Qaddafi Backers Cling to Town Amid Fear of Execution, Rebels Say
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A core group of soldiers and officials loyal to Muammar Qaddafi refuse to surrender Bani Walid because they fear execution for their part in his government’s crimes, said the rebel fighters besieging the town.
Opposition units based in Misrata said they cut the main highways out of Bani Walid, 145 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of the capital, Tripoli, as talks broke down yesterday between the National Transitional Council and elders from the town’s Warfalla tribe, Libya’s largest. The tribesmen want a peaceful handover to the rebels, yet say they’re being held hostage by the Qaddafi supporters, according to the fighters.