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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/24/3147195.htm



Time running out for cornered Gaddafi

By Middle East correspondent Anne Barker, wires

Updated 2 hours 16 minutes ago




Time appears to be quickly running out for Libya's under-fire leader Moamar Gaddafi, as opposition forces extend their control to more cities and towns throughout the country.

Mr Gaddafi, who in an inflammatory speech yesterday promised to execute his enemies and fight to the "last drop" of his blood, is reportedly holed up in an army barracks in the capital, Tripoli.

Mr Gaddafi's promise to purge Libya "house by house" and "inch by inch" has only fuelled the rage of his opponents, and there are growing signs his four-decade rule is in its last throes.

In the north-west city of Misurata, protesters took to the streets to destroy every last reminder of his hated regime.

On top of one building they tore down a monument of Mr Gaddafi's so-called Green Book - the political doctrine he carries with him everywhere.

Footage of it toppling from the roof was posted on YouTube, as were pictures from Az-Zawiyah, further west, where a giant poster of Mr Gaddafi was set on fire.

The videos were posted with the words "Free Libya" - the name anti-government groups are now giving to a growing number of cities and towns now under their control.

In Benghazi, in Libya's east, there are reports government troops have openly defied the regime and joined the protesters in raising the old pre-Gaddafi Libyan flag.

Mr Gaddafi was reported to have sent a plane to bomb protesters in Benghazi, but the crew bailed out of the aircraft after taking off from Tripoli rather than carry out their mission.

Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying the Russian-made Sukhoi-22 jet then crashed south-west of Benghazi.

In Tobruk, demonstrators claim the bulk of Libya's population is now against Mr Gaddafi.

"Eight million people now, eight million people," one protester said.

"We don't want you any more, actually this is the time, and the Libyan people are telling me, telling you, there's no retreat."

'Tipping point'

It is unclear how much of Libya Mr Gaddafi's forces still control, but many accounts suggest opposition groups have extended their hold to the country's west, perhaps leaving the capital as the embattled leader's only real stronghold.

Libyan political commentator Guma El Gamaty says if and when Tripoli falls, Mr Gaddafi's days will be over.

"I think we've already passed the tipping point," he said.

"Practically in reality, Gaddafi has no control of the country, 95 per cent of the country is out of his control.

"All he controls now is just some back pockets of Tripoli and the big barrack where he is located now at Bab-El-Azizia."

General Soliman Mahmoud al-Obeidy said from Tobruk the Libyan leader was no longer trustworthy. "I am sure he will fall in the coming days," he said.

Mr Gaddafi, once respected by many Libyans despite his repressive rule, called for a mass show of support on Wednesday, but only around 150 people gathered in Tripoli's central Green Square, carrying the Libyan flag and Mr Gaddafi's portrait.

Maximum carnage

The official Libyan death toll is around 300 since the violence broke out last week, but in Italy there are reports at least 1,000 people have been killed.

Even if Mr Gaddafi's days are numbered, there are fears in and outside Libya that he will inflict maximum carnage as his final bloody revenge.

As the unrest spreads, a growing flood of foreign nationals are pouring out of Libya any way they can, with thousands crossing the borders to Egypt and Tunisia.

European nations are sending charter flights to evacuate their citizens and there are now fears of a mass exodus of Libyans escaping to Mediterranean countries like Italy.

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini says the entire European Union needs to be ready for mass emigration.

"Even if just 10 or 15 per cent of these 2 million people think of heading north, we're talking about 250,000 to 350,000 people," he said.

"It's a possibility which Italy cannot tackle alone. The whole European Union needs to prepare for this."

- ABC/Reuters
 

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