Abdel-Salam Jalloud defection increases pressure on Gaddafi

Libyan rebels claim regime is crumbling following flight of third senior official Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime appeared to be crumbling from within with the third defection of a senior member of his regime within days, which emerged as rebels pressed their advantage on the battlefield. According to Tunisia’s official news agency Abdel-Salam Jalloud – who helped propel Gaddafi to power in 1969 but had more recently fallen out with him – flew out of Djerba airport early yesterday. Rebels attempting to oust Gaddafi claimed Jalloud has defected.Jalloud’s flight follows the reported defection earlier this week of oil minister Omrane Boukraa and senior security official Nasser al-Mabrouk Abdullah, who fled to Cairo from Tunisia on Monday with his family. The latest defection – which was reported amid a swirl of rumours concerning the intentions of Gaddafi and his family – came as rebel forces continued operations on three fronts to cut off the capital Tripoli. In Zliten, a town formerly loyal to Gaddafi which was captured on Friday, rebels continued with street-to-street searches. The insurgents have also claimed the final capture of Brega, a town that has changed hands on a number of occasions. In Zawiya, the city 30 miles from Tripoli that earlier this year endured a long and bloody siege, Gaddafi’s forces were reported as cleared from most of the town, but still holding out in an eastern suburb along the main highway to the capital. Despite rebels securing the main square, the city centre was hit by rockets or mortars, demonstrating the threat still posed by forces loyal to the regime who have available to them both modern tanks and missile launchers. Libya Middle East Africa Muammar Gaddafi Peter Beaumont Luke Harding guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 20, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.