Rebels Attack in Gaddafi Stronghold

Libyan rebel fighters reportedly entered one of the last holdout cities, Bani Walid, late Friday—hours before the surrender deadline for Col. Muammar Gaddafi and forces loyal to him. The chief negotiator for the National Transitional Council, Abdullah Kenshil, said the former rebels were “inside the city” and fighting snipers. “They forced this on us and it was self defense,” Kenshil said. Kenshil said he thought the former rebels were “very close” to conquering Bani Walid—even though Gaddafi still remains at large after giving a defiant radio message Thursday. Four more senior members of Gaddafi’s security forces were found Friday in Niger, despite the government’s vow to the International Criminal Court to detain any Libyan defectors. Meanwhile in Tripoli, tens of thousands took part in a march on Friday to commemorate those killed by Gaddafi’s forces in an early uprising on Feb. 25 in Tajoura.