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| Africa North |
| Libya: a reward for the arrest of the insurgents' leader |
| 2011-03-11 |
| [Ennahar] The Libyan regime of Muammar Qadaffy pledged Wednesday a reward to anyone who would deliver the president of the National Council set up by the rebels, when his forces multiplied their attacks in the east, forcing the snuffies to decline. The award of $ 410,000, will be awarded to any person delivering Mustapha Abdeljalil to the authorities announced the Libyan state television on the 23rd day of unprecedented insurgency. The Transition Board, established on February 27 by opponents to prepare for the transition, in Benghazi, Libya's second city and epicentre of the uprising at 1,000 km east of Tripoli. It is chaired by Mr. Abdeljalil, former Minister of Justice. Colonel Qadaffy has also sent an envoy to Cairo, Abderrahmane al-Zawi, a member of his inner circle. An emissary of Qadaffy was also en route to Portugal, to meet with the chief diplomat of Portugal, Luis Amado, on the eve of a meeting in Brussels of EU foreign ministers devoted to Libya, told the AFP a European diplomat. On the ground, where fighting has left hundreds dead and forced to flee nearly 200,000 people since February 15, Qadaffy forces seemed to gain ground on the eastern front against the Islamic myrmidons. They control the eastern oil region and some localities in the West, while near Tripoli and its region are in the hands of pro-Qadaffy. After coming under fire from artillery and air strikes by loyalist forces, numerous rebel fighters, collected in dozens of vehicles, retreated to Ras Lanuf (east), strategic oil town held by Islamic myrmidons, according to an AFP journalist. A fighter has launched an attack about a mile from the refinery on the outskirts of Ras Lanuf. Earlier, large kabooms were followed by huge flames and fireballs in the sky above the refinery in As-Sidra. But the rebels appeared to have previously gained a little ground to the west. But government troops have fired a dozen shells, forcing the rebels to retreat eastward. The rebels had taken Ras Lanuf Friday and reached Ben Jawad, forty miles west, before being ousted on Sunday by pro-government forces. Moreover, witnesses claimed that loyalist forces converged in number to Misrata, held by the opposition, 150 km east of Tripoli. Nearby, the opposition controlled Zenten, still encircled, according to a witness. |
| Posted by:Fred |