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Message
from Moammar Gadhafi
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- A message purportedly from Moammar Gadhafi says he has moved the Libyan capital to his birthplace of Sirte, days after the nation's new leaders issued a deadline for his forces to surrender.
In the messages broadcast Thursday, a man purported to be Gadhafi urged Libyans not to surrender to "imperialist" forces.
"We are ready for a long, drawn-out war," he said without revealing his whereabouts in the audio messages aired on Syria's Al-Rai Television.
"They will not be able to fight a long war. They will retreat, day by day."
The messages warned that those loyal to Gadhafi in Sirte and other strongholds were heavily armed and prepared to fight to the death.
The warning came hours after conflicting reports surfaced that anti-Gadhafi forces extended a Saturday deadline by a week for fighters in Sirte to surrender. The National Transitional Council issued the ultimatum Tuesday for tribal leaders in towns still under the control of loyalists to surrender.
The transitional council's military commander in Tripoli said that the extension was an effort to prevent more deaths.
"We are doing the best to prevent the bloodshed of the people and the destruction of our cities," Abdel Hakim Belhaj told CNN on Thursday.
But critics say giving Gadhafi's forces a deadline allows his troops time to entrench themselves in Sirte, Bani Walid and other loyalist strongholds, making it more difficult for the transitional council's military to capture the cities.
Tarek Abuzgaya, a spokesman for the National Transitional Council in Benghazi, said the deadline was extended by a week for loyalists to surrender.
But in Tripoli, a military spokesman told CNN that transitional leaders were still meeting to hash out options to avoid further bloodshed.
"As of now, the deadline is this Saturday," Mahdi Al Arash said. "However, it could change if they see fit after the meeting."
Meanwhile, anti-Gadhafi forces on the outskirts of Sirte and Bani Walid have cut off supplies into the cities and are preparing to fight.
Anti-Gadhafi forces hope to employ a tactic in Bani Walid similar to one used in their successful advance on Tripoli, calling on their "revolutionaries" inside the city to rise up and fight, a military commander told CNN.
The messages purportedly from Gadhafi carried a warning to his opponents: "We will fight against you wherever you are; we will sacrifice our lives so that the sand and stones of Libya will become fire, and fight against you. You will never have peace of mind inside our land."
Those opposing Gadhafi are intent on confiscating Libyans' water supply and setting back efforts he had made during his 42 years in power, he said.
"The Libyan people would rather die than be suppressed," he said. "This is something we will not allow the traitors to do -- let Libya be occupied and suppressed and humiliated."
The country's tribes are armed and not likely to bend to the will of foreigners, he said. "You cannot rule them," he said. "Even if you attack them by aircraft, armed tribes will not surrender."
The messages aired on the anniversary of the September 1, 1969, coup that saw Gadhafi oust King Idris, who fled the country and died in exile in Egypt.
Gadhafi has not been seen publicly since Tripoli fell, though a transitional council fighter reported seeing the ousted leader in the southern part of the capital later.
Questions over Gadhafi's whereabouts intensified in recent days following reports that his wife, daughter, two sons and other family members fled to neighboring Algeria, which described its acceptance of the family as a humanitarian gesture.
Algeria has denied that the country was ever an option for Gadhafi.
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