Tribal politics hold up assault

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• Published: 4/09/2011 at 11:03 PM
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A band of Libyan revolutionaries perched on high ground a short drive north of Bani Walid believe the prize of at least one of Moamer Kadhafi's sons could lie in the town before them, and yet they stay put.

That is because the tribal clashes that could come from a fully fledged assault are enough to stymie any desire to capture Saadi Kadhafi and other senior members of the regime who may be there.
Although the town's residents belong to dozens of clans, Bani Walid is the heartland of the powerful Warfalla tribe.
Crucially it is also home to many of those now staring anxiously toward the town through the desert haze.
``Bani Walid is like the spiritual extension of the Warfalla, of us,'' said Muftah Abu Shanaf, a fighter in one of two Warfalla brigades that have shunned their tribe's long-standing support of the regime.
It is a support that Kadhafi has assiduously courted down the years.
Along side Kadhafi's own Gaddadfa clan, the help of the Warfalla and other ``less prestigious'' tribes was a key pillar of Kadhafi's regime in its early days according to Libya historian Dirk Vanderwalle.
Warfalla tribesmen made up the core of Kadhafi's army and some were given top political positions within the regime.
That courtship appears to have continued during the revolution.
``Kadhafi concentrated on (getting support from) two tribes, the Warfalla and the Tarhuna, using all possible means,'' said Shanaf.
``He tried forcing people and he tried buying people and he succeeded with both,'' Shanaf added, lamenting a sometimes bloody split in the Warfalla ranks.
``He did not succeed in getting the Warfalla to fight for him, but he did succeeded in keeping them from joining the revolution.''
With the leverage of a phalanx of troops surrounding Bani Walid, Libya's new leaders have tried to negotiate the peaceful surrender of the town to avoid further internecine bloodshed, but so far to no avail.
There are constant murmurings about an imminent attack on the town, but as negotiating deadlines come and go, it is clear Libya's new leaders and their fighters on the ground would prefer a bloodless surrender.
``The decision to enter the town is a military decision,'' said Warfalla fighter Haitham al-Masheri insisting he would advance if required.
But it is clear he hopes his marching orders only come as a very last resort.
``I hope it doesn't happen, and I don't think it will, but if it does and the military council asks me to do it I will obey the orders. But I am sure it won't happen.''