Libyans with no leadership quit Bani Walid front

[jakeXT]

Source: Associated Press via CBS


(AP) WADI DINAR, Libya — Many revolutionary fighters are abandoning one of the main fronts in the battle to rout Moammar Gadhafi's loyalists, saying they're not afraid of dying in the face of heavy resistance but are tired of the disorganization and lack of ammunition among their own ranks.

Bani Walid has proven impenetrable in part because of its daunting natural defenses — the town of 100,000 is strung along mountain ravines where loyalists hold the high ground. But the nearly month-old assault has only underscored the disarray in the forces of Libya's new rulers, which include both a relatively organized military and brigades of untrained volunteers.

The regular forces have already pulled back from the Bani Walid siege to focusing on Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, further east on the Mediterranean coast, and other strongholds further south.

Weeks after Tripoli fell and Gadhafi went into hiding, revolutionary forces have struggled with his loyalists' strongholds in Bani Walid and Sirte. Further south deep in the desert lies another bastion, Sabha, and several desert towns in between remain in the hands of the ousted regime — an obstacle as the country's new ruler, the National Transitional Council, tries to solidify its contro

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/24/ap/middleeast/main20111160.shtml

[harmonicon]

1. If only they had some unifying leader....

someone who everyone could unite behind, control the military and run the government simultaneously, deal with state-run industry... oh, fuck it. Nevermind.

[Baby Bear]

2. The Continental Congress Made a Mess of Things

But they won the damned war.

[bhikkhu]

3. Fairly stupid headline

...as if you read the story the Bani Walid front has not been abandoned at all - only perhaps shifted to the south where the terrain is more favorable.

And why do they call Sabha a "bastion" of Gadhafi forces still, when the NTC walked in days ago and retook it without a fight? Perhaps the writer is isolated near the conflict and hasn't been able to keep up, but that's what editors are for!

[On the Road]

4. Siege Warfare Takes A While

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