Libya:Heavy fighting continues in Libya -NHK
Laaska News August 27,2011
Fighting continues in Tripoli and other areas of Libya following the effective collapse of Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi’s government.
Opposition fighters launched an all-out attack on the Abu Salim neighborhood, Tripoli’s largest stronghold of Qadhafi supporters. After heavy fighting, the insurgents appeared to have overrun the area.
Pro-Qadhafi forces are continuing to wage guerrilla warfare in some areas of the capital.
They have attacked Tripoli’s international airport and are also putting up resistance in Sirte, Qadhafi’s hometown.
Backed by raids from NATO aircraft, opposition fighters are attempting to consolidate their control of the capital while also searching for Qadhafi.
Meanwhile, they have called on other countries to release assets that had been frozen under UN sanctions targeting the Qadhafi government.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Mahmoud Jibril, the head of the National Transitional Council’s cabinet, stressed the need for the interim government to continue paying salaries and maintain essential services, including the army and police force.
Friday marked the first Muslim holiday since the effective collapse of the Qadhafi government, which had ruled Libya for 42 years. A large crowd gathered in Green Square in central Tripoli after prayers. Some blared car horns and others fired shots into the air to celebrate the occasion.
Qadhafi and his supporters had previously used the square to deliver speeches and stage rallies.
One man expressed his joy at being free after living under a dictator for such a long time. He said he had waited for this day and wants to make Green Square a symbol of liberation.
Saturday, August 27, 2011 07:48 +0900 (JST)
NHK.
Laaska News.
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