Gadhafi to Loyalists: 'Drive Away the Infidels'

Despite rebel claims to have Moammar Gadhafi surrounded, the leader has called on loyalists to “march in the millions to Tripoli to drive away infidels, crusaders, rats, and traitors.” The message, aired on two pro-Gadhafi TV stations, noted that “the rebels are few and you are plenty. Fight them from street to street, and from alley to alley." Gadhafi added that NATO airstrikes were “just sound bombs.” But “Gadhafi's calls for tribes to fight will be met with deaf ears,” said a rebel officer.

He held that “the fights are in their last stages,” though clashes were heightened today, the Wall Street Journal notes. Meanwhile, a top Gadhafi ally said the leader was in Libya and could keep up the fight for “weeks, months, and years.” As fighting continues, loyalists have been bombing Tripoli’s international airport, and some reporters say the key border with Tunisia is still under Gadhafi’s control. But rebels seem to have a stronger grip on Tripoli, the Los Angeles Times reports, and some shops and police stations have begun to reopen. A rebel official cited minor robberies, while many said supplies, including food and medicine, were low. (More Libya stories.)