Rebels Reach Qaddafi's Turf

The New York Times reports:

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.

As Western warplanes again bombed sites around Tripoli and other Qaddafi strongholds, NATO agreed at a meeting in Brussels to take over the mission. The decision effectively relieved the United States of leading the fight, and ended a week of squabbling.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the change, pushed by the United States, would allow the military to begin reducing its presence.

Click here to read more.