In the east, rebels are still battling for Brega (Burayqah). I got the impression that the rebels had taken the important oil town some weeks ago, but there is still fighting going on, as the eastern rebels say:
"There's an engagement in the residential area of Brega right now. We're clearing it and hopefully we will finish today," said spokesman Mohammad Zawawi, who has been predicting a breakthrough for several days.
It seems that there is a difference between the residential area and the industrial area, which may account for reports of capture yet continued fighting.
In the West, the very divided rebels keep clawing away and edging north:
Reaching a settlement called Bir Shuaib, took them within 25 km (15 miles) of Zawiyah, a town less than 50 km from Tripoli, stronghold of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. ...
Rebels in the Western Mountains do not operate as a single force as each town or village has its own command. However, when they come together for major operations they can muster a force of a few thousand men.
The western rebels don't have anywhere near the level of support from NATO that the eastern rebels get. Yet the divided western rebels are far more active in fighting the loyalists. Eastern rebels are divided (as I blogged, citing a Strategypage piece) and seem more interested in preparing for the post-war battles that may take place.
Yet the article here says that Western analysts don't think the western rebels have the raw military strength to capture Tripoli.
The eastern rebels certainly don't, however. So unless a magic bomb drops on Khaddafi's lap, victory rests on cracking the will of the loyalists to resist. If the regime's forces suffer a big morale loss and defect or go home, the western rebels will be the one's who march into Tripoli to form a new government.
As I wrote before, I doubt the guys who have bled the most for victory will invite the guys in the east who spent their time preparing for the post-war by stocking arms and writing plans into the government in anything but a symbolic role to appease NATO. I think Libya splits in two regardless, at this point. Either the loyalists hold on in the east or both east and west rebels win in their local areas.
Oh, and NATO continues to bomb stuff hither and yon, on occasion.
