Libya rebels see victory by end of August

LIBYA: Libya's rebels were bolstered by fresh battlefield advances Wednesday, as leaders claimed the six-month-old civil war had entered a decisive phase and could end within weeks.

Revitalized rebel forces pushed further to isolate Tripoli and turn the screws on Moamer Kadhafi's regime, moving toward a western town that links the capital and Sirte - Kadhafi's hometown and a stronghold for his military. "The scouting teams of the revolutionaries reached the outskirts of Al-Heisha after expelling Kadhafi forces," the rebel military command said in a statement early Wednesday.

Al-Heisha lies roughly 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Misrata and 250 kilometres (150 miles) from Tripoli, near two key crossroads that link loyalist-held territory in the west with that in the oil-rich Sirte basin.

It was just the latest in a series of battlefield operations to isolate the capital, which the rebels hope will force defections from the regime and spark a Tripoli uprising against the near 42-year-old regime. AFP