| FOLLOW US ON: FACEBOOK TWITTER FLIPBOARD TELEGRAM |
With coalition bombing of Libyan loyalist positions in Ajdabiyah as support, rebels say they have taken the city’s eastern gate and are looking to move back in.
Recapturing the crossroads to Benghazi is vital if the rising against Colonel Gaddafi is to push to the capital. The rebels, reinforced and better equipped since they were expelled last week, say they now surround the city and an attack is imminent.
NATO members have struck a deal in principle to take over command of military operations in Libya within days from the coalition led by Britain, France and the United States.
“NATO countries are in agreement to launch final planning, enabling it to take over the command from the coalition on Monday or Tuesday,” said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.
Another diplomatic source cautioned however that details remain to be worked out over a no-fly zone enforced by the coalition since Saturday, due to Ankara’s continued objections to strikes against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
Advertisement: Story continues below
After days of difficult talks, discussions continued late on Thursday at NATO’s Brussels headquarters.
On the fourth day of UN-backed military strikes on Libya, leader Moamer Kadhafi promised his supporters victory, saying the country was “ready for battle”.
Meanwhile coalition airstrikes were reported overnight Tuesday near the city of Misrata, east of the capital.
Television footage showed Kadhafi rallying supporters at his Bab Al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli, which was the target of a coalition missile strike.
The on-scene commander of the international coalition for Libya is confirming that civilians are under attack by government forces in Misrata, the North Africa nation’s third largest city.
United States Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear told Pentagon reporters Tuesday that the coalition is considering all options in light of the attacks, but he did not elaborate.
Misrata is one of the cities that U.S. President Barack Obama has demanded from Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi retreat his forces from.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s momentum has stopped and rebels have been able to hold onto areas that government forces had been poised to capture just a few days ago, a U.S. official said Monday.
The regime’s efforts appeared to have “stalled” as Gadhafi has declared a cease-fire, the official said.
The coalition is watching carefully to see if Gadhafi’s assertion “is a pledge or just words,” the official said.
An opposition spokesman said he already knew the answer, at least as it pertains to Misrata, a key city about two hours east of Tripoli. “There is no cease-fire in Misrata,” said Mohamed, who would not divulge his last name out of concern for his safety. “The destruction is unimaginable.”