Rebels issue ultimatum in Libya
The commander of the rebel forces advancing against Bani Walid said that thousands of fighters will invade the city this Sunday.
Forces fighting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime in Libya issued an ultimatum on Saturday to residents of the city of Bani Walid: surrender by Sunday or face a large-scale attack. The ultimatum came hours after the president of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdul Jalil, extended by another week the deadline for Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, to also surrender to the rebels.
Abdel Razak al-Nathori, commander of the rebel forces advancing on Bani Walid, said that thousands of fighters surround the city, located 140 km southeast of Tripoli, the capital. Forces opposed to Gaddafi halted their own advance 10 km from Bani Walid to avoid being accidentally hit by aircraft from their NATO allies (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the US-led military alliance).
"If they don't raise the rebel flag by tomorrow, we will enter with force," said Al-Nathori. He added that one of Gaddafi's sons, Muatassim, was in Bani Walid this Saturday. There is no independent confirmation of this information; the rebels have announced several times the death or arrest of Gaddafi's sons, and on all these occasions the reports have been denied.
Another rebel official, Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, said he met with leaders of the Warfala tribe, which numbers 1 million people (about one-sixth of Libya's entire population). The tribe, which traditionally controls the Bani Walid region, is one of those that have vowed to continue defending Gaddafi against the tribes in the Benghazi region of eastern Libya, who make up the bulk of the rebel movement. According to Abdel-Aziz, the Warfala leaders said they would not surrender to the rebels.