Qaddafi Vows More Deadly Attacks as Army Units Defect - San Francisco Chronicle

(Corrects to remove reference to Dabbashi resigning in 18th paragraph of article originally published on Feb. 23. See EXTRA <GO> for more news on regional unrest.)

Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi vowed to fight a growing rebellion until his "last drop of blood," as parts of the capital of Tripoli resembled a war zone and some of his followers and troops defected to the opposition.

In Tripoli, bodies were left in the streets after an attack on protesters by pro-Qaddafi gunmen, the opposition National Front for the Salvation of Libya said. In the eastern city of Benghazi, where the protests began, the flag of the constitutional monarchy overthrown by Qaddafi in 1969 flew on streets and over several buildings and there were no security forces in evidence except traffic police, witnesses said.

"In my opinion, the regime is over," former Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younes, one of those who defected, said on Al Arabiya television. "Most of the towns and tribes have said they back the revolution," he said, while urging the Libyan army to join the rebellion.

While Middle East rulers have tried to put down uprisings that have overthrown leaders in Tunisia and Egypt and spread to Bahrain and Yemen, none used as much force as the Libyan ruler. Qaddafi's crackdown on the week-long demonstrations has already left almost 300 dead, according to Human Rights Watch, and driven oil prices to a 2 1/2-year high.

'Grave Concern'

The United Nations condemned the violence and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration was watching the events with "grave concern" and would take "appropriate steps," which she did not describe.

"Qaddafi has unequivocally declared his intention to massacre his own people," said Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. "Time for the international community to intervene. For starters, NATO should enforce a no-fly zone over Libya" to prevent Qaddafi's aircraft from attacking, he said.

Rebels supported by defecting army units have taken control of the eastern area of Libya near the border with Egypt, Mohammed Ali Abdallah, deputy secretary-general of the National Front, said by phone from Dubai, citing contacts in the city.

Asian stocks today fluctuated as oil companies advanced, countering declines among airlines. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was little changed at percent to 137.23 as of 12:15 p.m. in Tokyo. Crude for April delivery was at $95.86 a barrel, up 44 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 11:31 a.m. Tokyo time. Yesterday, it increased $5.71 to $95.42, the highest since October 2008.

Oil Reserves

Libya, holder of Africa's largest oil reserves, is the latest nation to be rocked by protests ignited by last month's ouster of Tunisia's president and fanned by the Feb. 11 fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

In Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian peninsula, there were clashes in the capital, Sana'a, for a 12th straight day between supporters and opponents of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for more than 30 years. At least two people were killed and ten others wounded yesterday, the media committee of the protesters said in a statement.

In Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, opposition groups, mostly Shiite Muslims, yesterday held their largest demonstrations so far, with tens of thousands marching peacefully in the capital, Manama, to call for more democracy and an end to discrimination by the Sunni Muslim royal family.

Bahrain Death Toll

A government spokeswoman yesterday put the death toll from more than a week of protests at seven, after security forces attacked protesters last week. The island kingdom's largest opposition group said it is looking for "significant steps" by the government before agreeing to join in a national dialogue.