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Libya rebels control Zawiyah‎, so they say
ZAWIYAH: Libyan rebels hoisted their flag in the center of this town near the capital on Sunday after the most dramatic advance in months cut off Muammar Qaddafi’s capital from its main link to the outside world.

The swift rebel advance on the town of Zawiyah, about 50 km west of Tripoli, will deal a psychological blow to Qaddafi’s supporters and also cuts the coastal highway to Tunisia which keeps the capital supplied with food and fuel. But there was no sign Tripoli was under immediate threat from a rebel attack: Heavily armed pro-Qaddafi forces still lie between Zawiyah and the capital.

After their initial rapid advances were beaten back by Qaddafi’s heavy armor, the Libyan rebels have largely been unable to break the stalemate, even with the help of NATO air strikes.

But rebel forces are now in their strongest position since the uprising against 41 years of Qaddafi’s rule began in February. They now control the coast both east and west of Tripoli, to the north is the Mediterranean and a NATO naval blockade, while to the south is empty desert.

Rebels from the Western Mountains region south of this Mediterranean coastal town dashed forward into Zawiyah late on Saturday, encountering little sustained resistance from Qaddafi’s forces.

Near Zawiyah’s central produce market early on Sunday, about 50 rebel fighters were milling around and triumphantly shouting “Allahu Akbar!” or “God is greatest.” The red, black and green rebel flag was flying from a shop.

Rebel fighters said there were still forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in the town, including snipers who they said had positioned themselves on tall buildings. Bursts of artillery and machine gun fire could be heard.

One rebel fighter said Qaddafi’s forces were still in control of the oil refinery on the northern edge of Zawiyah — a strategic target because it is the only one still functioning in western Libya and Qaddafi’s forces depend on it for fuel. Rebels said the capital was their next target once Zawiyah was fully under their control.
And now from Baghdad Bob, the official party line:
In Tripoli, government officials denied Zawiyah was under rebel control, saying a small force of anti-Qaddafi fighters had launched a “suicide mission” that was quickly repelled. Zawiyah is “absolutely under our control,” government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters. “A very small group of rebels tried to move into the south of Zawiyah but were stopped easily because of our armed forces,” he said.
Posted by: Steve White 2011-08-15
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=328013