Gaddafi forces rout rebels

Rebels driven out of town of Brega under heavy bombardment as pro-regime forces advance towards Benghazi Muammar Gaddafi’s forces were routing Libyan rebels in the east of the country today, driving the revolutionaries into full retreat from the town of Brega with a rain of rockets and shelling. The rebel army fled in hundreds of pick-up trucks, many with machine guns mounted on the back, and saloon cars back toward the nearest major town of Ajdabiya. Some of the revolutionaries, many of whom are young men with no previous combat experience, appeared close to panic. Many of the remaining civilians in the area fled with them. The rapid advance by pro-regime forces came as Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, prepared to travel to the region to meet representatives of the Libyan rebels’ revolutionary council. Clinton’s trip follows an unprecedented Arab League call for western military intervention to assist the embattled rebels. The call has increased pressure on Barack Obama to throw Washington’s full weight behind efforts to oust Gaddafi before it is too late. Suliman Refadi, a doctor fleeing Brega hospital, said the town came under intense bombardment. “They shot 40 to 60 rockets at the same time. The sky was raining with rockets, with shrapnel. There was heavy artillery. Then they advanced,” he said. “It was impossible to stay.” Refadi said that among the victims was a seven year-old boy who lost part of his skull and brain and who he expected to die. He said he also saw four civilians, three men and a woman, dead beside the road. The regime’s assault came after it seized control of the strategic oil town of Ras Lanuf yesterday. With the opposition line broken, Gaddafi’s forces appeared to have little trouble moving on Brega about 90 miles along the road towards the rebel capital of Benghazi. It is not clear if the revolutionary forces will be able to make a stand in Ajdabiya, which sits on an important intersection where the main coastal road divides. If the town falls, Gaddafi’s army would be able to move on Benghazi and head toward towns closer to the Egyptian border, notably the major oil city of Tobruk. In what is seen as a crucial week both diplomatically and militarily for Libya, Clinton is due to spend two days in Egypt and Tunisia starting on Tuesday, the first visits by the US secretary of state since the recent popular uprisings. Officials from the Benghazi-based rebel council are expected to travel to meet her. The exact venue and timing of the meeting has not been disclosed. The Obama administration has so far blocked British and French moves to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to curtail Gaddafi’s attacks on rebel forces and civilians. One stated reason for its reluctance is concern that the US has little first-hand knowledge of the embattled rebel groups, which have been asking for western military assistance with increasing urgency in recent days. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Obama expressed caution about dealing with the Benghazi council, which France alone has recognised as Libya’s legitimate successor government. The opposition was “just getting organised”, Obama said. Clinton’s talks are intended to give the US a better picture of who it may be dealing with if Gaddafi falls. Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, is also in the region and was due to hold talks about the no-fly zone proposal with the Arab League in Cairo today. It was not immediately clear whether Ashton would also seek to make contact with the Libyan rebels. Like the US, the EU has demanded Gaddafi’s resignation and an end to the violence but has so far stopped short of endorsing military intervention. With events moving fast on the ground, it seemed increasingly possible that the diplomatic initiatives would come too late to save the Libyan uprising, a fear apparently shared by the Arab League. Its unanimous weekend decision to ask the UN security council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya was seen as an extraordinary step, given historical opposition by the 22-nation bloc to western intervention in the region. The move was also a risky one for Arab leaders who face popular dissent at home. Syria and Algeria reportedly argued strongly against the decision in private discussions, insisting on a clause saying any western forces should withdraw as soon as the crisis abated. Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary general, said: “Our goal is to protect the civilian population in Libya after what has been reported of attacks and casualties in a very bloody situation.” Describing Gaddafi’s government as “illegitimate”, the League has suspended its membership and begun talks with the rebels, although it has not extended formal recognition to the Benghazi council. Pressure on Obama to drop US objections to a no-fly zone has been increased by the Arab League decision highlighting “serious crimes and great violations” by the Libyan regime and by a statement by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the Benghazi revolutionary council. Jalil claimed at the weekend that if Gaddafi’s forces, which have gained the upper hand in the fighting in recent days, succeeded in taking Benghazi, it would result in “the death of half a million people”. The US, Nato and the EU say that military intervention would be justified if there were demonstrable need to prevent criminal atrocities on the ground, if there were a sound legal basis (such as a new UN security council resolution) and if there were strong regional support. Some US officials have expressed doubts as to whether a no-fly zone would make any difference to the outcome, since most of the regime’s attacks use ground troops or artillery. William Hague, the foreign secretary, suggested in a statement yesterday that the requirement for regional support had been all but satisfied. Hague said that the outcome of the Arab League meeting showed “Gaddafi’s actions do not have support in the region”. “In brutally repressing a popular uprising by his own people, it is clear he is isolated and ignoring the will of the international community … The Arab League call for a NFZ [no-fly zone] is very significant and provides important regional support to the option of creating a NFZ,” he said. The White House said the Arab League’s declaration of support was an “important step”, but did not say whether it viewed it as definitive. Attention may soon shift to the UN security council, where British and French diplomats have reportedly drawn up a draft resolution on a no-fly zone, although it has yet to be circulated. The Arab League statement could be significant in reducing Chinese and Russian opposition to a new resolution authorising limited intervention. Both countries, veto-wielding members of the security council, continue to express reservations. “Middle Eastern countries should handle their affairs themselves and should not be subject to outside interference,” vice-foreign minister Zhai Jun said during a tour of the region. Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, who last week questioned the wisdom of imposing a no-fly zone, appeared to soften his position at the weekend. Gates said: “A little bit too much has been read into some of my remarks last week,” Gates said. “If we are directed to impose a no-fly zone, we have the resources to do it. This is not a question of whether we or our allies can do this. We can do it. The question is whether it’s a wise thing to do. And that’s the discussion that’s going on at a political level.” Libya Middle East Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East protests Chris McGreal Simon Tisdall guardian.co.uk

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