Top Gaddafi Minister Quits: Report

Libyan Interior Minister Nassr al-Mabrouk Abdullah arrived in Cairo on Monday in what appeared to be a defection from the Gaddafi regime. Al-Mabrouk landed in a private plane with nine family members in tow, having reportedly come from Tunisia, where several unnamed Gaddafi officials reportedly met with rebels on Sunday to discuss a possible end of the six-month civil war. The minister’s arrival in Cairo comes on the heels of significant rebel advances in key towns near Tripoli, where they are reportedly planning to make their next major move. In a speech on Monday broadcast by state television, Gaddafi vowed to avenge his traitors: “Get ready for the fight …The blood of martyrs is fuel for the battlefield.”