Libya rebels push campaign to cut off Kadhafi

GUALISH, Libya — Libyan rebels said they were preparing on Saturday to push forward in their drive on Tripoli from the south and west in a bid to isolate Moamer Kadhafi in the ever-closer capital.But the embattled leader remained defiant, telling supporters on Friday that "the regime in Libya will not fall."After heavy fighting, rebel fighters captured the desert hamlet of Gualish on Wednesday, taking them closer to the strategic garrison town Gharyan and the last major objective standing between them and Tripoli to the north.For now, they have set their sights on Asablah, 17 kilometres (11 miles) north of Gualish on the road to Gharyan."Three times we tried to take Gualish before we succeeded," said rebel fighter Mohial Omar, 21. "That was the hardest part. Now it's going to be easier."One of his comrades, 28-year-old Talal Ahmed, explained."We have plenty of rebels inside Asablah. NATO bombed there heavily on Friday and that stresses the (Kadhafi) soldiers and makes them more unsteady."We are just waiting for the go-ahead from NATO," he added.Following that, the objective is to head straight for Gharyan, which lies on the main highway south out of Tripoli, 80 kilometres (50 miles) away, Ahmed said."Once we control that city, Kadhafi will no longer be able to receive weapons from the south, nor will he be able to flee in that direction. By attacking him on two or three fronts, we weaken him."A second target in a three-pronged strategy is the coastal city of Zawiyah, one of the last major strongholds to the west of Tripoli.Outside Bir Al-Ghanam, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) inland, rebels are also awaiting the nod from NATO so that they can take it and move forward."For now, we are in a defensive posture, but we are ready to attack whenever," said a rebel commander there, Fathi al-Aaeib. "We don't know the word 'retreat.'"The authorities in Bir Al-Ghanam have been warned of an impending attack so that civilians can be evacuated.But some of the fighters are impatient with NATO and its air campaign against

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