As Libyan Rebels Intensify Hunt for Gaddafi, He Warns of Occupation

Tripoli, Sep 2. – Backed by NATO, Libyan insurgents on Friday intensified their hunt for Muammar Gaddafi, who urged followers to keep up the fight against foreign aggression and warned that Western powers intended to occupy the country.

Insurgent militias led by the National Transition Council (NTC) concentrated their forces in the city of Bani Walid, where it was rumored that Gaddafi and two of his sons had taken refuge.

With the help of NATO experts, the rebels sped up their mobilization after Gaddafi issued a taped message to his followers, made public on Thursday by the Syrian satellite channel Al Rai.

Rebel forces continued their military pressure around Sirte, Gaddafi's birthplace, as they approached Bani Walid, which lies 150 km southeast of Tripoli and is a stronghold of the Warfalla tribe, the largest and most numerous in Libya.

According to many Arab analysts, rebel occupation of Sirte and Bani Walid would come at a high cost, which is why they decided to extend by another week their ultimatum for Sirte tribal chiefs to surrender.

According to some sources, Gaddafi was moving south, toward the sub-Saharan countries, leading rebels to re-distribute their forces.

Gaddafi, whose whereabouts were unknown, issued a message on Thursday affirming that NATO countries want Libya's oil and natural resources, and that they intended to occupy the country.(Prensa Latina)