[ 2011-06-29 ]

Rebels seize Gaddafi arms bunker
Libyan rebels have captured a major complex of
underground weapons bunkers from Col Muammar
Gaddafi's forces in the west of the country.

Rebels said they had cleared remaining guards from
the arms dump, located just south of Zintan, after
Nato forces attacked the area several days ago.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court's top
prosecutor has urged allies of Col Gaddafi to help
arrest him.

Rebels began their revolt in February and won
Nato's support a month later.

'Vehicles destroyed'

Rockets, machine guns and other munitions were
found in the network of bunkers, situated in the
desert around 25km (15 miles) from the hill town
of Zintan in the Nafusa mountains.

Correspondents say the seizure of the weapons was
a major boost to rebels, who are hoping to push on
to Tripoli from the frontline, currently on the
other side of the Nafusa mountains and just 50km
from the capital.

Hundreds of fighters, along with civilians, combed
through the caches, according to a report by AFP
news agency.

The rebels overcame heavy rocket fire from
pro-Gaddafi troops, while commanders also said
they destroyed three government vehicles
travelling in a convoy, the report said.

Nato said planes had hit three tanks and six
armoured personnel carriers in the Zintan area on
Monday.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court chief
Luis Moreno-Ocampo has said Libya has primary
responsibility to implement the arrest warrants
for Col Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and the
Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi.

Speaking at a news conference in The Hague, Mr
Ocampo said Col Gaddafi's inner circle "can be
part of the problem and be prosecuted, or they can
be part of the solution, working together with the
other Libyans to stop the crimes".

Mr Ocampo also said his office would continue
investigating new crimes committed in Libya since
the start of the uprising in February, in
particular allegations of rape.

Donatella Rovera from Amnesty International, who
has spent three months in the country, said the
organisation did not have evidence of cases of
rape so far.

However, she said they had been denied access to
western parts of the country to investigate claims
there.

"The fact that we have not found evidence is not
to say it did not happen," she told the BBC.

She added that Amnesty did have information to
confirm reports of other human rights violations,
including "the repeated and discriminate attacks
on residential areas" by pro-Gaddafi forces.

Source - BBC

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