For Issam Legun, the fact that he and his fellow rebels were standing inside this town near Tripoli on Sunday felt like a turning point in the six month conflict with Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
“I hope we can go and attack Tripoli in a few days,” said Legun, a taxi driver turned anti-Gaddafi fighter who was wearing a T-shirt with the word “Raw” written across it. “Now that we have Zawiyah, we can free Libya,” he said.
Rebels from the Western Mountains region, about 100 km south of here, poured into Zawiyah on Saturday and by early on Sunday controlled most of the town, though pro-Gaddafi forcers were still holding out in northern districts.
