Blow for Libyan rebels as top commander killed

Libyan rebel commander Abdel Fatah Younes The death of General Abdel Fatah Younes, commander of forces fighting to oust Moamer Kadhafi, remained cloaked in mystery Friday, as rebels pointed the finger of blame at the Libyan leader. Younes was shot dead by an armed gang after he was summoned from the front by the rebel National Transitional Council "for questioning over military issues," NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil said late on Thursday.
His killing, and that of two military officers with him, deals military and political blows to the rebels that could indicate divisions within their ranks, even as they make fresh advances in a pre-Ramadan push to drive Kadhafi out.
"The person who carried out the assassination was captured," a somber looking Abdel Jalil said without elaborating. He added there would be three days of mourning in Younes's honour.
The assassination of Younes, Libya's former interior minister and number two in Kadhafi's regime prior to his defection in February, has fuelled widespread rumours amid unconfirmed reports that the rebels themselves arrested and killed him for treason.
The scenario that the rebels may be fighting among themselves could pose awkward problems for the many Western powers who have recognised the NTC as the sole legitimate authority in Libya. Germany's Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle has invited Libya's Transitional National Council (NTC) to send its diplomatic representative to Berlin. This step comes within the framework of a series of actions taken by the German government aimed at supporting the Council, Berliner Zeitung newspaper said on Friday.
In June, 13, Germany has recognized the rebel council as the legitimate representative of Libya. (QNA)
Rebel leaders tried to damp down the speculation.
"I ask you to refrain from paying attention to the rumours that Kadhafi's forces are trying to spread within our ranks," Abdel Jalil told journalists after a lengthy closed door meeting with NTC members.
Moments after the announcement, two vehicles loaded with an anti-aircraft gun and at least a dozen armed men shooting in the air arrived at Tibesti hotel, where the announcement was made.
A witness said that they later managed to enter the hotel with their weapons but security forces calmed them down and convinced them to leave.
"They shouted 'You killed (Younes)'," in reference to the NTC, he added.
At least three loud explosions shook the centre of Tripoli late Thursday, as Libyan television reported that planes were flying over the Libyan capital, which has been the target of NATO air raids.
Al-Jamahiriya television reported that several "civilian sites" had been bombed by NATO on Thursday.
Libyan rebels seized two localities near the Tunisian border earlier in the day as part of their offensive ahead of the start early next week of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, an AFP correspondent said.
The two sides had fought their way into a stalemate five months after the start of a popular uprising that quickly turned into a civil war.
The Libyan leader controls much of the west and his Tripoli stronghold, while the opposition holds the east from its bastion in Benghazi.
In Brussels, a NATO official told AFP that Norway will fly its last combat mission in Libya on Saturday, two days before the official end of its role in the air war.
Norway, one of eight NATO members that have conducted air strikes in the four-month-old operation, was the first to set an end-date for its participation when it decided last month to withdraw on August 1.