?” he asked “They shouldn’t come here. It’s their responsibility. We said, ‘Guard your frontiers, and we’ll guard ours.’ They haven’t done it.”

Mr. Hassoumi complained that his country — plagued by Al Qaeda’s North African branch in its vast northern deserts, and now worried about the influx of Qaddafi loyalists — was being left to shoulder too large a security burden.

“We are alone in assuming the whole world’s security situation,” Mr. Hassoumi said. “Why? We need support.”

New Libya leaders pledge 'moderate' Islamic rule

 Libya's new leaders pledged "moderate" Islamic rule even as their fighters were accused of committing war crimes and a defiant Moamer Kadhafi vowed from hiding to battle on until victory.

Interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil received a hero's welcome when he made a public speech in Tripoli's main

square late on Monday.

Thousands celebrated last month's fall of the Kadhafi regime in Martyrs' Square, two days after Abdel Jalil, the head of the National Transitional Council (NTC), arrived in Tripoli from Benghazi in the east.

Moderate Islam would be the main source of legislation in post-Kadhafi Libya, he told the crowd.

"We will not accept any extremist ideology, on the right or the left. We are a Muslim people, for a moderate Islam, and we will stay on this road," he said.

In a new report released Tuesday, Amnesty International accused Kadhafi's regime of crimes against humanity but also said NTC fighters had committed possible war crimes.

While the London-based rights group's report consisted mainly of damning examples of violations by Kadhafi's regime, it said the NTC appeared unwilling to hold its fighters accountable for human rights violations.

Amnesty said in the first days of the uprising against Kadhafi's rule groups of protesters killed a number of captured soldiers and suspected mercenaries.

"Some were beaten to death, at least three were hanged, and others were shot dead after they had been captured or had surrendered, the report, "The Battle for Libya -- Killings, Disappearances and Torture," said.

"The NTC is facing a difficult task of reigning in opposition fighters and vigilante groups responsible for serious human rights abuses, including possible war crimes but has shown unwillingness to hold them accountable," the report said.

Kadhafi, meanwhile, in a statement read out on Syria-based Arrai Oruba television, vowed to defeat those behind the "coup" that ousted him.

"It is not possible to give Libya to the colonialists again," the one-time strongman said.

"All that remains for us is the struggle until victory and the defeat of the coup," added the former leader who has gone underground since Tripoli fell to rebel fighters late last month.

On the battlefield, Kadhafi's remaining forces launched ferocious counterattacks Monday on the oil refinery town of Ras Lanuf in the east, on the road towards Kadhafi's hometown of Sirte, and at Bani Walid southeast of the capital Tripoli.

Striking deep behind enemy lines, Kadhafi fighters killed at least 12 NTC soldiers at Ras Lanuf, an NTC military spokesman told AFP.

The oil infrastructure along the Mediterranean coast between Sidra and Brega was a key battleground of the seven-month uprising against Kadhafi, as the mainly rebel-held east and mainly government-held west fought it out.

But since Tripoli's fall, NTC forces have advanced dozens of kilometres (miles) west towards Sirte, which remains in Kadhafi's hand, moving to secure the vital oil infrastructure on which its post-war reconstruction plans depend.

Southeast of Tripoli, civilians poured out of the desert town of Bani Walid Monday after intense fighting between Kadhafi loyalists and troops of the new regime who have encircled it.

But those fleeing said many more remained trapped inside the oasis town, 180 kilometres (110 miles) from the capital, for want of fuel for their vehicles.

"Families are scared to death by this war," said Mohammed Suleiman as he passed through a checkpoint with 10 relatives crammed into the back of his white BMW.

West of Sirte, an NTC commander said his forces had met strong resistance as they advanced to a place called "Checkpoint 50" -- 50 kilometres from the town.

"We came under fire from a lot of Grads (rockets)," said field commander Umran al-Awaib.

The unexpected counter-offensive by Kadhafi loyalists came despite the flight to neighbouring Niger of 32 members of his inner circle during the past 10 days.

"A total of 32 people are now here, including one of (Kadhafi's) sons, Saadi, as well as three generals," Niger's Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said.

They crossed the border in four separate groups and had been taken in for "humanitarian reasons", he added.

The most recent arrivals included Saadi, the third of Kadhafi's seven sons, who has a reputation as a playboy; and eight of the fallen despot's other close associates, Rafini added.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Niger was preparing to detain Saadi.

"We have confirmed with the government of Niger that Saadi crossed over, that they are either in the process or have already brought him to the capital of Niamey and intend to detain him," she said.

On the diplomatic front, China which opposed the NATO campaign backing the anti-Kadhafi forces, finally recognised Libya's interim government after weeks of holding back.

Washington also announced it had sent an advance team to help its officials reopen the US embassy in Tripoli.

Libyan fighters positioned outside of Gadhafi strongholds

 Fighters pushed Sunday to the outskirts of one of Moammar Gadhafi's last bastions of support, setting the stage for possible clashes ahead of this week's deadline for loyalists of the ousted leader to surrender.

Libya's new leaders gave Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte, Bani Walid and a handful of towns until Saturday to

surrender or face military force.

But there were indications that fighters were planning to enter Bani Walid, where a powerful tribe is sympathetic to Gadhafi, before the deadline.

National Transitional Council media coordinator Adel Zintani told CNN's Kareem Khadder that fighters could enter Bani Walid by Sunday morning.

"The rebel fighters have surrounded the outskirts of Bani Walid on the western side," he said Saturday.

"Some tribal leaders and many of the residents have surrendered their weapons, but there are still many loyalists who are protecting Moammar Gadhafi and his sons," Zintani said.

The deadline was extended by a week to curb further bloodshed and prevent prevent further destruction, military commanders have said.

"This extension does not mean we are unaware of what Gadhafi's accomplices are up to," Jalil said at a news conference, countering earlier criticism that a grace period might give Gadhafi's forces to regroup.

But Gadhafi's spokesman, who has not been seen since Tripoli fell, said key tribal leaders in Bani Walid remain loyal to the ousted leader.

Musa Ibrahim, in a telephone call from an undisclosed location, told Reuters that the transitional council's messages "are not being heeded here in Bani Walid."

Ibrahim also told Reuters that Gadhafi remained in Libya, though he said he did not know where. He did say Gadhafi was well defended.

Anti-Gadhafi forces are positioning around the former leader's hometown, Sirte, and Bani Walid, said Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council, on Saturday.

Ali Tarhouni, interim deputy prime minister and oil minister of the NTC, said the Bani Walid was close to falling.

"It's possible, although we are not sure, that the Bani Walid (tribe) has joined the revolution, and now it's under control of the revolutionaries," he said.

Anti-Gadhafi fighters from the east pushed toward Bani Walid Saturday with virtually no resistance. They were able to reach El Mardum, which sits on the border of Bani Walid province and is home to Khamis Gadhafi's 32nd Brigade base.

The anti-Gadhafi forces entered the base and arrested three men in civilian clothes they claim were loyalists. They also took seven armored personnel carriers.

Tarhouni said Libya's new leadership will move their headquarters from Benghazi to Tripoli this week to begin implementing political plans to shape a new future.

But for the time being, guns trump government on the streets of the capital.

Tripoli has become a city of checkpoints, weapons and no real authority as the threat of Gadhafi's loyalists lingers.

Jittery and suspicious anti-Gadhafi fighters blocked a road Saturday where a drive-by shooting occurred earlier. They collected weapons and registered them at police stations. Those who called themselves rebels just a week ago were now working with Tripoli's law enforcement authorities.

With Gadhafi's armories emptied, guns -- always in large supply in Libya -- have proliferated on the streets.

Those who want to carry weapons now must be issued identification cards, but the selection process is not centralized -- neighborhood councils are making that decision.

A group called the Tripoli Revolutionary Council is trying to exert control over the city, creating the potential for further conflict with the established National Transitional Council in a volatile situation.

Tarhouni announced Saturday the formation of the Supreme Security Committee, which held its first meeting Friday. Among the priorities for the committee were the protection of public institutions and weapons in Tripoli.

The transitional council, meanwhile, is trying to get Libya's oil-dependent economy going again.

It expects to restart oil production at the Misla and Sarir oil fields in less than two weeks, Tarhouni said.

Libyan Rebels Say Qaddafi Using Human Shields

Libyan rebels advanced toward Sirte, Muammar Qaddafi’s hometown, where they said forces loyal to the leader used civilians as human shields to block opposition fighters from entering.

Rebels have been waiting for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to bomb Scud missile sites so they can

move ahead even as they negotiate with Sirte tribal leaders to enter the city peacefully.

The rebels will need about 10 days to capture Sirte “if negotiations fail to enter the town without fight,” Colonel Salim Miftah, one of the rebel commanders, told Al-Jazeera. “Our main goal is liberation not blood.”

Sirte is a haven for Qaddafi loyalists, according to the rebel command and NATO. Qaddafi’s whereabouts are unknown. His chief spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, told the Associated Press Aug. 27 that Qaddafi remains in Libya and wants to negotiate with the rebels to form a transitional government.

At least four Scud missiles have been launched from Sirte at the rebel stronghold of Misrata over the past two weeks, Abdullah Maiteeg, a rebel fighter, said in an interview.

Rebel units pushed toward the town from east and west along the coastal highway yesterday, Commander Ali Ahmed of the rebel Sidra Brigade said in an interview.

The rebels have been trying to find Qaddafi, consolidate their gains and bring stability to the country since entering the capital, Tripoli, last week. The rebel National Transitional Council officially transferred its headquarters to Tripoli from Benghazi, in the east, on Aug. 24.

Lockerbie Bomber

The Libyan rebel government won’t deport the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, its justice minister said, according to the Associated Press. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, had encouraged the rebel council to hold Abdel-Baset al-Megrahi fully accountable for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, which killed 270 people.

Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagi told reporters in Tripoli that the request had “no meaning” because al-Megrahi had already been tried and convicted.

“We will not hand over any Libyan citizen. It was Qaddafi who handed over Libyan citizens,” the AP quoted him as saying, as he referred to the government’s decision to turn al-Megrahi over to the jurisdiction of the Scottish court for trial in the Netherlands in 1999. Al-Megrahi spent almost nine years in Scottish prison until he was released in 2009 for health reasons. Al-Megrahi’s current whereabouts are unknown.

Water Shortage

With Tripoli under their control, the rebel leaders were turning to domestic concerns including a water shortage and spread of disease.

Unicef, the United Nations Children’s Fund, said it expected to deliver more than 110,000 bottles of water to Tripoli by yesterday.

“Around 5 million liters of water is being procured by Unicef from neighboring countries to be trucked and shipped with the assistance of a UN vessel and regional shipping companies to Tripoli in the coming days,” the organization said in an e- mailed statement.

“We remain extremely concerned about the situation,” Christian Balslev-Olesen, head of the Unicef office in Libya, said. “This could turn into an unprecedented health epidemic.”

The U.K. announced plans for “urgent humanitarian support,” including medical care and food, for people affected by the conflict. The U.K. will supply surgical teams and medicines for the treatment of up to 5,000 war-wounded patients, and food for nearly 690,000 people, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said in an e-mail Aug. 27.

Oil Fields

The opposition council claimed full control of Libya’s oil fields. Nouri Balroin, the head of the NTC’s oil production unit, said output will resume within three weeks, Al Jazeera reported yesterday. Oil experts will follow a three-stage plan to restore the flow of oil to 1.6 million barrels a day within 15 months, he said, according to the Qatar-based network. Ras Lanuf refinery is able to restart operations at any time, Al Arabiya reported, citing the director of the facility.

The conflict has all but halted oil exports from Libya, which has the largest proven reserves of any African country. Output dropped to 100,000 barrels a day in July, down from the 1.6 million barrels pumped before the uprising started.

Crude oil for October delivery rose 7 cents to settle at $85.37 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Aug. 26. Futures increased 3.8 percent this week, the first weekly gain since July, and are up 16 percent in the past year.

Civilian Deaths

Evidence of atrocities emerged at a former regime military base, where the handcuffed bodies of 130 Libyan rebels and the remains of 20 civilians were found, a Libyan activist and journalist in Tripoli, Numedia al-Trabulsi, told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview Aug. 27.

The bodies were found in the Khamis Camp in Tripoli, now under rebel control. The Khamis Brigade is a special forces military unit led by Qaddafi’s youngest son, Khamis.

Amnesty International said it has uncovered evidence that loyalist forces killed detainees at two military camps in Tripoli on Aug. 23 and 24.

Lockerbie bomber found 'in coma' in Tripoli

CNN said Megrahi appeared to be "at death's door" in the care of family. He is technically on licence but his whereabouts were thought to be unknown.

Megrahi was freed from a Scottish prison in 2009 on health grounds. There have been calls for him to be

returned to jail in the UK or tried in the US.

But Libyan rebel leaders have said they do not intend to allow his extradition.

Magrahi had been jailed in 2001 for the bombing of a US plane over Lockerbie, with the loss of 270 lives, before he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and freed.

Scotland officials had tried to contact him following the rebel advance into Tripoli.

'Unhelpful speculation'

Megrahi technically remains a Scottish prisoner released on licence and is obliged to remain in regular contact with East Renfrewshire Council.

Start Quote

He served roughly two weeks in prison for every person he killed. Two weeks per murder. That is not nearly enough”

John Bolton

Former US ambassador to the UN

On Friday, the Scottish government said he had not been due to contact them for some time yet but social workers from East Renfrewshire Council had been endeavouring to contact him.

After reports Megrahi had been found, the government and council issued a statement saying they had been in contact with his family over the weekend and his licence had not been breached.

"Speculation about al-Megrahi in recent days has been unhelpful, unnecessary and indeed ill-informed," they said.

"As has always been said, al-Megrahi is dying of a terminal disease, and matters regarding his medical condition should really be left there," they said.

"Any change in al-Megrahi's circumstances would be a matter for discussion with the National Transitional Council as the legitimate governing authority in Libya."

A neighbour in Tripoli had earlier said he was whisked away by security guards last week as Gaddafi's forces crumbled.

CNN reported on Sunday that Megrahi was "comatose" and "near death... surviving on oxygen and an intravenous drip" and not eating.

"We just give him oxygen, nobody gives us any advice," Megrahi's son, Khaled, told the US broadcaster.

"There is no doctor. There is nobody to ask. We don't have any phone line to call anybody."CNN reporter Nic Robertson said he last saw Megrahi two years ago and described his appearance as "much iller, much sicker, his face is sunken... just a shell of the man he was".

Megrahi is the only person to have been convicted in connection with the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Scotland in 1988.

The victims of the bombing were mainly US nationals and the decision to release him, taken by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, sparked an angry reaction in the United States.

The former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton told BBC Radio 5 live Megrahi should have been given the death penalty and was lucky to be alive.

Mr Bolton said Megrahi should be in jail and called for him to extradited.

"To me it will be a signal of how serious the rebel government is for good relations with the United States and the West if they hand over Megrahi for trial," he said.

"He killed 270 people. He served roughly 10 years in jail before he was released by British authorities. Do the math - that means he served roughly two weeks in prison for every person he killed. Two weeks per murder. That is not nearly enough."

Stephanie Bernstein, whose husband Michael was one of those killed, told BBC Radio 5 live Megrahi's death would bring some regret to the victims' families.

"He was one person in a long line of people who I'm sure was responsible for the bombing and when he dies, some of the knowledge about what happened will go with him," she said.

'Irrelevant'

She added that she hoped the rebels' National Transitional Council would be committed to finding out what happened.

Bob Monetti, the father of another victim, said Magrahi was a source of embarrassment to Scotland but "sort of irrelevant".

"Mr Magrahi just probably put the bomb on the plane, but somebody else made it, and somebody else told him to do it, somebody else planned the whole thing out," he told the BBC.

"I'd like to find out who those people were, and find out a lot more of the details about what went on and why they did it.

"That to me would be more important than whether Magrahi lives or dies."

Mohammed al-Alagi, justice minister for the new leadership in Tripoli, earlier refused to countenance handing Megrahi over.

"We will not hand over any Libyan citizen to the West," he said.

"And from points A, B and C of justice, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has already been judged once, and will not be judged again.

"We will not hand over any Libyan nationals, it's Gaddafi who hands over Libyan nationals."

Hopes had also been raised in the case of the killing of PC Yvonne Fletcher, after a suspect was recently identified.

PC Fletcher was shot while policing a protest outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984.

But the Sunday Times reported that senior Libyan officials would not hand anyone over.

The National Transitional Council is now recognised by Britain as the sole governmental authority for Libya.

Libya rebels edge closer to Tripoli

Libyan rebels fought fierce battles in two coastal cities straddling the capital Tripoli on Friday, in their drive to topple leader Muammar Gaddafi.

While the rebels claim to have taken several key towns, they are also meeting stiff resistance from forces loyal to the long-time leader.

Sustained blasts from rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and anti-aircraft guns rang out from the center of Zawiyah, some 50 kilometers west of Tripoli.

After hours of intense street battles, rebels re-took the city's main square.

They entered Zawiyah earlier this week. The latest clashes came as they tried to consolidate their control on the city and its strategic oil refinery.

On the eastern front, there were bloody street battles in the city of Zlitan. A rebel spokesman says the town has been captured, but at least 32 rebel fighters were killed, with 150 injured.

Meanwhile, rebels are also said to be in control of the town of Surman, which sits on the road between Tripoli and the Tunisian border in the West.

But Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim has denied Surman is in rebel hands.

Recent rebel advances have cut off the Libyan capital from its main supply routes, putting Gaddafi's four-decades rule under heavy pressure.

French officials reauthorize Libya action

PARIS - Lawmakers reauthorized yesterday France’s participation in the NATO-led bombing operations in Libya that have been targeting the forces of Moammar Khadafy, while French officials said they were increasingly optimistic about the possibility of a negotiated end to the conflict.

“A political solution in Libya is more indispensable than ever, and it is beginning to take shape,’’ Prime Minister Francois Fillon told parliamentarians before the vote. He offered no details, except to say that such a solution would depend upon an “authentic and verifiable’’ cease-fire and “the departure of Colonel Khadafy from power.’’
After four months of French airstrikes and patrols over Libya under NATO’s auspices, the government was constitutionally bound to seek parliamentary approval to prolong military operations in the country. The lower house voted, 482 to 27, in favor of continuing operations, with seven abstentions. The upper house was to vote later yesterday; approval was considered a foregone conclusion.
While popular approval of French military involvement in Libya has waned somewhat since March, when President Nicolas Sarkozy led the charge for an intervention, about 50 percent remain supportive, according to opinion polls.
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe described what he called a “consensus on how to end the crisis’’ among NATO states as well as the African Union, which has said it would broker talks between Khadafy and the rebels.

NATO: Errant Strike May Have Killed Civilians in Libya(Photo-Video)

NATO has admitted another accidental airstrike by its forces may have killed civilians in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The alliance said the air strikes were launched against a military missile site in Tripoli Sunday, but "one weapon did not strike the intended target" because of a possible "weapons system failure." NATO said it regretted the "loss of innocent civilian lives." Libyan officials said Sunday, NATO warplanes struck a residential neighborhood and killed nine people. Two children were among the dead.

This was the second recent admission of deadly error by coalition forces. On Saturday, NATO acknowledged that aircraft under its command had accidentally hit a rebel column near the oil refinery town of Brega on the frontline between the rebel-held east and the mainly government-held west on Thursday. The number of casualties in that attack were not revealed. Elsewhere Sunday, rebels and medical officials in Libya say fighting near the rebel-held western city of Misrata has killed at least nine people and wounded more than 50 others. The officials said forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi used heavy artillery to pummel Dafniya, just west of Misrata. On Saturday, the coalition called Libyan government claims that alliance airstrikes are targeting civilians "outrageous." Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said it is Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his forces who have been "systematically and brutally attacking" the Libyan people.

'Gaddafi in talks with rebels'

Muammar Gaddafi's regime is in direct talks with Libya's rebels, a Russian envoy indicated on Thursday, as the strongman's son said the way out of a months-long conflict is the staging of elections. Russia's Mikhail Margelov, in Tripoli for one day after visiting the rebels in their Benghazi strongh old last week, made the remarks following a meeting Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmudi. "I was assured at today's negotiations that direct contacts between Benghazi and Tripoli are already underway,"

Margelov said, quoted by Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency. "The Libyan prime minister told me that a round of such contacts concluded yesterday in Paris," he said, adding French President Nicolas Sarkozy "has been informed of the outcome of these contacts." He did not disclose the nature of the talks, which could not be confirmed by the rebels' National Transitional Council. Mahmudi said Gaddafi's departure from power was a "red line" that cannot be crossed, despite growing international calls for him to quit and the armed insurrection against his 41-year rule. "Of utmost concern to us in any dialogue is the unity of Libya," Mahmudi told a news conference in Tripoli. His remarks came after Gaddafi's son Seif al-Islam said the only way to break the deadlock was to hold elections in coming months. "Elections, immediately and with international supervision. It's the only painless way to break out of the impasse in Libya," the son told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. A US official said that proposals by Gaddafi's inner circle for democratic elections were "a little late" and that the Libyan strongman's days in power were numbered. "It's a little late for any proposals by Gaddafi and his circles for democratic change. It's time for him to go," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. Nato warplanes early on Thursday destroyed an apparently empty hotel, the Wenzrik, in central Tripoli near administrative buildings and Libya's state broadcaster, an AFP journalist reported. The authorities took reporters to the site of the dawn raid, which left only sections of wall standing. They said the attack caused no casualties. Libyan deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaaim later denounced what he called a "barbaric and premeditated raid by Nato on civilians." Kaaim refrained from commenting about Margelov's visit, but when pressed about possible negotiations about Gaddafi's departure, he said that "nobody can make such decisions." Rebels were seen patrolling the streets of Zawit Bagoul, 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) from Zintan. Pro-Gaddafi positions on the village outskirts were deserted and loyalists left behind clothes, shoes and ammunition. The rebels later also moved into Lawania, about seven kilometres away, and then Ghanymma, less than 10 kilometres from Yafran, as Nato aircraft were heard overhead. Nato, which has carried out 10 weeks of air strikes against Gaddafi's forces, can see out its mission without ground troops, its operations commander said in a briefing. Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard also said the military situation in western Libya, where there has been an upsurge in fighting, was developing "very positively." Senior military officials from Britain and France, key players in the Nato campaign, have expressed concerns about how to maintain the Nato operation, which has been extended for a second three-month period from June 27. But French foreign minister Alain Juppe said in Algeria that "a very large majority of the international community" wanted Gaddafi to depart, even though this was not an aim of the UN resolution authorising Nato strikes on Libya. Meanwhile Spain said that it was expelling Libyan ambassador Ageli Abdussalam Ali Breni over the Gaddafi regime's repression of civilians and expelling three embassy officials for unspecified activities. In Washington meanwhile, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton accused Gaddafi's forces of using rape and violence against women as "tools of war." Clinton said that the United States was "deeply concerned" by reports of wide scale rape in Libya and "troubled" by reports that governments across the Middle East and North Africa were using sexual violence to punish protesters. "Gaddafi's security forces and other groups in the region are trying to divide the people by using violence against women and rape as tools of war, and the United States condemns this in the strongest possible terms," she said.

Dozens Die in Fresh Gadhafi Offensive Near Misrata

At least 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded, most of them rebel fighters, in a fierce offensive by Col. Moammar Gadhafi's forces Friday on the outskirts of Libya's rebel-held port city of Misrata. By nightfall, Misrata's rebels retained control of the farmland area known as Dafniya, some 18 miles to the west. Some rebels said they wanted to advance further west and capture Zlitin, the next regime-controlled town on the highway to Tripoli, with the help of recently deployed U.K. and French helicopters.

Others argued that Zlitin's residents must rise up first against Col. Gadhafi in order not to provoke tribal warfare. A British spokesman said Friday that U.K. Apache helicopters had been in action over Misrata on Thursday, destroying a regime military communications installation and multiple rocket launchers. Rebels said jets from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombed some of the advancing pro-Gadhafi forces Friday, a claim that couldn't immediately be confirmed. Casualties among the pro-regime forces were unknown. But an officer captured by rebels at the frontline said some 120 volunteer fighters were bused by the regime to Zlitin on Wednesday to back up soldiers in the offensive led by the Khamis Brigade, a unit named after and commanded by one of Col. Gadhafi's sons. "We came to Misrata to strike the rebels," the officer said during an interrogation by a rebel leader, witnessed inside a makeshift rebel camp. "They brought us as sacrificial lambs, believe me." A spokesman from the local military council said the fighting was some of the fiercest in the city's long battle against the Libyan government forces. Rebel witnesses said Col. Gadhafi's forces had attempted to retake Dafniya early Friday with several tanks, armored vehicles and rocket launchers. The tanks were firing at anything that moved on the coastal highway between Tripoli and Misrata, they said, making the road unusable. Many said that most of the casualties among the rebels were caused by artillery fire. Wing Commander Mike Bracken, a NATO spokesman, said Friday the front line near Zlitin is "volatile and unstable." "Whether Gadhafi forces are able to launch a large-scale attack remains unconfirmed," he said. Heavy rocket fire turned some of parts of Dafniya, a scenic area of pine, olive and palm trees, into smoldering fields. In one farm, rebel fighters rested behind earth berms as rockets whizzed overhead and gunfire crackled in the distance. Some fighters ahead launched rocket-propelled grenades in response. One fighter, Lutfi al-Ameen, said his unit was involved in close combat with pro-regime forces stationed five farms away after they tried to enter Dafniya from several areas. Asked if rebels would try to capture Zlitin he said: "It's crucial they [Zlitin residents] move first." Earlier rocket explosions were heard nonstop from early morning in Misrata. By midday, pickup trucks filled with rebel fighters were seen heading toward Dafniya. A flatbed truck laden with ammunition was also seen on its way to provide reinforcements. On a beach on the way to Dafniya, rebels were seen firing Russian-made Grad rockets from a launcher they had seized from pro-regime forces. A heavy stream of ambulances and emergency crews used an old road that hugs the shoreline to bring the dead and wounded to Misrata. Hundreds of people gathered outside Al-Hikma Hospital, which had posted a list of the casualties from the fighting. Doctors at Al-Hikma, which is akin to a private polyclinic, couldn't cope with the flow of casualties. Two triage tents setup in the parking lot were filled to capacity as the bodies of the dead were piled up into the pediatric and orthopedic clinics. "Identity unknown," read papers pasted on two body bags. A man in the hallway sobbed hysterically for his dead brother. Inside Misrata, rebels were on high alert and setting up checkpoints across the city to stop and search vehicles. The latest offensive by Col. Gadhafi's forces is believed to be an attempt to preempt rebels from advancing toward Tripoli, 120 miles to the west, or to Sirte, some 150 miles southeast of Misrata. The rebels appear to be undecided over whether to make an advance on either city, or remain in Misrata to retain control of the city, which they recaptured in May after a long and devastating siege. At a news conference held by the council on Thursday in Misrata, the council's spokesman, Fathi Bashagha, said the rebels wanted to advance toward Tripoli and then to Sirte. However, another spokesman said they needed to be cautious about advancing, and would only move toward the coastal town of Zlitin—the first large town west of Misrata on the road to Tripoli—when there is enough opposition within the town to rise up against government forces. So far, some fighters from Zlitin have joined the rebels in Misrata in their fight against the regime.

Qaddafi Flees to Hospitals to Dodge Bombs, Reports Say

Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi has responded to intensified NATO bombing of the Libyan capital by seeking sanctuary at night in hospitals he knows will not be bombed, according to a British official accompanying Prime Minister David Cameron to a summit meeting in Deauville, France. The official’s account of Colonel Qaddafi’s movements, given on a background basis to British reporters, was quoted in the Friday editions of at least two British newspapers, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. 

It was the first acknowledgment by a senior Western official that NATO planners had access to intelligence about Colonel Qaddafi’s movements. In the Guardian account, the official was quoted as saying that British intelligence had told Mr. Cameron that Colonel Qaddafi was “increasingly paranoid, on the run, and hiding in hospitals by night,” with senior Libyan military commanders unable to communicate with each other because of a concern that NATO can tap their phones. “There’s a consensus that we need to be turning the screw now, and that’s partly informed by our intelligence of what’s going on on the ground,” The Telegraph quoted the British official as saying. “One quite striking thing is the fact that Qaddafi appears to be moving from hospital to hospital. What he is doing is moving from one place we won’t bomb to another place we won’t bomb.” NATO has carried out 2,600 bombing sorties over the past two months, which reached a new peak in Tripoli early Tuesday when, according to NATO officials, 28 bunker-busting bombs were dropped on Colonel Qaddafi’s compound. The Guardian quoted the official as saying that the sense that the Libyan leader has been rattled by the bombing is one of the reasons that Mr. Cameron and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, have approved the deployment of attack helicopters as part of the NATO air campaign. British officials have said that adding British Apaches and French Tiger helicopters equipped with powerful missiles will allow for low-level, pinpoint attacks on urban targets, including Libyan officials. Libyan officials have complained repeatedly in recent days that NATO is trying to “assassinate” Colonel Qaddafi. They say the attempts to kill him are illegal under the terms of the United Nations Security Council resolution adopted two months ago that approved the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya and the use of “all necessary means” to protect Libyan civilians from attack by the Qaddafi forces. In a move that appeared to have been prompted by the strains that the bombing is imposing, the Libyan prime minister, Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, held a news conference in Tripoli on Thursday to renew calls for a cease-fire, to be followed by talks involving the government, the rebels and other Libyan groups, including tribal leaders. But Mr. Mahmoudi said that Colonel Qaddafi’s leadership of Libya was not negotiable. “There are redlines we cannot go beyond,” he said.

Libyan Rebels Claim Control of Misrata Airport

Libyan rebels in the besieged western city of Misrata say they have taken control of the municipal airport following days of heavy fighting, seizing large quantities of weapons and ammunition in a significant victory against forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Opposition military sources in Misrata, including the commander at the airport, said Wednesday that rebels have secured the entire facility, which had become the main base for pro-Gadhafi forces in the city.

The rebels entered the airport after a series of coordinated NATO airstrikes on government artillery batteries and military vehicles. The New York Times reported that by Wednesday evening, residents in the battered city, under siege for almost two months, began celebrating.

Late Wednesday, Mr. Gadhafi made his first television appearance since a NATO airstrike on a house in the capital, Tripoli, killed one of his sons and three grandchildren on April 30. Libyan state television filmed him at a brief meeting with tribal leaders. A projection screen behind Mr. Gadhafi showed Wednesday's date.

Meanwhile, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski visited the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi Wednesday to demonstrate European support for their cause and deliver medical aid. Sikorski told opposition leaders that the people of Poland and the EU "wish the Libyan nation victory in the transition to democracy."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday urged the Libyan government stop its assault and allow humanitarian access to civilians in need. Mr. Ban made the request during a phone call to to Libya's prime minister, al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi.

Also Wednesday, a leading U.S. senator said he is drafting legislation to authorize the transfer of Mr. Gadhafi's frozen assets to the opposition Transitional National Council. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, did not disclose the amount of cash, but said it would be enough to impact the crises faced by the council.

Senator Kerry spoke after meeting in Washington with Libyan opposition leaders, including Mahmoud Jibril, head of the council's crisis committee.

Earlier, the U.N. refugee agency called on European nations and boat captains in the Mediterranean to rescue people fleeing Libya's conflict. Agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Tuesday that any boat leaving Libya should be considered in need of assistance.

She urged governments and captains not to wait for distress calls but to head immediately to the vessels to see if the people on board are in need of help.

Fleming commented after a flimsy vessel reportedly overloaded with more than 600 passengers capsized Friday shortly after leaving Libya. At least 16 bodies have been recovered.

NATO bombs Tripoli, U.S. says time against Gaddafi

NATO warplanes hammered Tripoli on Tuesday with some of their heaviest air strikes yet after the United States said Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi would "inevitably" be forced from power.

At least 12 huge explosions rocked the capital in the early hours. Government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said three people were killed and 150 wounded.

He said the strikes had targeted a compound of the Popular Guards, a tribally-based military detachment. But he said the compound had been emptied of people and "useful material" in anticipation of an attack, and the casualties were people living in the vicinity.

"This is another night of bombing and killing by NATO," Ibrahim told reporters.

Led by France, Britain and the United States, NATO warplanes have been bombing Libya for more than two months since the United Nations authorized "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Gaddafi's forces in the country's civil war.

"We have degraded his war machine and prevented a humanitarian catastrophe. And we will continue to enforce the U.N. resolutions with our allies until they are completely complied with," President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote in The Times newspaper.

U.N. Security Council 1973, passed on March 17, established a no-fly zone and called for a ceasefire, an end to attacks on civilians, respect for human rights and efforts to meet Libyans' aspirations.

In upbeat comments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference in London on Monday: "We do believe that time is working against Gaddafi, that he cannot re-establish control over the country."

She said the opposition had organized a legitimate and credible interim council that was committed to democracy.

"Their military forces are improving and when Gaddafi inevitably leaves, a new Libya stands ready to move forward," she said. "We have a lot of confidence in what our joint efforts are producing."

CONFLICT DEADLOCKED

Rebels trying to overthrow Gaddafi's 41-year rule control the east of the oil-producing country, but the conflict has been deadlocked for weeks.

In an escalation that could help break the stalemate, French officials said on Monday that France and Britain would deploy attack helicopters, a step aimed at targeting Gaddafi's forces more precisely.

"What we want is to better tailor our ability to strike on the ground with ways that allow more accurate hits," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.

But the use of helicopters carries risks for NATO, as they would fly lower than warplanes and be more exposed to ground fire. The downing of helicopters could draw ground forces into rescue efforts.

Reporters, whose movements are tightly controlled by the Libyan authorities, were taken to visit Tripoli's central hospital after the heavy night raids.

They were shown the corpses of three men with grave head injuries, their bodies laid out on gurneys.

A man who identified himself only as Hatim, who had deep gashes and abrasions on his arms and legs, said the force of the blasts had caved in part of his residence near the military compound.

"We were in the house and then, wham, the ceiling came down, right on me," he said.

Smaller blasts were heard intermittently for several minutes after the final round of strikes, which shook windows and brought plaster down from ceilings in the Tripoli hotel where foreign reporters are staying.

EU pledges long-term support to Libyan opposition

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has reiterated that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi must relinquish power. She was speaking from the rebel stronghold Benghazi, where she also promised to offer long-term support to the Libyan opposition.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said, "Gaddafi must leave. And we must have a future for Libya that belongs to the people of Libya and moves forward as they would wish."

Ashton also announced the opening of EU's office in Benghazi, an effort to support the opposition.

Catherine Ashton said, "By opening the office of the European Union, I bring the commitment of the European Union 27 Member States -- and all of the institutions -- in support of the people of Benghazi and of the people of Libya."

Ashton says she's held talks on key issues with the Libyan opposition National Transitional Council, and representatives of young people, media, and human rights organization during her visit in Benghazi.

Catherine Ashton said, "We don't just come for today but we are here for the long term. What the European Union can offer is support as you build the country of the future, your institutions your economy and your political life, we will be here to support you every step of the way."

Earlier after meeting the Transitional Council chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil, Ashton said the EU would support the opposition in border management and security reform.

Jalil told reporters that the opposition would abide by all the conventions and international laws. They plan to mobilize all the Libyan people to rebuild the country.

Ashton visited Benghazi's Liberation Square soon after the EU delegation arrived on Sunday morning. Her visit came shortly after NATO bombed the capital Tripoli and Gaddafi's nearby compound late Saturday.

5 foreign journalists freed by Libya and Iran

The Libyan government released four foreign journalists on Wednesday and a fifth reached freedom in Qatar after disappearing while on assignment in Syria, the latest reporters to be freed after being swept up while covering unrest in the Middle East.

Americans Clare Morgana Gillis and James Foley, along with British freelance reporter Nigel Chandler and Spanish photographer Manuel Varela, appeared at a Tripoli hotel after being released from six weeks of detention in Libya.

Earlier, Iranian-born Dorothy Parvaz, who has U.S. and Canadian citizenship and works for Al-Jazeera television, arrived at her network's home base in Doha after being freed by Iran. All five were reported in good health.

"I've spoken to our son," Diane Foley of Rochester, N.H., told The Associated Press. "He's in good health, he's feeling very, very relieved. He's feeling very hopeful."

She said the first thing he said to her on the phone was " 'Hey, ma, it's me. It's Jim. I'm fine, we're at a hotel.' "

She said he told her that the four were to be taken early today to the border with Tunisia, where they would cross out of Libya.

Three of the journalists — Gillis, who freelances for The Atlantic magazine and USA Today; Foley, who writes for the Boston-based news agency GlobalPost; and Varela, who works under the name Manu Brabo, were detained on April 5 near the Libyan town of Brega.

Chandler was detained separately.

They were freed a day after the Libyan government said it had given them a one-year suspended sentence on charges of illegally entering the country.

The 39-year-old Parvaz, who previously worked as a reporter and columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, disappeared soon after arriving in Syria on April 29 to cover the anti-government protests there. The Damascus government disclosed on May 4 that she had been deported to Iran.

There was no word on the fate of another missing journalist, photographer Anton Hammerl, who disappeared in Libya about the same time as the four journalists released Wednesday. Gillis said she had not seen him.

Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said Libya holds no other reporters. "At the moment, I think we have released all journalists, unless some have been captured in the past two days and I haven't heard about it," he said.

New explosions rattle Tripoli as prosecutor seeks Gadhafi's arrest

Crowds in Tripoli gathered Tuesday morning outside two burning buildings -- the aftermath of what a Libyan official said were NATO airstrikes on government facilities.

Spokesman Musa Ibrahim said the buildings housed the ministry of popular inspection and oversight -- a government anti-corruption body -- and the head of the police force in Tripoli. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Earlier, the sounds two explosions and jets pierced through the night sky.

Some people ventured outside in the early morning hours to inspect the damage. Others, inlcuding a crowd of young men carrying a large portrait of Moammar Gadhafi and waving the country's green flag, marched in front of the buildings chanted slogans of support for the Libyan leader.

Documents were strewn all over the grounds of the ministry building. Ibrahim told reporters that in the last few days, the ministry of popular inspection and oversight had put together corruption files against leaders in the Libyan oppostion's Transitional National Council. He said the files "fortunately survived."

The area teemed with security forces, and men in civilian clothing carrying AK-47s shot into the air in a show of anger.

"Is this their (NATO's) protection of civilians or terrifying civilians?" one of the armed men told CNN. "This is a civilian neighborhood ... Residents are terrified."

NATO did not immediately announce whether it had conducted airstrikes in Tripoli early Tuesday.

The damage in Tripoli is one of the latest developments in Libya's see-saw war, which has raged for months with no end in sight.

On Monday evening, five consecutive blasts rocked the Tripoli hotel housing international journalists. The explosions were among the loudest and strongest heard at the hotel during the unrest.

Hours after the explosions, Ibrahim said he had no information on the blasts.

NATO is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force and any means -- except foreign occupation -- to protect civilians. Allied forces have conducted airstrikes on Gadhafi's resources for almost two months.

Libyan opposition members are demanding freedom and an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule. But Gadhafi has refused to step down.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought the arrest of Gadhafi and two relatives Monday, linking them to "widespread and systematic" attacks on civilians.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo told reporters his office has "direct evidence" linking Gadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam Gadhafi and his brother-in-law Abdullah al-Sanussi to crimes against humanity.

"The evidence shows that Moammar Gadhafi personally ordered attacks on unarmed Libyan civilians," he said. "His forces attacked Libyan civilians in their homes and in the public space, shot demonstrators with live ammunition, used heavy weaponry against participants in funeral processions and placed snipers to kill those leaving mosques after prayers."

Ibrahim, the government spokesman, denied accusations against the regime.

"We have never in any stage of the crisis in Libya ordered the killing of civilians or hired mercenaries against our people," he said. "In fact, it is the rebels who took up arms in the middle of our peaceful cities."

Judges on the international court must now decide whether to issue the arrest warrants Moreno-Ocampo wants.

Meanwhile, security forces in Libya are accused of using sexual enhancement drugs as a "machete" and gang-raping women they stop at checkpoints, according to Moreno-Ocampo.

He told CNN Monday that the court in The Hague will investigate allegations of institutionalized rape in Libya.

"There are rapes. The issue is who organized them," Moreno-Ocampo told CNN's Nic Robertson. "They were committed in some police barracks. Were the policemen prosecuted? What happened?" he asked.

Moreno-Ocampo said the criminal court has information about women who were stopped at checkpoints and, because they were carrying the flag of the rebels, were taken by police and gang raped.

He also said there were reports of the use of male sexual enhancement drugs, which he called a "tool of massive rape."

"There's some information with Viagra. So, it's like a machete," he said.

Gaddafi denies death as Libya claims NATO has killed more civilians

Libyan state TV broadcast a recorded audio message from leader Muammar Gaddafi Friday evening in which he says he is still alive after claims earlier in the day he may have been hurt in NATO airstrikes.

The broadcast also came after the Libyan government accused NATO bombing of killing more people in the oil town of Brega.

Gaddafi called the Western countries "cowards" in his minute-long message.

"You could kill my body but could not kill my soul which lives in the hearts of millions," Gaddafi said.

He also said a NATO airstrike Thursday that targeted his Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli killed "three innocent journalist-civilians."

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said earlier Friday Gaddafi may have been hurt in NATO air raid and fled Tripoli, but this was later denied by a Libyan government spokesman.

Frattini said Tripoli's bishop had said Gaddafi was "probably wounded" but Italy had "no credible information" about Gaddafi's whereabouts and health conditions, according to the Italy-based ANSA news agency.

"International pressure has likely provoked the decision by Gaddafi to seek refuge in a safe place," the foreign minister told reporters.

Shortly after the report, Libyan government spokesperson Musa Ibrahim denied Gaddafi was hurt, according to Al-Arabiya TV.

He said these reports were made only to weaken the morale of the Libyan people.

Rumors that Gaddafi was dead have been circulating since his youngest son, Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, and three of his grandchildren were killed in a NATO bombing almost two weeks ago.

Gaddafi made his first TV appearance since that attack on Wednesday. The video footage showed him meeting with several tribal leaders, which was seen as the Libyan government's attempt to dispel the rumors.

Libya's state TV also reported Friday at least 16 people were killed in a NATO air strike at Brega, a key oil town in the eastern part of the country, which is still reportedly controlled by pro-Gaddafi forces. The television said the air raid targeted a guest house in the city.

The NATO-led alliance, responding to the civilian deaths, said in a statement released in Brussels on Saturday it attacked a military command and control center, 750 km southeast of the capital.

Also on Friday, Libyan rebels held a meeting attended by delegates from 15 cities around the country, a move seen as an attempt to scuttle regional support for Gaddafi.

The 15 cities includes both those captured by the opposition and those still in the hands of pro-Gaddafi forces, including Sirte, the hometown of Gaddafi.

Besides courting domestic support, the rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC) is also seeking additional international recognition.

NTC chief diplomat Mahmoud Gibril, who is now in the United States, met with U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon at the White House Friday.

Donilon said Washington viewed the NTC as a legitimate and credible interlocutor of the Libyan people and reiterated U.S. President Barack Obama's call for Gaddafi to leave immediately, the White House said in a statement.

The White House also said Donilon and Gibril discussed how the United States and the coalition could provide additional support to the NTC, according to the statement.

However, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday he did not anticipate formal U.S. recognition of the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people after the meeting.

"The question of recognition is one of many policy issues still under review, and we're continuing to assess the capabilities of the NTC as we deepen our engagement with the opposition," he told reporters at the White House.

He said the White House was discussing with Congress access to blocked Libyan government assets in the United States, valued at some 30 billion U.S. dollars, for humanitarian purposes in Libya.

Russia also supports release of the assets for humanitarian aid, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Sazonov told a news briefing Friday.

Sazonov said such humanitarian aids should not be politically motivated and should cover all of the nation's population.

He said these actions should be approved by the UN Security Council and international organizations such as UN High Commissioner for Refugees should monitor the use of these aids.

Libya: Bombardment versus air strikes (Foto-Gallery)

Libyan government forces bombarded a residential area outside Misrata on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the rebels are trying to maintain their grip on the city in the face of a fierce onslaught.

Fighting in the port city of Misrata has ebbed and flowed over the past few weeks but rebels gained ground after they broke through a frontline and consolidated their position west of the city.

The latest progress has increased prospects that the siege of Misrata by the government forces can be broken.

The opposition says they have also made gains near the eastern town of Ajdabiyah and are hopeful that accelerated attacks by NATO would enable them to further capitalize on some of their biggest advances in weeks.

On Tuesday, NATO carried out missile strikes against a government command and control facility in downtown Tripoli. NATO says all the targets are military ones, and denies that it was targeting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Libyan officials said NATO's overnight air strikes in the Tripoli area wounded four children, two seriously, due to flying glass caused by blasts.

Libyan troops may pull out of Misrata

Libya's Deputy Foreign Minister, Khaled Kaim, says the country's army is being withdrawn from fighting in the town of Misrata, with the task of subduing rebels in the area handed over to local "tribes".

Khaled Kaim says the army's tactic had been to use "a surgical solution" but that has not worked because of NATO airstrikes. Kaim says tribal leaders had warned the army to step aside if it could not retake the city and they would fight the rebels if they don't surrender.

Khaled Kaim said, "The situation in Misrata will be eased, will be dealt with by the tribes around Misrata, and the rest of Misrata's people, not by the Libyan army and you will see how they will be swift and quick and fast and the Libyan army will be out of the question, out of the situation in Misrata because Libyan people around Misrata, they cannot sustain, it like this. The sea port has been seized by the rebels and the tactic of the Libyan army is to have a surgical solution but it doesn't work. With the air strikes, it doesn't work and we will leave it to the tribes around Misrata and Misrata's people to deal with the situation there in Misrata."

He did not say when the military would pull back from Misrata or when the armed tribesmen would move in. Kaim was also dismissive of a visit by U.S. senator John McCain to the rebel headquarters in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Khaled Kaim said, "Senator McCain he visited Libya last year, I think, and he met with the Leader and he was free to express his views about the situation in Libya but now, I mean, his visit to Benghazi shows that the American administration has run out of options. They are trying to do anything, just to show to their own public that they are doing something. They are claiming that they are protecting the civilians, but what they are doing, they are siding with the rebels."

McCain called for increased military support for Libya's rebels, including weapons, training and more airstrikes.

Rebels Say Libyan Troops Are Leaving Misurata

Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces began to withdraw from the besieged western city of Misurata on Saturday, a rebel spokesman said, the first stage of a plan announced by the government to turn the fighting over to tribal supporters.

Rebel leaders in the east claimed victory, and fighters fired automatic weapons in the air and supporters blared car horns in celebration here in the provisional rebel capital. But the news of a withdrawal could not be independently confirmed, and there were still reports of heavy fighting in Misurata on Saturday.

Even if the government follows through with the plan it laid out publicly on Friday, it remained far from clear whether the tribes would take up the fight. It was also unclear to what extent the army was forced out militarily by the rebels or whether their withdrawal was a temporary diversion of forces to the Tunisian border, where the rebels seized a strategic crossing last week.

Libya’s deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said Friday that the army had been given an ultimatum to put down the rebellion in Misurata, or to withdraw and leave the battle to tribal fighters. Mr. Kaim said the tribes would either negotiate a settlement with the rebels, or fight them instead of the military.

Still, a siege that has pounded the city for nearly two months and taken hundreds of lives appeared to have been broken, and the rebels took the news as a defeat for Colonel Qaddafi’s forces.

“What we are hearing from Misurata is very positive,” said Jalil el-Gallal, a spokesman for the rebels’ Transitional National Council, their de facto government here in Benghazi.

Government soldiers captured in Misurata on Saturday said they had been in the process of retreating when they were taken by rebel forces. “We have been told to withdraw,” a wounded Libyan soldier, Khaled Dorman, told Reuters. “We were told to withdraw yesterday.”

However, Agence France-Presse quoted a doctor at the main Hikma Hospital as saying that fighting was continuing and that 10 people had been killed on Saturday. Reuters said it was unclear how far the Libyan Army had withdrawn.

Mr. Gallal denounced the move as an attempt by the Qaddafi government to provoke a tribal conflict. “Qaddafi is trying to project the view they are leaving it to the tribes, which is a great concern to us,” he said. “It is a familiar tactic that he has used for a long time, but I think people understand now that he wants to start a tribal war.”

Mr. Gallal said that much of the long-range artillery used by the Libyan military against rebel forces in Misurata had been based in neighboring towns like Tarhuna and Zliten, where rival tribes are based, in an effort to stir up tribal animosity.

“It won’t work,” he said. “Any city he will withdraw from he won’t be able to control again. It’s suicidal on his part.”

Rebel forces were also reported still in control of a border crossing with Tunisia that they had seized on Thursday, according to journalists who were there on Saturday. Libyan authorities claimed to have retaken the crossing. Control of a border with Tunisia would greatly aid the rebellion in Libya’s western mountains, which are 600 miles or more from rebel positions in the east.

In eastern Libya, however, there has been little military activity as a stalemate persists, with the front line between the main rebel forces and pro-government militias still somewhere between Ajdabiya and Brega, as it has been for several weeks.

In Washington, Pentagon officials said Saturday that an armed Predator drone had carried out its first strike on ground targets in Libya since President Obama’s order last week deploying the weapon to the NATO mission. Officials declined to disclose the target.

On Friday, the top American military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the situation was headed toward a stalemate, especially in the east. “At the same time, we’ve attritted somewhere between 30 percent and 40 percent of his main ground forces, his ground force capabilities,” Admiral Mullen said during a visit to American troops in Iraq on Friday. “Those will continue to go away over time.”