Deadline expires for Kadhafi forces to surrender

Libyas interim government was poised to launch a final assault on towns still loyal to Moamer Kadhafi after a deadline for surrender expired on Saturday.Interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil arrived in Tripoli for the first time since his forces seized the city last month and was treated to a red-carpet welcome at the Metiga military base, an AFP correspondent reported.Jalils visit to Tripoli, where he was mobbed by hundreds and had to be protected by a thick human chain, was eagerly awaited in hopes it would help tackle rivalries emerging among rebel groups that overthrew Kadhafi.The National Transitional Council (NTC) has mapped out a path and we hope that Libyans understand that we have to move along this path fast and that it is no time for revenge, he said upon his arrival in the historic capital.We should put all our forces together to liberate the remaining Libyan cities of Bani Walid, Sabha and Sirte, he said after declaring that the deadline for pro-Kadhafi enclaves to surrender had passed.The battle for one Kadhafi stronghold, Bani Walid, already got off to a fitful and unscheduled start overnight, but NTC fighters withdrew on Saturday, apparently in anticipation of a NATO air strike.Now the situation is in the hands of our revolutionary fighters, he said, effectively giving commanders authority to attack Bani Walid, Sirte, Sabha and other pro-Kadhafi enclaves.That sentiment was echoed in Tripoli where Omar al-Hariri, who oversees NTC military affairs, told AFP that the war against pro-Kadhafi pockets in Bani Walid and Sirte could take up to a week to win.After clashes broke out overnight between NTC sleeper cells and pro-Kadhafi forces inside and near Bani Walid overnight, NTC fighters launched a widespread assault on Saturday.The rebels now control positions in the north of the town and are combing through the area where snipers are positioned on rooftops, said Abdullah Kenshil, who tried and failed to negotiate the towns surrender this week.