TRIPOLI, Libya, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The chairman of Libya's National Transitional Council Saturday said Gadhafi loyalists have one more week to surrender before they face military action.
"This extension does not mean we are unaware of what Gadhafi's accomplices are up to," National Transitional Council Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil said at a news conference, CNN reported.
The last strongholds of forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi are located in his hometown of Sirte and in Bani Walid, the base of a powerful tribe aligned with Gadhafi. Rebel forces are closing in on the towns, and interim Finance and Oil Minister Ali Tarhouni said Bani Walid is close to falling.
"It's possible, although we are not sure, that the Bani Walid (tribe) has joined the revolution, and now it's under control of the revolutionaries," Tarhouni said, adding the NTC will move its headquarters from Bengazi to Tripoli next week.
Limited water and fuel supplies and the proliferation of weapons from Gadhafi's armories have brought instability to the capital city and the United Nations is eager to re-establish its presence, a spokesman said.
"It is critical to ensure an immediate and effective U.N. presence on the ground to help identify and assist vulnerable people who have been particularly affected by the conflict and the disruption of services," said Panos Moumtzis, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Libya.
