The decision by the Gaddafi regime to expel 26 journalists can only be taken as a stark warning of things to come.

While the world has looked on in disbelief as Gaddafi employed the use of tanks, aircraft, rockets and artillery to subjugate the people of western Libya, this latest twist can only mean that the regime is about to crank up its crackdown by another notch.

Gaddafi and his son believe that they are masters of propaganda and media manipulation, and this is why the west’s news crews were allowed into the country. They were supposed to show that Gaddafi and his regime were fighting al-Qaeda, people on drugs and tribal militias. They were supposed to show that the NATO strikes were hitting civilians in Tripoli. They were also there to be used as human shields to prevent attacks on Gaddafi and his important compounds in Tripoli.

The media news crews were shown around western towns and although the regime tried its best, reports about the tragedies of Misurata and Zawiya still filtered out. All the while, NATO continued to hammer Gaddafi’s military.

In short, the inconvenience of having western journalists around is not worth the gains that the regime is making in having them there. If Gaddafi has kicked out the foreign media, then we can expect nothing less than all out war and bloodshed in Misurata in the coming days.

Gaddafi still hangs on to power, and this is not simply because of his loyal military and his secret police. It is actually due to the fact that although it is in minority, he still enjoys a core support base.

That support base is not enough for him to regain control of the whole of Libya, but it is enough for him to be able to wrest control of the Western towns and cities once the rebel element has been snuffed out.

We have seen the wounded and the amputees come off a ship from Misurata and we have also seen the wounded freedom fighters on the eastern side of Libya. But short of shaky video phone footage, we have not yet even begun to imagine the horrors that Gaddafi is unleashing on his own people.

As we have already mentioned, this is only set to get worse, and sooner rather than later. We know that Gaddafi’s military has broken down into small raiding squads that can infiltrate rebel lines. We also know that he is keeping his military machines within city confines to ensure that they are not pounded by air strikes.

We also know that they have no qualms about firing on civilians. What we also know is that Gaddafi has been holding back in Misurata. He is fighting with tanks and rockets against people with hunting rifles and clubs. If he really wanted to, just as he did in Zawiya and other villages, he would just raze it to the ground… inhabitants and all.

The UN and NATO must be ready for this offensive. It is going to happen. We have seen the mutilated bodies of people from Misurata. Soon, we will be looking at bodies in bags. While these people have had it hard, they are now in imminent and mortal danger. The world has the obligation to act.