In a move that appears aimed at harming the morale of the rebel forces, Libyan state TV today announced that the Gadhafi regime is offering full amnesty to all defectors who return to his side.
The statement insisted that the “deceived soldiers” would have to return “showing regret and hand over his weapon” for the amnesty. Large numbers of soldiers from eastern Libya defected when the regime cracked down on protesters.
Bolstered by the defectors, the rebels quickly took much of the nation, but a counter-offensive by the regime has reversed much of their gains. The two sides are still fighting over the town of Abdabiyah, the last major town in the east before the capital city of the rebel forces, Benghazi.
At present it is unclear how much of Libya’s army actually defected, but virtually the entire military leadership of the rebel faction is made up of such defectors, bolstered mostly by inexperienced fighters who were part of the protest movement.
