Misrata becomes Libya's Stalingrad
The brutality of attacks on the rebel city reveal how important reclaiming the port is to Col Gaddafi
Sunday, 17 April 2011
afp/getty images
A Libyan rebel fighter in Misrata market on Friday. The roof has been peppered by bullets and the shops are all closed
The "dawn chorus" came in on time, salvos of missiles crashing down with shattering noise, burning buildings, killing and maiming people. It was the start of another day in Misrata, the city whose fate may decide the military outcome of this brutal civil war.
The besieged and battered bastion has become Libya's Stalingrad. The fall of Misrata would not only be a huge symbolic and psychological triumph for Muammar Gaddafi, but also end significant opposition to his rule in the west of the country.
