Geo World

Libyan rebels control Tripoli airport

TUNIS: Libyan rebels have taken control of Tripoli airport, an Arab TV reported on Monday, citing a rebel spokesman. Meanwhile, rebels in the Libyan coastal enclave of Misrata said they had intercepted a column of troops from the city of Sirte, Moamer Kadhafi's hometown and a bastion of his regime. "The military council confirms the interception of troops coming from Sirte to support Kadhafi forces in Tripoli" on Monday, the rebels said in a statement. "The convoy consisted of three buses and a number of SUVs loaded with mercenaries and soldiers," said the statement by the Information Centre of the Military Council of Misrata. The troops "were taking the route of Sdada (to) Bani Walid (and) then Tripoli. The interception... happened near Sdada at the eastern front of Misrata," it added. Rebel forces "destroyed one of the buses completely and the rest of the troops managed to escape back to Sirte," the statement said. Sirte is located between the fronts of Brega in eastern Libya, and the rebel enclave of Misrata, long besieged by government forces. The progress of rebel forces in Misrata toward the south has disrupted the supply lines of Kadhafi forces moving north from Sirte to the capital. (Reuters/AFP)