Libyan rebels take control of (Zawiya)

[maddezmom]

Source: Press Association

Libyan rebels take control of city
(UKPA) – 16 minutes ago

Anti-government forces backed by rebel army troops are in control of the city closest to the capital Tripoli.

Reports from Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, say forces loyal to long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi are surrounding the city of 200,000. But anti-government rebels and troops allied with them are in control of the city centre.

Police stations and government offices have been torched and anti-Gaddafi graffiti is everywhere. Many buildings in the city are pockmarked by bullet holes.

"Gaddafi Out," chanted hundreds in the city centre, where army tanks controlled by rebels are deployed.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gIiIYRJ7ALvmT5a-V41nNXljr-IQ?docId=N0172691298691056574A

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Al Jazeera reporter says word on the ground is that the Libyan army has moved troops and tanks into the area.

from The Guardian's live blog:


12.05pm: Further confirmation - if needed - that Zawiyah is in rebel hands. This from Reuters.

Armed men opposed to the rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are in control of the city of Zawiyah, about 50 km (30 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, a Reuters reporter in the town said. The red, green and black flag of Libya's anti-Gaddafi rebellion was flying from a building in the centre of the town and a crowd of several hundred people was chanting "This is our revolution," the reporter said.

¬snip¬

11.18am: Peter Beaumont has just phoned in with news that has come straight from Catch-22. In the Audioboo, he told me me Libyan minders were taking him to the town of Zawiyah, presumably to show that it's still under government control. That has not turned out to be the case as Peter has been busy interviewing rebel forces who have taken over the town. He can confirm that Zawiyah, some 30 miles from Tripoli is under rebel control. The people he talked to in the town centre said they are now under "Benghazi government" control. In the background there are people chanting "Down with Gaddafi" and "We want change". So the regime's PR campaign has got off to a shaky start to say the least as the minders have taken foreign journalists to a town in rebel hands. Pity those minders, not exactly what the regime had in mind.

more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/feb/27/arab-and-middle-east-protests-libya

[maddezmom]

1. Libya's Gaddafi clings to Tripoli as protesters reportedly take over Misurata and Zawiyeh

With much of the oil-producing regions in opposition hands, Gaddafi's power base shrinks to the capital's periphery.
Last Modified: 27 Feb 2011 12:13 GMT
As more cities fall into the hands of the pro-democracy protesters, Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, is hanging on to the capital where security forces loyal to him seem to have a firm hold, even amid reports of sporadic gunfire there.

On Sunday, protesters had reportedly taken over the towns of Misurata and Zawiyeh, further shrinking the control of Gaddafi's government.

With much of the oil-producing regions, including the second city of Benghazi, in protesters' hands, the opposition is rapidly gearing up for a showdown in Tripoli.

The UN Security Council imposed a travel and assets ban on Gaddafi's government and, with exceptional unanimity, ordered an investigation into possible crimes against humanity by the Libyan strongman .

more:http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201122792426740496.html

[maddezmom]

2. Reports of former security forces switching sides

Forces opposed to Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi backed by rebel troops have seized control of the key Libyan city of Zawiya, only 50 kilometres from the capital Tripoli, according to reports.

The rebel forces were preparing the streets of Zawiya to repel an expected offensive by forces loyal to Gadhafi that have encircled the western city's outskirts.

Foreign reporters who reached the city of 200,000 residents confirmed Sunday that the rebels are in control of the city centre, where the red, green and black flag of Libya's anti-Gaddafi rebellion flew from the top of a building.

The protesters in Zawiya — who are demanding an end to Gadhafi's 42-year rule — include former security forces, according to CNN and BBC. The rebels have army tanks and anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks deployed in the streets, the Associated Press reported.

more:http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/02/27/libya.html