Libyan forces battling fighters loyal to Muammar Qadhafi, hoping to wipe out the final remnants of resistance, on Friday launched a massive attack on the former strongman's strongholds.
The heavy assaults on Bani Walid and Mr. Qadhafi's hometown of Sirte coincided with the visits to Libya on Thursday by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron. On Friday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey — a country which claims it has the right model of democracy for Muslim majority countries in the region — also stepped on Libyan soil. As Mr. Qadhafi's forces receded into their strongholds, the stage seemed set in Tripoli for foreign supporters of the anti-Qadhafi camp to cash in.
On Thursday, the British Foreign Office lifted the travel ban advisory on Tripoli and a number of Libyan towns. The new advisory has been issued which permits essential travel to the Libyan capital. It will allow businessmen seeking new contracts to visit the North African country, as it commences reconstruction after seven months of war.
The French President rejected the assertion that his country's key support for the air campaign against the Libyan regime was motivated by an anticipation of lucrative economic benefits once Mr. Qadhafi was removed. But Mustapha Abdel Jalil, chairman of the anti-Qadhafi Transitional National Council (TNC) said his group's core allies could expect favoured treatment for their help to bring down the Qadhafi regime.
On his part, Mr. Erdogan's visit wraps up his journey to North Africa, which had earlier taken him to Tunisia and Egypt, the other two countries which had succeeded in toppling their authoritarian rulers.
Despite its initial reluctance to support the anti-Qadhafi camp, Libya's emerging new leaders have praised Turkey. At a recent international summit in Istanbul on Libya, Aref al-Nayed, a leading TNC figure said: “We expect the world community to follow the wonderful support of Turkey, its leading role and effort. Turkey has done an amazing job.”
During the heat of the conflict, a Turkish ship had evacuated civilians from Misurata. Ankara had also given $300 million of cash, aid and loans. Before the conflict began, Turkey had invested around $15 billion in Libya.
Turkish companies are now hoping to recover their payments once Libya's frozen assets are unlocked. Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz is hoping that the state-owned oil exploration company TPAO would resume work in Libya once fighting ends.
In Bani Walid, 180 km south of Tripoli, anti-Qadhafi forces have captured the valley leading into the town. Addularahman Busin, a military spokesman for the TNC had earlier said there “was a coordinated push from the south, east and west and from along the coast”.
The airport of Sirte on the outskirts of Mr. Qadhafi's hometown has also fallen on account of Friday's assault. But conveying a different picture, pro-Qadhafi forces are claiming that they have destroyed a NATO warship and several vehicles during the course of combat.
