Rebels move on Qaddafi home town of Surt
Image via WikipediaLibyan rebels backed by allied warplanes recaptured a pair of strategic oil towns as they erased recent losses and returned to the doorstep of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s most important bastion of support in his tribal homeland of Surt.Misurata is still under siege in the West. The "tactical retreat" has the appearance of a rout at this point, but we will not know for sure until the opposition forces bump up against some resistance. That could happen at Surt where the planes are hammering military targets.
Their swift return once again sets the stage for what both sides consider a potentially decisive battle in the war for Libya. It underscores the essential role that Western airstrikes — now focused mainly on Qaddafi ground troops since the elimination of his air defenses — have played in turning around the rebels’ fortunes, but that also raises questions about the ability of the poorly equipped and disorganized rebel forces to take on Colonel Qaddafi’s garrison inside the city of Surt.
Libyan state television reported that Surt had been bombed in air raids late Sunday night.
NATO agreed to take over the entire military mission in Libya, including the airstrikes, at a meeting Sunday night in Brussels. The decision effectively relieved the United States of leading the fight, and ended a week of squabbling among the allies over the issue.
The airstrikes, which began a week ago, have quickly reversed the military balance along the eastern coast. The rebel advance on Sunday moved the eastern front further west then it had been at the peak of rebel gains several weeks ago.
Rebel fighters pushed past the oil towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf, meeting little resistance as they recaptured two important refineries. By the evening, they had pushed the front line west of Bin Jawwad, according to fighters returning from the front.
Emboldened by the retaking of the strategic crossroads city of Ajdabiya on Saturday, the rebels have moved rapidly, taking advantage of what the Qaddafi government has called a “tactical pullback.”
There were clashes with government forces overnight near the town of Uqaylah, on the main coastal road to Ras Lanuf, but nothing after that.
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The shortages in Tripoli suggest the government is having major logistic problems in the capitol city. That could make it hard for it to control elements in the city who are ready for a regime change.
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