Muammar Qaddafi’s increasingly beleagured security forces were hit with three demoralizing developments on Monday and Tuesday. First, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations voted to authorize President Obama to pursue the Libya war for one year. Although members of the committee were critical of the president for not coming to them in the first place, the vote takes the edge off the House of Representatives’ rebuke of the president regarding the war a few days ago.
Free Libya forces in the Western Desert region captured the largest weapons depot in Africa, the dreaded Ghaa military base where dictator Muammar Qaddafi had stockpiled bombs and ammunition. The advance is another in a series of achievements for the dissidents, who have in recent weeks fought off murderous Qaddafi brigades trying to reduce cities such as Zintan and Yefren in the Western Mountains and Misrata to the east of Tripoli. Hundreds of thousands of Libyans have been liberated by the Free Libya forces, which are now increasingly in striking distance of the capital. They had sometimes not, however, been very well-equipped and the capture of this major depot much increases their firepower. It is also a big morale booster for the Free Libya fighters and another blow to the spirit of the much-diminished, remaining pro-Qaddafi troops.
Aljazeera also reports on attempts of the rebels to organize themselves.
Another blow to the morale of the Qaddafi brigades was yesterday’s indictment of Qaddafi for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Aljazeera carries an interview with Moreno-Ocampo of the ICC:
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