Qaddafi counteroffensive is closing world's window to aid Libya rebels

Forces loyal to Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi made a successful counteroffensive along the rebels' eastern front today, targeting some of Libya's richest oil assets. The shift of momentum in favor of Mr. Qaddafi indicates that the window is closing fast for international actors looking to support the uprising – support rebels have been urgently requesting.

“We have God on our side and a just cause, but Qaddafi has better weapons,” says Sarhan Khaled, a 34-year-old businessman who has been fighting just west of the oil town of Ras Lanuf for the past four days. “We’ll fight either way, but we’d like the international community to stop his planes.”

This afternoon NATO is considering a no-fly zone to protect the uprising – something the rebels have been begging for – and economic sanctions have been heaped on Qaddafi and his associates.

The European Union froze more Libyan assets today, targeting the country’s central bank and its $70 billion sovereign wealth fund. The fund has extensive investments in Europe, including the publisher of the Financial Times, the car-manufacturer Fiat, and the Italian football club Juventus.

But events today show that consideration of further moves could soon become moot.

Late Thursday afternoon some of the largely civilian militia at the forefront of the uprising against Qaddafi’s 41-year reign started to withdraw from Ras Lanuf after a withering assault by mortars, rocket fire, and warplanes over the past two days.

After pummeling the rebel positions from the air, forces loyal to Qaddafi maneuvered in the desert south of the lightly armed rebels, who are generally visible in large clusters along the highway, to attack them from their flank. As of this writing, the town appeared to remain in rebel hands, albeit shakily.

Qaddafi forces rain fire

Today’s assault, to be sure, involved far more than planes. Though the rebels have rockets, they have had difficulty locating Qaddafi’s forces and are generally unskilled operators. That means that Qaddafi’s forces have been able to rain mortars and rockets on the area with little fear of reprisals.

Qaddafi’s fire appears to have taken on more lethal intent. Over the weekend, most of his bombs fell harmlessly. Yesterday, an air strike overshot the rebel position at the Ras Lanuf crossroads by about 200 yards, hitting an empty home, and today Qaddafi’s planes hit the oil-town’s hospital and main mosque.

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