Libya rebels gear for fresh advance towards Tripoli

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MISRATA (Libya), May 12 (AFP): Libyan rebels, bouyed by their capture of Misrata airport, geared Thursday for an assault on the town of Zlitan that would take them another step closer to the capital Tripoli. The airport at Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, fell to the rebels Wednesday after long and intense fighting with troops loyal to Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi, an AFP correspondent said. Misrata had been under siege for almost two months after Kadhafi ordered his forces to crush an uprising against his autocratic rule which began in Benghazi in Libya's east on February 15 and quickly spread to other centres. By Wednesday afternoon, insurgent fighters were in full control of the city, sparking celebrations which continued through the night. Tanks left behind by Kadhafi's troops were set ablaze. Salah Badi, who commanded the assault on the airport, said rebel positions were now only 10 kilometres (six miles) from Zlitan, the next main centre on the 215 km-long coastal road from Misrata to Tripoli. After resting, the rebel fighters would attempt to continue their advance on Zlitan, Badi said. The airport's capture is significant, as the rebel-held city had been nearly cut off from the outside world. Its port, which has been repeatedly shelled, has been the only route in or out. Human rights groups have warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe in the city of 500,000 people, which faces acute shortages of food and medical supplies. The AFP correspondent said the airport had been "completely destroyed" and that fires were burning around it. Another report from London adds: The head of Libya's rebel council held his first talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday, with the two leaders discussing the possibility of opening an office in London. Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chief of the Transitional National Council, is seeking more aid for the rebels' fight against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, who a day earlier was shown on television for the first time in nearly two weeks. Jalil will also meet Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague and finance minister George Osborne to study measures agreed at last week's meeting in Rome of key nations involved in efforts to support the rebels. Cameron and Jalil shook hands outside the British premier's Downing Street office before heading inside.