Qaddafi's Grip Weakens With Loss of Territory and Insiders |
| San Francisco Chronicle - Feb 25, 2011 |
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's world was shrinking yesterday as a close adviser abandoned him, opponents consolidated their control of the country's oil-rich east, and Switzerland froze some of his assets.
The leader responded by reinforcing his defenses in and around the capital, Tripoli, with tanks and mercenaries. "It's a massacre in there," Egyptian Mohamed Yehia said, describing recent violence after fleeing his home in the eastern coastal city of al-Bayda. Forces still loyal to the Libyan dictator moved against cities near Tripoli, and more than 100 people were killed in Az-Zawiyah, a town west of the capital, Al Jazeera reported.
Qaddafi, speaking by telephone on state television yesterday, blamed the uprising against his 41-year rule on "drugged kids" and al-Qaeda. The evidence that he was losing ground included the defection to Egypt of a confidante, his cousin Ahmed Qaddaf al-Dam, which follows resignations in recent days by government ministers and diplomats. Army units, particularly in the eastern part of the country, have defected to the opposition, which may presage a civil war, a prospect raised by Qaddafi when last seen on state television Feb. 22.
Read Full Article from San Francisco Chronicle
- Posted: 2011-02-24 23:41:21
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