THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: LIBYAN rebels fighting to unseat the dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, were expected to renew efforts to capture his heavily fortified home city of Sirte as their seesaw battle with troops loyal to the regime intensified.
Given its status as one of Colonel Gaddafi's two remaining strongholds, the rebels believe that if they can overcome Sirte, the wider battle for control of the country will be virtually won.
Driven back east along the highway that hugs the Gulf of Sidra to the oil port of Ras Lanuf, the rebels were tested by a probing counter-attack on Sunday that fell short of revealing how far Gaddafi's better armed forces will go to halt their advances.
Gaddafi's strategy appears to be one of first concentrating on snuffing out the rebellion in Misrata and Zawiyah, the two cities that flank the east and west of the capital, Tripoli, while keeping at bay rebel efforts to take Sirte.
After the heaviest day of fighting since the start of the three-week uprising - which pushed the estimated death toll above 2000 - the United Nations appointed a new special envoy and announced it would send a humanitarian team to assess the situation in Tripoli, where Gaddafi's security services have maintained tight control of the city's restless population. (+ video) >>> Jason Koutsoukis, Benghazi | Tuesday, March 08, 2011
