Former members of the Special Air Service are among those gathering information about the location and movement of troops loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi

BRITISH former special forces soldiers working for private security companies are in the Libyan city of Misratah, advising the rebels and supplying information to NATO.

Former members of the Special Air Service are among those gathering information about the location and movement of troops loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi, British military sources were quoted as saying in the The Guardian yesterday.

They are passing that information to NATO's command centre in Naples. The former soldiers are in Libya with the blessing of Britain, France and other NATO countries, the sources said.

The Guardian said the soldiers were reportedly being paid by Arab countries, notably Qatar.

Britain last week approved the use of its Apache attack helicopters in the operation. The information being gathered by rebel advisers was probably for use by British and French pilots during missions predicted for later this week, the paper reported.




Reports of their presence emerged after Arabic news channel al-Jazeera on Monday showed video footage of six armed Westerners talking to rebels in the port city of Misratah.

Gaddafi insisted he would not leave his country, South Africa's President Jacob Zuma said yesterday after he met the Libyan ruler.

Gaddafi's departure is the key demand of rebel forces battling his troops.

Also yesterday, Italy's Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, visited the rebel capital, Benghazi, and pledged to provide the rebels with fuel and hundreds of millions of dollars backed by the frozen assets of Gaddafi's regime.

The positions of the two sides and the competing, high-level visits illustrated the virtual stalemate in the conflict. NATO aircraft bomb the Libyan capital night after night, and military forces from the two sides battle, but little is changing on the ground.

South Africa is concerned for Gaddafi's safety, according to the statement released by Mr Zuma's office after he returned home from his talks with Gaddafi in Tripoli.

Mr Zuma was pressing to revive an African Union proposal for a ceasefire and dialogue to settle the Libya conflict, and Gaddafi agreed, the statement said. "Colonel Gaddafi . . . emphasised he was not prepared to leave . . . despite the difficulties."

Mr Zuma called for a halt to NATO airstrikes as part of the ceasefire. After initially backing NATO's involvement, Mr Zuma and the African Union called for a cessation, charging that NATO had overstepped its UN mandate to protect civilians.

The African Union said: "Nothing other than a dialogue among all parties in Libya can bring about a lasting solution."

Rebel leaders immediately turned down the African initiative because of Gaddafi's refusal to relinquish power. The rebels say the conflict can be resolved only by his removal from power.

In response, Libya's government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, said in Tripoli Gaddafi's ouster would lead to civil war.

"If Gaddafi disappears for any reason, the safety valve will have been released," he said.

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