@RRowleyTucsonRobert Rowley
Free Libyan forces have taken key parts of the southern desert town of Sabha, a bastion of support for Muammar Gaddafi and other senior regime fugitives, the new rebel government in Tripoli announced on Monday.
Confirmation of the capture of Sabha's citadel and airport marks a significant military advance, though the fate of the rest of the town was unclear. But there was no sign of an end to heavy fighting in Bani Walid, 100 miles south of Tripoli, where Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the deposed leader's son, was said to have been spotted.
Saif al-Islam, wanted along with his father for crimes against humanity, has been rumoured to be in the area before, but this was the first sighting to be claimed by officials of the National Transitional Council, now recognised internationally as Libya's government.
Fighting continued around Bani Walid on Monday amid signs that the rebels remain disorganised and disoriented in the face of a determined enemy that dominates the high ground. The situation is complicated by the fact that the town is home to Libya's largest tribe, the Warfalla, who were hitherto loyal to Gaddafi.
NTC officials have made confident predictions about the eventual outcome of the fighting, promising victory within a few days, but there are worries about civilian casualties.
"Our fighters are at the gates of Bani Walid," said the NTC's military spokesman, Ahmed Bani, who warned that the "forces of the dictator" were trying to destroy the town before it was captured. "Everyone who has been implicated in crimes in Bani Walid will be punished according to the law," he said.
Rebels in Misrata believe a senior Gaddafi figure – possibly another son, Mutasim – is hiding in the coastal city of Sirte, which is also holding out after five days of heavy fighting in which 44 rebels have died.
Many believe that the ferocity of the resistance in both strongholds can be explained only by the presence of a member of the former ruling family. Gaddafi was born in Sirte, home to his Gaddadfa tribe. But reports that communications intercepts had revealed the presence of a key regime figure could not be confirmed.
Suleiman Mahmoud, the NTC military chief, toured the Sirte front, where it was confirmed that one of his most charismatic brigade commanders, Ibrahim Halbus, had been paralysed by a bullet on Sunday. Mahmoud told the Guardian he hopes to negotiate the surrender of loyalist forces. With Tripoli under NTC control, Gaddafi's cause was hopeless. "We succeed," he said. "We will win this fight for freedom."
Speaking in Tripoli, Bani played down the significance of capturing Gaddafi, insisting: "We are not concerned with him. We are busy liberating the whole of Libya. That is our first priority. If we knew where he was we would have finished with this problem earlier. We consider him as part of the past. And the best proof of that is that we are here in Tripoli."
Libyans believe Gaddafi may be hiding in the desert south of Sabha, protected by Tuareg tribesmen and specially recruited loyalists who have been trained to defend him with their lives. Many say it is vital that he be killed, or caught and brought to justice, not least so that the vast sums of money he is believed to have stolen can be reclaimed by the new government.
The volatile security situation remains a preoccupation amid fears that continued fighting will embolden Gaddafi supporters and set back ambitious plans for change. The so-called "countdown" to a new Libya can begin only when the NTC is able to declare the liberation of the entire country, which cannot happen as long as Sirte and Bani Walid hold out.
In another important step towards wider international recognition, Libya's interim prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, will be at the UN general assembly in New York this week. But he leaves behind the unfinished business of forming a larger interim cabinet to address concerns about the under-representation of Tripoli and pressure from Islamists for a bigger role in government.
