The fighters Saturday were enthusiastic hundreds of rebel fighters have snuck to Zintan from areas still under Gadhafi's control
The fighters Saturday were enthusiastic — most of them civilians who have taken up arms. On the central fronts, such fighters in the past have often proven undisciplined, charging ahead but then fleeing in the face of heavy resistance.In recent weeks, hundreds of rebel fighters have snuck to Zintan from areas still under Gadhafi's control, entering the mountain area via a detour through Tunisia. They have been grouped into units according to their home towns, both as a safeguard against possible pro-Gadhafi infiltrators and in order to let them spearhead the battle for their respective home towns since they know those areas. Commanders said they did not plan on moving on Zawiya on Saturday. Next to him in the back of a pick-up truck were two other Zintan residents carrying an anti-tank rocket and automatic rifles. For example, about 500 men from Zawiya have been staying at a local school in Zintan. Hundreds of other fighters from Tripoli and Sabratha have units in Zintan. The Nafusa rebels have several tanks, believed to have been captured from army bases in the area troops were trading tank fire with regime forces on a separate highway, heading for Sabratha, and had some of the Gadhafi troops surrounded. Ibrahim, the rebel spokesman, said troops eventually also moved forward a few miles along that highway Earlier this week, the rebels said they hope to reach the Libyan capital before the end of the Muslim fasting holy month of Ramadan, which began on Monday"We broke through the barrier of fear," proclaimed Fakhredine al-Badrani, a 22-year-old computer student from Zintan. "Today, God willing, we will see a big victory. God willing, this evening we will enter Zawiya." For Saturday's launch, rebel fighters streamed out in trucks from their strongholds in the Nafusa Mountains, including the command center at Zintan, where preparations had been going on for days. Staff at the local hospital were told to be on alert, and that all leaves were canceled.
