The wild west: loyalists continue to battle the rebels in Libya

Tripoli remains in the grip of fighting between loyalists and rebels. While gains have been made the continued fighting speaks to the significant support al-Gaddafi still has, particularly in Tripoli. The support has also been revealed as coming from locals and .. foreign mercenaries. The discovery of 30 bodies, clearly African, has highlighted the role these mercenaries have played in the battle for Libya. One wonders how many more of these fighters remain in the country.

On the diplomatic front the rebel NTC have stated that they plan to relocate to Tripoli shortly while the US has announced that $1.5 billion will be released to fund humanitarian operations in Libya. The rebels are certainly on the front foot and will look to capture or kill Gaddafi as soon as possible, so that the shadow of 40 years of dictatorship can finally be eradicated. However, even if they were to capture the tyrant and eradicate his loyalist and mercenary force questions still need to be answered as to whether the NTC can unify the diverse rebel factions and include the power tribes in the interim government.