Post date: Aug 20, 2011 8:25:8 PM
Embattled Libya government says Tripoli airport is under its control, despite reports the rebels had taken it. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.
LIBYA-TRIPOLI AIRPORT -Libyan officials take journalists to the Tripoli airport Saturday to demonstrate they are still in control of the facilities.
There were reports that the Tripoli airport was taken by rebels. But on Saturday all was quiet as airport security displayed empty terminals and quiet runways.Airport official Mohamed Ali Abdul Sayid.
Rana Sanaullah, Law minster for Punjab Province, saying (Arabic):
"News agencies reported last night and this morning that the Tripoli airport had been infiltrated by armed criminal gangs. The Tripoli airport is secure - all of these rumors are false," said official of the Libya airport board Mohamed Ali Abdul Sayid.
A very different picture inside the Capitol itself.
Buildings have been damaged and destroyed over the course of the six month battle for control of the country.
The prospect of a battle for the capital has added urgency to the question of Muammar Gaddafi's fate. The leader has repeatedly vowed never to leave the country. Rebels say they will not stop fighting until he is gone.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters