Libyan Military: Defected Soldiers will be Pardoned

Former Libyan soldiers who defected to the rebels will be pardoned if they surrender to government forces, state television said Monday, quoting the military.

The announcement came as forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi pursued their eastward drive towards the rebel capital of Benghazi, threatening the key town of Ajdabiya.

A number of soldiers and military officers joined the ranks of the opposition in the days that followed the start on February 15 of a popular uprising against the hard-line rule of Gadhafi.

Libyan army spokesman Colonel Milad Hussein on Sunday called the insurgents "rats and terrorists", telling reporters in Tripoli the government forces were "marching to cleanse the country."