Libyan Rebels March Toward Qaddafi Stronghold

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and KAREEM FAHIM
NYT

TRIPOLI, Libya — American and European bombs battered Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s most important bastion of support in his tribal homeland of Surt on Sunday night, as rebels seeking his ouster capitalized on the damage from the Western airstrikes to erase their recent losses and return to the city’s doorstep.

Their swift return, recapturing two important oil refineries and a strategic port within 20 hours, set the stage for a battle in Surt that could help decide the war.

There were unconfirmed reports early Monday that rebel forces had routed pro-Qaddafi defenders in Surt, but there was no corroboration. Even so, rebels in Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising, drove through the streets, blaring horns and firing weapons into the air to celebrate.

The ease of the rebel march west along the coast underscored the essential role of Western airstrikes, now focused mainly on Colonel Qaddafi’s ground troops, in reversing the rebels’ fortunes. But it also framed anew the question of how the poorly equipped and disorganized rebel forces might fare against Colonel Qaddafi’s garrison in Surt, where air cover may be less useful.

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