Libyas NTC claims vital Sabha victory

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Libyas NTC claims vital Sabha victory

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Libya's NTC declared victory in key southern city of Sabha and conquered the oasis town of Waddan.

22 September,2011 03:22 am

Officials of the interim ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) said there were only small pockets of resistance in Sabha, Libyas largest desert city and home to a strategically vital military base.The United States prepared to raise the Stars and Stripes Thursday over its Tripoli embassy, after President Barack Obama met Libyas new leader in New York and pledged support for Libya as it consolidates freedom.And NATO, whose air strikes have been been instrumental in beating back Gaddafi forces, said it was extending its air campaign for another 90 days.We are in complete control of the city of Sabha. Everybody, including (those who were) pro-Gaddafi, are now with the revolution, said Abdelmajid Seif Ennasr, who represents the NTC in Sabha.He admitted, however, that NTC fighters were still encountering some resistance from some individuals here and there.Sabha is totally under the control of the revolutionaries, said Mohammed Wardugu, the Benghazi spokesman of the Desert Shield Brigade fighting in the region.The battle for Sabha, a city of 100,000 people in an area dominated by Gaddafis clan, first broke out on June 12 after two days of anti-regime protests in the sprawling oasis.Meanwhile, NTC commander Ahmed Zlitni said that fighters were planning for a three-pronged attack on Gaddafis hometown, Sirte.We are working on a strategy to go for a big push from three sides, the east, the west and the south. This is a war, the push could happen in a few days or anytime soon, Zlitni said.We are still giving time for Sirte civilians to leave the city. There is resistance to our forces from Gaddafis forces from inside the city.NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said meanwhile coalition warplanes would stay in the air as long as Libyan civilians are under threat.We are determined to continue our mission for as long as necessary, but ready to terminate the operation as soon as possible, Rasmussen said.At Bani Walid, a Gaddafi bastion southwest of Sirte, doctors said two people were killed and another four wounded.Previously NTC official Abdullah Kenshil reported the death of an NTC fighter in Bani Walid and said new regime forces were preparing for a decisive tank-backed battle for the town in the next 48 hour.Anti-Gaddafi authorities have admitted they lost three men at Sirte on Tuesday, taking the overall death toll since they moved on the city on September 15 to at least 45 NTC fighters.Meanwhile, 16 patients, most in critical condition, were evacuated on a Qatari military plane to Malta as doctors said the regions hospitals were overwhelmed.NTC forces suspect Gaddafi enjoys a broad base of support in Sirte.The majority of residents are with Gaddafi, said Zuber al-Gadir, spokesman of the Misrata military council, adding their persistent loyalty to the ousted leader was a legacy of his now defunct propaganda machine.