Libya's Rebels Deny Al Qaeda Connection

A TV grab taken from Al Arabiya channel on 23 August 2011 shows Saif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi speaking during a public appearance in Tripoli, Libya, early 23 August 2011. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Libya's rebel forces have claimed they belong to a moderate brand of Islam and that they have no  links to jihadists close to Al Qaeda.

"I do not rule out the presence of some extremist elements among the fighters, but you can't speak of Al-Qaeda-like groups like those operating in Afghanistan or Yemen," the fighters' deputy chief, General Sliman Mahmud, has said, according to AsiaOne.

At the end of August, it was reported that any Al Qaeda members had  fled prisons in Libya after the practical collapse of Muammar Gaddafi's regime, allegedly joining rebel forces,

Meanwhile Libya's fugitive strongman leader Muammar Gaddafi's defiant son Seif al-Islam son has promised victory for Gaddafi loyalists, even though they face an ultimatum to surrender before Saturday..

"The resistance continues and victory is near," he has declared in an audio message, as cited by BBC.

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