The Gaddafi regime is claiming it has forged an alliance with Islamist rebels to remove the secular Libyan opposition leading the five-month-old uprising. Speaking to the New York Times, Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, said Islamist rebels have agreed to work with the regime to drive out the liberal heads of Libya’s Transitional National Council. Gaddafi’s comments come as a regime spokesperson said rebels had been defeated in the town of Zlitan.

Moussa Ibrahim: “Of course, as usual, they made the same pathetic NATO-covered advance towards Zlitan, not into Zlitan, towards Zlitan. But they were hit back by our armed forces and by the Zlitan volunteers. Maybe you have heard about their losses. They lost many, many of their fighters. We indeed acquired many of their vehicles, many of their French and Qatari weapons, cars, rifles, and we captured many of them. So they failed miserably. Zlitan is a free city under our full control.”