Gadhafi Regime Claims Victories Amid Heavy Fighting

Gadhafi Counter-Offensive Seen as Setback for Rebels

Though exactly how accurate the reports coming out of cities witnessing heavy fighting are, the Gadhafi regime is claiming major victories tonight following a day of counter-offensives across a number of key cities.

The attacks are seen as the first real setback for the rebels, who have mostly fended of Gadhafi mercenary attacks in comparatively short order and have made considerable inroads into western cities which were the last strongholds of the regime.

At the same time, the regime’s spokesmen are making extremely dubious proclamations about how successful the counter-offensive is, claiming that they have reconquered virtually the entire nation and that the rallies in Benghazi, the rebel capital, are “celebrations” for the regime’s victory.

Which was rejected by the rebels, and seems to contradict journalists on the ground in Benghazi, who report that the constant rallies are, as ever, pro-rebel and celebrating the ouster of the regime, not its alleged return.

Either way, there is increasing concern that Libya is facing the sort of protracted civil war that is all too common in Africa, and not the quick regime change its neighbors in Tunisia and Egypt were able to secure. The biggest question seems to be how long Gadhafi’s money will last, as the regime is mostly depending on mercenaries at this point, and is reported to be paying them extremely generously.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.