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(HERALD) Gaddafi loyalist troops retake Bani Walid

Gaddafi loyalist troops retake Bani Walid
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 00:00

BANI WALID - The Libyan town of Bani Walid, which was also one of the last pro-Gaddafi strongholds to fall under the NATO-led invasion last year, was on Monday retaken by fighters loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Col Gaddafi was captured and killed by NATO-led insurgents on October 23.
The seizure of Bani Walid followed fierce fighting between pro-Gaddafi fighters and troops from the ruling authorities. The development was confirmed yesterday by an NTC official and commander.

"They control the town now. They are roaming the town," one militia member was quoted as saying of the pro-Gaddafi fighters, according to Reuters.
The fighters also shouted the former government slogan: "Allah, Muammar, Libya, that's it!"
Mubarak al-Fatamni, head of Bani Walid local council, told reporters that hundreds of well-equipped and highly-trained remnants of Gaddafi forces raised the green flag over buildings in the western city late Monday after hours of clashes, a move seen as a major blow to the interim government struggling to unify the oil-rich North African nation.

The National Transitional Council-led government initially denied the seizure of Bani Walid.

Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali dismissed the claims, saying the firefight was caused by "internal problems" in the town.

He told Libyan television that the fighting was linked to "the issue of compensation for those affected by last year's war," although he confirmed that there some deaths.

Defence minister Osama Jweli refused to order army units to enter Bani Walid until he had established whether the fighting was indeed a pro-Gaddafi uprising or a battle between rival clans.

"There is conflict at Bani Walid," Jweli told the Guardian. "For the moment we are waiting to assess the situation."

However, a former NTC member M'barek al-Fotmani confirmed the retaking of the town:

"The loyalists of Gaddafi took control of the entire city of Bani Walid," he told AFP.

"There are around 100 and 150 men armed with heavy weapons who are attacking. We have asked for the army to intervene, but the defence ministry and NTC have let us down," he said.

These latest developments show the fragmentations in the new Libya, where an uprising against Col Gaddafi was spearheaded by the NTC in Benghazi.

Bani Walid also demonstrates "the NTC's weakness, incapacity and internal divisions".

NTC has imposed states of emergencies in various parts of the country due to the increasing insecurity.

There is growing discontent with the NTC and its chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil warned of a possible "civil war" following attacks on the NTC office at the weekend where home-made grenades were thrown at the office, before it was set alight.

The protesters denounced the Jalil-led government for lack of transparency and of marginalising rebels who fought against Col Gaddafi.

Last Sunday, also saw the NTC's deputy chair, Abdul Hafez Ghoga, resigning after demonstrations by university students.

A source confirmed to Xinhua that four soldiers from the NTC troops died during the fighting while 20 were wounded.

- The Herald/AFP/Reuters/Xinhua/Al Jazeera/AP.

Labels: LIBYA, MUAMMAR AL-GADDAFI, NATO

posted by MrK @ 3:13 PM