Battles rage in western Libya
Updated
Libyan rebel fighters run for cover on the outskirts of Zlitan near Misrata's western frontline (Reuters: Abdelkader Belhessin)
Fighting between Moamar Gaddafi's forces and Libyan insurgents raged across swaths of western Libya, with casualties reported in Zintan and Zawiya as rebels went on the offensive.
Battles were also being fought in the Berber mountains, south-west of Tripoli in nearby Yafran, and at Dafnia near Misrata, Libya's third city, rebel sources said.
Tribal fighters opposed to Mr Gaddafi have also clashed with his forces in the oasis city of Sabha - a first since the outbreak of an uprising against him in mid-February.
A correspondent said Mr Gaddafi's forces pounded the outskirts of Zintan on Sunday, killing at least seven rebels.
Government forces posted a few kilometres east of Zintan, which remains under rebel control, fired Grad and Katyusha rockets at the town.
After visiting the local hospital, the reporter said at least seven Libyan rebels were killed and 49 wounded in the bombardment.
Tension was also high in the area between Zintan and Yafran, a region bitterly contested by rebels and loyalist troops, the correspondent said.
Yafran and Qalah were both rubble-strewn and deserted, with homes looted, the correspondent said.
Hospital staff in Yafran, on condition of anonymity, said foreign doctors were prevented from leaving by pro-Gaddafi forces, who allegedly detained and beat up some employees.
The fighting in Zawiya, just 50 kilometres west of Tripoli, which follows more than two months of relative calm in the city of 250,000 people, erupted on Saturday, a rebel source in Benghazi said.
"Fighting that started yesterday between battalions loyal to Gaddafi and rebels from Zawiya is continuing and causing very many casualties," the source said without elaborating.
Mr Gaddafi's forces wrested control of Zawiya from the rebels after fierce fighting there in February and March.
An influx of refugees into neighbouring Tunisia at a key border crossing has dropped off after the route from Tripoli was cut off by the fighting in Zawiya, one traveller said.
A refugee worker in Tunisia said Libyans coming from the east had been blocked at Zawiya and entry to Libya was banned to anyone wanting to travel to the city.
Fighting also broke out in Sabha, 800 kilometres by road south of Tripoli and a bastion of support for Mr Gaddafi, the rebel National Transitional Council said.
Fighters of the Awlad Suleiman tribe, a rival to the Gaddafis, "liberated several streets" on Saturday, the NTC said in a statement. Mr Gaddafi's forces had opened fire, killing one man.
The fighting in Sabha, with a population of about 100,000 people and home to an important military base, followed two days of anti-Gaddafi protests there, the statement said.
The rebels, who control most of eastern Libya as well as the port city of Misrata and a sprinkling of towns in the west, also reported fighting at Dafnia near Misrata on Saturday.
A rebel source said that on Friday, 20 people were killed when Mr Gaddafi's forces bombarded the Dafnia area with Grad rockets, heavy artillery and tank shells.
The fresh wave of fighting comes as Turkey said it offered Mr Gaddafi guarantees to leave Libya.
Russian envoy Mikhail Margelov said he would soon visit Tripoli to try to find a solution to the conflict.
International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, in an interview published on Sunday, said he hoped Mr Gaddafi "will be arrested" by his people in the weeks ahead to face crimes against humanity charges.
NATO, in its daily operation update, said the alliance's warplanes attacked several targets in the Tripoli area on Saturday, including storage facilities. An armoured vehicle was targeted in Misrata and a tank in Zintan, it said.
- AFP
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