Libyan rebels, with the help of NATO, have deployed forces in the suburbs of Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's hometown, and are preparing for the final major battle to take full control of the country.
After four days of fighting, the rebels captured the town of Bin Jawad, about 100 kilometers to the east, and are moving towards Sirte from the east and west.
It is speculated that Gaddafi is hiding in Sirte, among his tribal supporters
AFP reports that Sirte and nearby towns are Gaddafi's last strongholds, after rebels routed his forces in Tripoli and captured the Bab al-Azizi base last week.
Although it is not yet known where Gaddafi is, it is speculated that he is hiding in Sirte, 360 kilometers east of the capital, among his tribal supporters. The commander of the rebel forces in Misrata, Mohamed al-Fortia, said that negotiations are underway with the tribes for the peaceful surrender of the city.
Clashes are also ongoing in the west of the country, where the rebels were ambushed in a place southwest of the coastal work of Zuwarah. Early this morning, explosions were heard in Tripoli as a NATO plane flew over the city.
According to the rebels, the fighting in the capital is mostly over, but a few isolated groups of Gaddafi fighters appear sporadically, mostly at night. Meanwhile, the rebels are trying to restore normal supply of basic needs in the capital.
Officials of the rebel Transitional Council said that in the central part of Tripoli, 70 percent of homes are without running water, due to damage to the water supply network, and that the population can be supplied with water from mosques.
Jalil: Gaddafi is still a threat
The president of Libya's Transitional National Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, said Muammar Gaddafi still posed a "danger" and called on the international coalition, which operates under the command of NATO, to continue supporting the rebels.
"Gaddafi's opposition to the forces of the coalition is still a danger, not only for the Libyan people but also for the whole world. That is why we call on the coalition to continue its support," Abdel Jalil said in Doha at a meeting of the chiefs of general staff of the countries militarily engaged in Libya.
On March 19, the international coalition intervened in Libya in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution, which approves the intervention to protect civilians from the repression of the Gaddafi regime during the suppression of the anti-government rebellion. The popular uprising against Gaddafi began in mid-February.
On March 31, NATO took command of the international coalition's operations in Libya. Another representative of the Libyan rebels, Jalal al-Deghili, who introduced himself as the Libyan Minister of Defense, said that the rebels still need an international coalition to restore security in the country and eliminate the remnants of Gaddafi's regime.
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