For months now, military leaders in the rebel capital, Benghazi, have boldly predicted lightning advances by their fighters and an imminent rout of the forces loyal to Gaddafi.
Muammar el-Qaddafi in Tripoli that would finally snuff out his brutal four- decade rule. The rebels have made some advances in the west in recent days, taking a small village in the Nafusah Mountains and pushing westward some distance from Misurata toward Tripoli. But a senior rebel military officer here in the mountains who said he defected last month from the Libyan Army called the prospects of a collapse by Colonel Qaddafi's forces highly unlikely.
The officer, Col. Mohammed Ali Ethish, who now commands opposition fighters here, said that even if the rebels were able to reach Tripoli, shortages of fuel, personnel and weapons made it unlikely that they would try to invade or march on the heavily fortified city.
A more realistic possibility, he said, is for rebels and others within the city to rise up against Colonel Qaddafi. "I hope that when we do reach the borders of Tripoli, the revolutionaries there free it," Colonel Ethish said. "If we don't go in with an organized army, there's going to be a huge mess."
In the meantime, he said, the mountain fighters were focused on the more modest goal of winning cities in the region, either by persuading Colonel Qaddafi's soldiers to defect or by driving them out in battle. His candid comments raised the possibility of a protracted endgame in the Libyan conflict.
They also provided little comfort to NATO countries that face increasing pressure to end the bombing campaign and seem desperate to find a quick exit, either by arming the rebels or by killing Colonel Qaddafi with airstrikes.
Muammar el-Qaddafi in Tripoli that would finally snuff out his brutal four- decade rule. The rebels have made some advances in the west in recent days, taking a small village in the Nafusah Mountains and pushing westward some distance from Misurata toward Tripoli. But a senior rebel military officer here in the mountains who said he defected last month from the Libyan Army called the prospects of a collapse by Colonel Qaddafi's forces highly unlikely.
The officer, Col. Mohammed Ali Ethish, who now commands opposition fighters here, said that even if the rebels were able to reach Tripoli, shortages of fuel, personnel and weapons made it unlikely that they would try to invade or march on the heavily fortified city.
A more realistic possibility, he said, is for rebels and others within the city to rise up against Colonel Qaddafi. "I hope that when we do reach the borders of Tripoli, the revolutionaries there free it," Colonel Ethish said. "If we don't go in with an organized army, there's going to be a huge mess."
In the meantime, he said, the mountain fighters were focused on the more modest goal of winning cities in the region, either by persuading Colonel Qaddafi's soldiers to defect or by driving them out in battle. His candid comments raised the possibility of a protracted endgame in the Libyan conflict.
They also provided little comfort to NATO countries that face increasing pressure to end the bombing campaign and seem desperate to find a quick exit, either by arming the rebels or by killing Colonel Qaddafi with airstrikes.
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