Washington Post
September 15, 2011
WADI AL-HAMMAR, Libya — The revolution’s quest to unite Libya under its control has a formidable challenge standing in the way: A swath of territory where disciplined loyalists fighters stage precision attacks and withering shelling barrages to defend land that includes Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown.
It’s far too early to predict whether the pro-Gadhafi heartland — wedged between the former rebel hub of Benghazi and the capital Tripoli — could turn into a seat of resistance such as insurgent zones in Iraq or Afghanistan. But, for the moment, it carries the same interplay of firepower and zealotry, fueling attacks that have killed at least 80 anti-Gadhafi forces in recent days.
“Its cities are packed with weapons, missiles and ammunition depots,” said Fadl-Allah Haroun, a commander of revolutionary units near Benghazi. “It is an unbelievable force.”
Currently, former rebel fighters are assembling for an expected push into the well-defended loyalist stronghold of Bani Walid, on the western end of the 240-mile (400-kilometer) band of pro-Gadhafi territory. It includes the hunted leader’s Mediterranean birthplace Sirte and stretches to near the oil port of Ras Lanouf — which came under back-to-back attacks by loyalist forces on Monday that killed 15 guards.
The stiff resistance in Bani Walid, including by highly trained snipers, offers a glimpse of possibly much bigger fights ahead to try to dislodge Sirte and other places from loyalist hands.
Cities and towns throughout the Gadhafi belt are apparently awash with arms — with larger weapons such as 152mm Howitzer canons now well hidden against NATO airstrikes that continue in the area, revolutionary commanders told The Associated Press. The pro-Gadhafi commandos also stage hit-and-run strikes from the desert to the south, suggesting that Libya’s vast hinterlands and distant loyalist hubs such as Sabha could become rallying points for resistance fighters.
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