Rebels girded Friday for what they expect to be the last big battle in western Libya, an offensive intended to break the siege by Muammar Gaddafi's forces of Zuwarah town and open the Tripoli-Tunisia road.

"Inshallah (God willing) we will finish it" quickly, said Anwar Elmeshri, one of the commanders in charge of the operation. Since Wednesday, rebels in the region have been mobilising for an assault on Zuwarah, a Berber coastal town about 30 kilometres east of the Tunisian border, which rebels freed at the weekend but which is now completely encircled by Gaddafi loyalists.

The stakes are high: should the siege be broken by the rebels they will be within striking distance of the Ras Jdir border post, which is still held by regime forces and through which Gaddafi could escape.

Reinforcements
For now Zuwarah remains within rocket range of other Gaddafi strongholds - Zelten to the west, Al-Jamil to the south and Al-Ajilat to the southwest - from where regular bombardments are launched. The 40-kilometre road linking Zuwarah and Sabratha, to the east, is also not fully secure.

"The rebels of Zuwarah appealed to Zintan and other regions to send reinforcements," said Colonel Abdu Salem, military coordinator for Zintan, southeast of the besieged town.

The local commander of the rebels at Sabratha, Bilal Mansur, said reinforcements were expected to arrive on Friday for the attack on the pro-Gaddafi troops but numbers were limited because many fighters had gone to Tripoli where they are trying to put down the last pockets of resistance.

“Free, free”
Fighting has already started, with rebels making a quick sortie to Al-Ajilat before withdrawing on Wednesday."We tried (without success) once more to find a peaceful solution," said Mansur.

The same day there were skirmishes on the road from Zuwarah and Al-Jamil. In Sabratha, which fell into opposition hands last week, rebels joyfully chant "free, free" and "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).

More grimly, the hospital at Zawiyah is preparing for an influx of wounded when the battle begins, according to Abdullatef Gadi, a member of the local council set up when the city 60 kilometres east of Zuwarah was 'liberated' on Saturday.

Warm welcome
The people of Zuwarah meanwhile are excitedly awaiting the arrival of rebel reinforcements, a resident said.

"They are happy, happy - when they see us they will warmly welcome us," said Ali Mussa, a rebel from the town who managed to escape to Sabratha along a coastal route.

Zuwarah has changed hands more than once since the rebellion began in mid-February. Among the first towns to rise up against Gaddafi when the revolt began, it is expected to be among the last to be 'liberated'.

Source: AFP