Libyan fighters “to attack” loyalist desert towns

Rebel commanders in Libya said Sunday they were building up troops in several towns still held by forces loyal to Muammar al-Gaddafi.

Reports from various sources said they were preparing for an offensive on Sirte, Jufra, Sabha and Gaddafi's main stronghold of Bani Walid — 150 kilometers south of the capital, Tripoli.

It is rumoured that Gaddafi family members may still be in the city.

Fighters have moved on Bani Walid from three sides, reported the BBC, adding that Gaddafi loyalists had been warned to either surrender or be attacked.

One commander, Moftah Mohammed, told the BBC that forces were closing in on the city from the north, east and west.

We are now on the border of Bani Walid, between Tarhouna and Bani Walid. We are coordinating with the rebels from Misrata. God willing, we are hoping to enter the town today or tomorrow.

However the head of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, had told a news conference in Benghazi on Saturday that a truce declared until next week remained in force.

Radio France International correspondent Marine Olivesi, in Tripoli, said the NTC have been sending out mixed messages.

Forces from various liberated towns such as Zintan and Misrata all headed to Bani Walid — but stopped about 10 kilometres away hoping they could convince tribal leaders inside Bani Walid to surrender without a fight.

There is strong tribal loyalty towards Bani Walid. Gaddafi said in an audio message on Thursday that he believed that the tribe in Bani Walid would fight to the death for him.

So maybe there's some belief that if they manage to liberate the city in the next few days, it would make the other towns such as Sabha and Sirte fall more easily.

Meanwhile documents discovered in the office of Gaddafi's former spy chief show that the CIA transported dozens of terror suspects to Libya as part of a secret programme of rendition flights.

Human Rights Watch said it discovered documents in Tripoli that appear to link Gaddafi's administration to western intelligence agencies such as the CIA and Britain's MI6.

The papers suggest the CIA abducted several suspected militants from 2002 to 2004 and handed them to Tripoli.