Col Moamer Gadhafi’s wife, two sons and a daughter entered Algeria yesterday, the foreign ministry in Algiers announced. “The wife of Moamer Gadhafi, Sofia, his daughter Aisha, and sons Hannibal and Mohammed, accompanied by their children, entered Algeria at 08:45 am (0745 GMT) through the Algeria-Libyan border,” the ministry said in a statement published by APS news agency, giving no information on the whereabouts of Gadhafi himself.

It said the United Nations secretary-general and Security Council and the head of Libyan rebel National Transition Council were informed. The report came as battles raged on two sides of Sirte, the southern city that is the headquarters of Gadhafi’s tribe and his regime’s last major bastion. The rebels were consolidating control of Tripoli, the capital.

Although Gadhafi’s whereabouts remain a mystery, there is widespread speculation that he is holed up in Sirte, 360 kilometres (225 miles) east of Tripoli, among tribal supporters there. Rebel forces moved to within 30 kilometres (18 miles) of Sirte from the west and captured Bin Jawad 100 kilometres to the east, the rebel commander in Misrata, Mohammed al-Fortiya, told AFP on Sunday.

“We are negotiating with the tribes for Sirte’s peaceful surrender,” Fortiya said, adding that only tribal leaders were involved, and that to his knowledge no direct contact had been made with Gadhafi himself. General Suleyman Mahmud, deputy commander in chief of the rebel forces, confirmed to reporters in Tripoli that talks were being held for a peaceful solution.

“There are still negotiations with elders and representatives of the city of Sirte. We are trying not to engage anyone in fighting except with those who are with the tyrant Gadhafi. But the outcome of the negotiations is still not clear,” he said on Monday
The rebels have offered a $1.7 million-dollar reward for Gadhafi’s capture, dead or alive.
Meanwhile, rebels said yesterday that strongman Gadhafi still poses a danger for Libya and the world, as insurgents closed in on his hometown Sirte a week after overrunning his capital Tripoli.

The chiefs of staff of countries militarily involved in the Libyan conflict agreed yesterday that the war in the North African country was far from over. A statement from their meeting in the Gulf state of Qatar said that joint action was still needed to uproot the remnants of Moamer Gadhafi’s regime.
“The chiefs of staff of the coalition countries have unanimously agreed that the war is yet to end,” said the curt statement. They also agreed that “there is a need to continue the joint action until the Libyan people achieve their goal by eliminating the remnants of Gadhafi,” it added.

Rebels were also battling to restore basic services in Tripoli, hit by cuts in the supply of water, electricity, petrol and even food following the fierce clashes of the past week. The leader of the rebels’ National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil urged in Doha yesterday no let-up in international action against Gadhafi.

“Gadhafi’s defiance of the coalition forces still poses a danger, not only for Libya but for the world. That is why we are calling for the coalition to continue its support,” Abdel Jalil said at a meeting of chiefs of staff of countries militarily involved in Libya, including Qatar.
Another senior rebel leader, Jallal al-Digheily who holds the NTC’s defence portfolio told the meeting that coalition support was needed to eliminate the last pockets of resistance by Gadhafi’s loyalist troops. “We still need the support (of the coalition) to re-establish security and eliminate the sleeper cells and the remainder of Gadhafi’s regime,” Digheily said.


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