THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Armed rebels opposed to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were in control of Zawiyah, close to the capital Tripoli, on Sunday and their red, green and black flag flew above the town."The people want the fall of the regime," a crowd of several hundred people in Zawiyah chanted, using the same slogan that has echoed across the Arab world in protests against long-standing authoritarian rulers.
"This is our revolution," they also chanted, punching the air in celebration and defiance. Some stood on top of a captured tank, while others crowded around an anti-aircraft gun. Women stood on top of buildings cheering on the men below.
"Libya is the land of the free and honourable," a banner read. Another depicted Gaddafi's head with the body of a dog.
Bullet holes pockmarked charred buildings in Zawiyah, where the fighting had been most intense, while burnt-out vehicles lay abandoned in the streets.
The scene in Zawiyah, only 30 miles west of Tripoli, was another indication that Gaddafi's grip on power appeared to be weakening by the day. >>> Telegraph reporter | Sunday, February 27, 2011
