US pushes Libyan rebels to take control

Senior U.S. officials told NBC News that there were serious concerns over a "leadership vacuum in Tripoli," where neither the rebel National Transitional Council nor Moammar Gadhafi appeared to be in command after Gadhafi fled his massive compound when rebel forces overran it Tuesday.

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The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington was encouraging rebel leaders to establish some level of "presence and authority" in the capital as soon as possible, saying the top priorities were to capture or kill Gadhafi and to establish the transitional council's authority.

The transitional council said it planned to move into the capital by Thursday, but the timing of the move was in doubt as sporadic gunfire and fighting continued in and around Tripoli.

At a news conference in Benghazi, the rebel headquarters, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the transitional council, offered amnesty Wednesday to any of Gadhafi's entourage who killed or captured him. In addition, he said a businessman, whom he didn't name, had offered a reward of 2 million Libyan dinars ($1.3 million) for Gadhafi's capture.

Hassan Droy, a spokesman for the transitional council, said the rebels were advancing on Gadhafi's hometown, Sirte, about 280 miles east of Tripoli, where they believe he could be hiding. Droy said the rebels hoped to negotiate a peaceful surrender.

Factbox: Rebels target Gadhafi's hometown

"Gadhafi sent a message telling them to fight to the death" in Sirte, Droy told Reuters. "A problem is the people there are totally disconnected ? they've had no electricity or telephones for three days ? and they don't know what's happening."

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A senior U.S. official said that as long as Gadhafi remains at large, he could remain a symbolic figurehead for any armed opposition to a transitional government.

"He's clearly gone to ground, and whether it takes days, weeks or months, he must be found," the official told NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski in Washington.

Gadhafi has defiantly vowed to fight on "until victory or martyrdom" and called on residents of Tripoli and loyal tribesmen across the nation to free the capital from the "devils and traitors" who took his fortress-like Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli.

Video: Gadhafi loyalists still a threat (on this page)

Gadhafi's men were holed up in several neighborhoods, NBC News' Richard Engel reported from Tripoli, and witnesses said forests around the city full of loyalist snipers.

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Rebels at checkpoints looked for Gadhafi supporters, checking cars to see whether anyone was carrying weapons and not expressing support for the rebel movement. At one checkpoint, a picture of Gadhafi, once ubiquitous throughout the city, had been laid on the ground so cars had to drive over it.

Elections promised by next spring
Abdel Jalil promised Wednesday that the transitional council would hold elections in eight months, saying Libya did not "wish to continue to be isolated in the world as we have been up to now."

"We want a democratic government and a just constitution," Abdel Jalil was quoted as saying in the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica.

Other nations began moving swiftly to prop up the new government as it became ever more clear that Gadhafi was no longer in control.

The U.S., which has officially recognized the council as the country's formal government, said it would submit a U.N. Security Council resolution to "unfreeze" $1.5 billion in Libyan assets for humanitarian needs, U.S. officials told NBC News.

Rebuilding the poor oil-rich country of Libya

Meanwhile, European nations, including Britain and France, invited council representatives to a conference in Paris next week to discuss how the international community can assist the new government.

China objected to such efforts Wednesday, saying the U.N. should lead post-war efforts in Libya. China didn't use its U.N. Security Council veto power in March to block a resolution that authorized the NATO bombing campaign against Gadhafi's forces, but it then condemned the strikes and urged compromise between his government and rebels.

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Since then, Beijing has courted Libyan rebels by hosting their leaders and sending envoys for talks.

Gadhafis appear at odds
Gadhafi's son Saadi said he was trying negotiate a cease-fire in Tripoli, telling CNN reporter Nic Robertson by email that "I have authority" to seek a peaceful settlement.

Gadhafi's daughter, Aisha, on the other hand, said Libyans must unite and stand by Gadhafi in the face of foreign interference.

"I tell the Libyan people to stand hand-in-hand against NATO," Aisha Gadhafi told loyalist Al-Orouba TV, according to Al-Arabiyah. "I tell the Libyan people not to fear the armed forces. The leader is in the right."

Gadhafi himself said Tuesday that he intended to fight "the aggression with all strength until either victory or death."

"Why are you letting them wreak havoc?" Gadhafi asked Libyans in an address given from an unknown location broadcast on the local Al-Ouroba TV.

"I have been out a bit in Tripoli discreetly, without being seen by people, and ... I did not feel that Tripoli was in danger," he said in audio remarks.

U.S.: No ground troops
The U.S. State Department said all U.S. citizens who were known to have been detained in Libya had been released. A spokeswoman said the U.S. was working through the Hungarian Embassy, which represented U.S. interests during Gadhafi's regime, to provide assistance to Americans remaining behind.

The White House said again Wednesday that the U.S., which has been leading the NATO air campaign over Libya in support of the rebels, didn't intend to send ground troops into the country.

That doesn't mean Western forces aren't there.

The Telegraph of London reported Wednesday that British Special Air Service soldiers have been in Libya for several week "guiding rebel soldiers after being ordered in by (Prime Minister) David Cameron."

Citing unnamed defense sources, the newspaper said the British soldiers, wearing civilian clothing and carrying the same weapons as the rebels, "have been ordered to switch their focus to the search for Gadhafi" since he fled his Tripoli compound.

By Alex Johnson of msnbc.com. NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski and Andrea Mitchell in Washington, Richard Engel in Tripoli and Catherine Chomiak in New York; The Associated Press; and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44253487/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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