Sunday, August 21, 2011

'Operation Mermaid Dawn'

At Telegraph UK, "Libya: how 'Operation Mermaid Dawn', the move to take Tripoli, unfolded."

At at Wall Street Journal, "Libyan Rebels Reach Tripoli":
Libyan rebels poured into Tripoli on Sunday after seizing a nearby military base, as fears of a bloody fight gave way to scenes of jubilant rebels surging toward the city's center and meeting little resistance from Col. Moammar Gadhafi's defenses.

Meanwhile, Sidiq al-Kibir, the rebel leadership council's representative for the capital, said Col. Gadhafi's son and onetime heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, has been arrested, according to multiple wire reports.

As rebels pushed into the capital's western edge, they were greeted by exultant residents waving rebel flags, as Col. Gadhafi's grip on the capital appeared to be slipping.

In an audio recording aired on state television late Sunday night, Col. Gadhafi, who has ruled the oil-rich country for 42 years, claimed he was still in Tripoli and urged Libyans to defend their homeland against the rebels. "I am with you here, I am in Tripoli," he said. It wasn't immediately clear whether the tape was live or prerecorded.

On Sunday, rebel officials said a number of security personnel had defected, including commanders from the external security service, which gave rebels access to antiaircraft missiles.

The officials said rebels were negotiating with the bodyguards of another top general in Tripoli for him to be handed over to the rebels.
And now a long thread at Memeorandum.

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