| Libya rebels repel Gaddafi forces | ||||||||
More than 30 people killed as opposition fighters force back government troops in western town of Az Zawiyah. Last Modified: 05 Mar 2011 19:52 GMT | ||||||||
Gaddafi's forces encircled Az Zawiyah on Saturday, manning checkpoints about 3km from the centre after fighters pushed them back in fierce fighting earlier in the day. Troops later mounted a second attack on the town, which lies just 50km west of the capital Tripoli, but were again pushed back.
Youssef Shagan, a spokesman for the fighters in the town, said that Gaddafi's forces had entered Az Zawiyah at 6am (04:00 GMT) with hundreds of soldier, along with tanks and armoured vehicles. Gaddafi's forces had broken through defences into Martyrs' Square, in the heart of the town, but hours later were pushed back. "Our people fought back ... We have won for now and civilians are gathering in the square," Shagan said. National council Elsewhere, following heavy fighting on Friday, anti-government forces were said to be in control of Ras Lanuf, a pipeline hub on the Mediterranean coast that houses a major refinery and petrochemical complex, according to reports form the AFP news agency. A report from the Reuters news agency said that one of its correspondents was shown the wreckage of a warplane in the area of Ras Lanuf that fighters said they had shot down. The nearby town of Bin Jawad was also under anti-government control. The area around Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad is significant because it takes the fighters closer to Sirte, a Gaddafi stronghold. "The opposition is in control of Ras Lanuf, it's actually in control even further eastward [towards Bin Jawad]," reported Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera's correspondent, who earlier travelled to Ras Lanuf. "I have to say on the road all I've seen was convoy after convoy - a mixture of volunteers, fighters and regular soldiers making their way to Ras Lanuf and past Ras Lanuf. "They are regrouping there. They are very proud of all the gains they've made - they say they are going straight to Sirte, and after Sirte to Tripoli." In Benghazi, Libya's second city which is in the hands of anti-government forces, the self-declared opposition national council, held their first meeting on Saturday. "The national council's first formal meeting is starting this morning," Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for group, said. The 30-member body is headed by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, a former justice minister who defected from Gaddafi's camp after protests against the Libyan leader's rule erupted two weeks ago. The meeting was held in secret. "It's a safety issue," Gheriani said. "This guy [Gadaffi] still assassinates people." 'Call to arms' Tony Birtley, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Benghazi, said that resistance to Gadaffi's rule was strengthening. "I think they're coming to the realisation that the outcome is in their own hands. They did think that Gaddafi would leave peacefully, they then thought that the international community would take steps and force him out," he said.
"They are answering the call to arms, they are coming from all over eastern Libya, bringing their weapons, getting whatever training they can and moving on." Two blasts at an arms dump on the outskirts of Benghazi left more than 30 people dead, according to medical sources in the city. The reasons for the blast, which occurred on Friday, were not immediately known. Gaddafi has had little success in taking back rebel-held territory - which includes the entire eastern half of the country and some cities near the capital - but a number of cities, including Tripoli, remain firmly under his control. On Friday, pro-Gaddafi forces fired tear gas to disperse at least 1,000 people in the capital's Tajoura district who were holding a protest against the Libyan leader. On Saturday, there were reports that a group of foreign journalists had been detained on their way to Az Zawiyah. 'Threat to peace' On the diplomatic front, Mussa Kussa, the Libyan foreign minister, said in a letter to the UN security council that "a modicum" of force had been used against protesters in Libya. He demanded that UN sanctions imposed against the Gaddafi, over his bloody crackdown on protesters, be suspended "until such time as the truth is established".
Human rights groups say about 6,000 people have been killed since protests against Gaddafi erupted on February 15. The UN says that more than 1,000 have died. Western powers say they are studying a no-fly zone against Libya to prevent attacks on civilians. But diplomats say that no official request for such action has been made to the UN Security Council. Kussa said in his letter that military action against Libya would be "inconsistent" with the UN charter and international law and "compromise a threat to peace and security in the region and indeed the whole world". Gaddafi also appointed Ali Abdussalam Treki, a senior Libyan diplomat, to be his country's new envoy to the UN after the entire Libyan delegation in New York deserted Gaddafi in support of Libya's protesters. |
As Thomas Paine said, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” Please use discretion. We report all sides to the issues. This is a real time news room.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
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