Gaddafi’s forces erase all traces of rebels in Zawiyah

In western Libya, the anti-Gaddafi rebellion appears to have crumbled, with government troops now in control of Zawiyah, just 30 miles from Tripoli.

When we arrived, Gaddafi supporters were rallying in the main square, where the graves of rebel fighters appeared to have been deliberately desecrated.

Colonel Gaddafi’s supporters were celebrating victory there – the event seemed timed for the benefit of the journalists and for the camera of Libyan state television, which cheered them on.

It was a propaganda victory, but around them, the destruction of several days of battle was evident. Bunting had been hastily erected in the last 24 hours, but it failed to hide the worst of the damage. For the rebellion here had been savagely quashed.

The mosque which served as the rebels’ medical clinic had been reduced to ruins. And fear was back on the streets. With state officials everywhere, nobody other than Gaddafi supporters dared speak openly about what happened there.

In the main square, we witnessed many graves on Sunday. They had died in the fighting and the square had been renamed Martyrs’ Square.

But there were no more graves in the square today – one man told us the bodies had been removed with bulldozers. If that is true, it could be a war crime by Gaddafi supporters.

The spirit of resistance has been forced deep underground in Zawiyah. It is a government town now – giving every sign that the spark of rebellion has been extinguished.