Qadaffy...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received...
, have been reinforced by some 200 more fighters from Misrata who docked into Tripoli harbour on a boat. They joined up in the final push as a challenge was launched to the Al Qadaffy troops in the fight for the capital and to rid themselves of the regime that seems to be really shaking.
It is not an easy battle as Tripoli is well-defended by "thousands" of troops. However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened...
the start of what the opposition has dubbed "Operation Mermaid" in which they vow will only end when Al Qadaffy surrenders or departs has already brought some successes, and the rebels have so far managed to take up control of three Tripoli neighbourhoods, namely, Fashloum, Zawiyat Dahmani, and Mansoura.
Rebel front man Ahmed Jibril explained that "Operation Mermaid" is a joint effort between the Benghazi-based rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), bully boyz fighting in and around Tripoli and NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
forces. He said: "The operation is also in coordination with NATO."
Another rebels front man, Abdullah Melitan said the covert operation by sea was launched from the rebels' western enclave of Misrata, 200 kilometres from Tripoli, when an advance party reached the capital at the down by sea and joined the Tripoli rebels.
They are now all fighting alongside each other. However,
ars longa, vita brevis...
the assertion by some of the rebels that Tripoli could fall into their heads before the night is out, looks a bit far fetched.
On Sunday the two warring sides appeared to be jockeying for control of roof terraces to use as firing positions, possibly in preparation for a new burst of fighting after dark, and a rebel activist in the city said pro-Al Qadaffy forces had put snipers on the rooftops of buildings around Bab al-Azziziyah, the Libyan leader's compound, and on the top of a nearby water tower.
Meanwhile,
...back at the ranch, Butch and the Kid finally brought their horses under control...
government front man Moussa Ibrahim told journalists that Tripoli is being defended by "thousands" of professional and volunteer soldiers. He also accused the rebels of carrying out "34 executions" and raping women in the western coastal town of Sorman.
One of the bully boyz said they are fighting the Khamis brigade (named after and headed by Al Qadaffy's son Khamis) on the bridge 27. "We are fighting for control of the bridge. We have had some injuries but no deaths," he said, a claim that could not be independently verified.
The rebels' NTC chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil has claimed that victory was within reach, a claim that prompted celebrations in rebel-held towns. "Goodbye Al Qadaffy," the people chanted at Freedom Square in the rebel-capital, Benghazi.
In the meantime, though faced with defeat, another of the Libyan leader's sons, Seif al-Islam remained as defiant as his father. He said: "We have a long breath. We are in our land and in our country.
"We will resist for six months, one year, two years... and we will win," he said on state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
. Rumours had it that his remarks were recorded a day earlier.
Another sign of the regime's frailty came as fighters said former premier Abdulsalam Ahmed Jalloud, a popular figure who fell out of favour with the Libyan strongman in the mid-1990s, had "defected" and joined their ranks.
In Italia, the country's defence minister, Ignazio La Russa confirmed reports that Abdulsalam Ahmed Jalloud, a former close aide of Al Qadaffy before falling out with the leader in the 1990s, and who enjoys popularity among the Libyans, was in Rome and that he was supporting whole-heartedly the rebels.
In a statement on Al Jizz Sunday, Jalloud called on Al Qadaffy's tribe to disown him, saying the "tyrant" Al Qadaffy will go. "The noose has tightened around him."
In another development, the official news agency TAP of neighbouring Tunisia has reported that Tunisia has decided to recognise the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. "The political decision has been taken," a Tunisian government source told AFP.
Tunisian's recognition has been interpreted as a clear message to the Libyan leader that his end was near.
Earlier in the day, a Maltese ship, MV Triva 1, heading for Tripoli to pick up refugees came under fire and could not dock in the port, Polish foreign ministry officials were quoted saying by Polish state news agency PAP on Sunday. "The ship is waiting for a better moment to enter the port because during it was swept by gunfire and it returned to its anchorage ," Paulina Kapuscinska, a spokeswoman from the ministry, told PAP.
When it comes to NATO, it said in a statement, that the situation in Libya is changing quickly and it is becoming more difficult to identify and engage targets for air strikes as the uprising against Muammar Al Qadaffy gains momentum.
NATO front man Col. Roland Lavoie said that because the situation on the ground had become so fluid in recent days it was difficult to track all developments. He added that, "there is no longer a traditional front line as we had in other phases of the conflict."