>Gadhafi forces repel rebels

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A sustained counterattack by Libyan government troops sent overmatched rebel fighters fleeing eastward for almost 100 miles Tuesday, erasing many of the weekend gains by opposition forces attempting to overthrow Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Panicked and badly rattled, hundreds of rebels sped away from the front to escape fierce rocket barrages by Gadhafi’s soldiers and militiamen. Rebel gun trucks raced three abreast and jostled madly for position on a coastal highway choked with retreating fighters and civilians. At one point, rebels surrendered 70 miles of terrain in just four hours.

It was a humiliating rout for a volunteer fighting force that had advanced 150 miles in 24 hours over the weekend behind allied airstrikes that pummeled government troops and armor. Many rebels had spoken confidently of marching on Tripoli, the capital, buoyed by false news reports Monday that their forces had captured Gadhafi’s hometown garrison of Sirte.

But by Tuesday afternoon, those same rebels were in headlong retreat from Bin Jawwad, which they had seized only Sunday. Many fled 25 miles east to Ras Lanuf, the oil city captured by the opposition Saturday. By nightfall, the city and its refinery were under government assault as the rebel retreat spilled farther east.

The swift battlefield reversal underscored the mercurial nature of the war in the east, where neither side seems strong enough to vanquish the other.

Nearly a month of fighting has raged back and forth across a 220-mile stretch of coastal wasteland in a nation with a coastline of nearly 1,100 miles.

The headlong retreat from Bin Jawwad marked the second time in just 23 days that government forces had routed rebels there. The town is on the fault line between eastern and western Libya, with several tribes in the area split between the two sides.

By nightfall Tuesday, some rebel gun trucks had retreated all way east to Uqaylah, 45 miles from Ras Lanuf — and nearly 120 miles from the spot where rebels had advanced to within 50 miles of Sirte 24 hours earlier.

Among those fleeing were rebels driving trucks mounted with the opposition’s most effective weapons: 106mm artillery, heavy machine guns and recoilless rifles. Rebels firing behind sand dunes shouted at them to turn around, but they ignored them and sped east.

Some fighters acknowledged that they felt helpless against the BM-21 Grad rocket systems that pounded rebel positions throughout the day. There was no sign near Bin Jawwad of Grad batteries that rebels seized from government forces last weekend.

“When the Grads hit, we all ran,” said Abdelsalam Ali, 37, a taxi driver armed with an assault rifle. “They’re too strong for us.”

Asked if he would stand his ground and fight if the government advance continued, Ali shrugged and replied, “It’s not wise to face these guys when they have heavy weapons and we don’t. I’m trying to do this in a safe way.”

Also fleeing was Mohammed Fatallah, 42, a businessman armed with a submachine gun manufactured in 1949. He said he also was leery of Grad rockets to stand and fight for Bin Jawwad.

“If the planes will hit Gadhafi’s men, well, then I’ll go there and fight,” Fatallah said. “If the planes don’t attack, we’ll get pushed back even more.”

Other lightly armed rebels said they retreated because they were told that only heavy machine guns and antiaircraft systems were needed at the front. But those claims proved suspect when rebel gun trucks fled from the front towing those very weapons.

Many rebels gave up any pretense, at least for the day, of marching on Sirte or on to Tripoli.

Gadhafi’s forces have built well-defended fortifications about 50 miles east of Sirte, which has been attacked by the Western-led alliance. But even after airstrikes routed Gadhafi’s men from eastern Libyan cities, government troops are still better armed and better led than the rebels.

The defense of Sirte is important to Gadhafi because it is the last major pro-Gadhafi redoubt between the current front and Tripoli, 275 miles west. The city is dominated by well-armed members of Gadhafi’s Gadhadhfa tribe.

More than 100 miles east of Sirte, gas shortages hobbled some rebel forces. Many rebel vehicles carry extra containers of gasoline. But some rebels, joined by civilians, crowded into gas stations closed for lack of electricity. Using rope, they lowered empty water bottles weighted with stones into underground storage tanks to scoop up gasoline.

Later, rebels set fire to an abandoned armored troop carrier and a cement truck as they retreated, apparently to keep them out of government hands.

The day began with a fierce government assault early Tuesday, the second in as many days. Rebels at first retreated to new lines a few miles east of a desert crossroads. There, they watched government rockets crash down two miles away, sending up plumes of dirty brown smoke.

The dull thump of artillery and heavy machine-gun fire sounded in and around Bin Jawwad at mid-day as rebels fought desperately to hold positions there.

Plumes of black smoke rose over the grimy coastal town as volleys of rocket and artillery fire echoed across the desert. Ambulances with blaring sirens sped west, their paramedics frantically treating wounded fighters.

At 2:30 p.m., a furious government fusillade stirred panic among rebel volunteers and defecting army regulars fighting alongside them. About 200 fighters suddenly abandoned their positions east of Bin Jawwad in a mad dash to safety.

Two larger, more chaotic retreats erupted an hour later as hundreds of rebels fled another 25 miles eastward. Some fired their weapons into the air at random. They were cursed by other fleeing fighters for wasting precious ammunition.

A few fighters shouted “Allahu Akbar!” — God is great — over their shoulders with little conviction as they abandoned the fight.

Those same rebels earlier had boldly proclaimed their intent to not only hold their ground but also mount an assault on Sirte. Bernwi, the exterminator-turned-fighter, vowed to march to Tripoli “to exterminate the biggest rat — Gadhafi.”

Just two hours later, a stiff desert wind blew in the faces of terrified fighters speeding east, and Bin Jawwad was abandoned to Gadhafi’s men.

The government counterattack began overnight with rocket barrages that scattered poorly organized rebel positions west of Bin Jawwad. By early morning Tuesday, dozens of rebels sped east into Bin Jawwad, fleeing gunfire and explosions.

Furious arguments broke out over the proper way to hold off the government assault. With no formal leadership and no coordinated tactics, the rebels are not a unified fighting force but a collection of enthusiastic but untrained men with guns.

Some fighters set up truck-mounted 106mm artillery tubes atop sand dunes and fired at advancing government forces. Others turned their gun trucks around and drove cautiously toward the fight, only to suddenly turn and flee again at the sound of enemy fire.

Still other fighters crouched behind sand dunes and embankments along the Mediterranean coast, armed only with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Some squinted helplessly through binoculars at Grad rockets exploding along the highway a mile west.

Rebels said they were lured by Gadhafi gunmen into an ambush late Monday about 50 miles east of Sirte. Bernwi and other gunmen said a group of government militiamen raised a white flag to draw the rebels close, then opened fire with heavy machine guns.

As the rebels retreated toward Bin Jawwad, they passed several groups of rebel fighters lounging on sand dunes and feasting on meals provided by rebel supporters.

The men were implored to stand and fight, retreating rebels said. But these fighters, too, turned their gun trucks around and sped east toward the rapidly collapsing rebel lines.

>Libya: Gaddafi forces keep up assault on rebel cities

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Fighting has been continuing in Libya for key cities after a fifth consecutive night of air strikes.

Overnight several loud explosions were heard in Tripoli

In Misrata, a rebel-held city east of the capital, government tanks have been shelling the area near the hospital.

There have also been reports of fierce fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces in strategic Ajdabiya. Residents fleeing the town described shelling, gunfire and houses on fire.

In Misrata, Libya’s third-largest city, witnesses had said on Wednesday that tanks had pulled back from their positions under air assault from international forces.

But later residents said the tanks had rolled back into the city and resumed shelling.

An explosion was also reported at a military base in the Tajura region east of Tripoli.

Residents in Tripoli said plumes of black smoke could be seen coming from an area near a military base, although this has not been independently confirmed.

Earlier, the US chief of staff for the mission in Libya insisted there had been no reports of civilian casualties caused by allied action.

Rear Admiral Gerard Hueber’s comments come despite claims to the contrary by Muammar Gaddafi’s government.

Operational control

Earlier, British Air Vice Marshal Greg Bagwell said Col Gaddafi’s air force no longer existed as a fighting force.

AVM Bagwell said the allies could now operate “with near impunity” over the skies of Libya and were now applying unrelenting pressure on the Libyan armed forces.

“We are watching over the innocent people of Libya and ensuring that we protect them from attack,” he said. “We have the Libyan ground forces under constant observation and we attack them whenever they threaten civilians or attack population centres.”

His comments came as Nato members debated who should lead the intervention, with the US keen to hand over operational control to Nato.

Nato members have been holding talks about assuming responsibility for the no-fly zone over Libya, so far without agreement.

Turkey is an integral part of the naval blockade, but has expressed concern about the alliance taking over command of the no-fly zone from the US.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has again urged Col Gaddafi to step down and leave Libya.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged all sides in Libya to cease hostilities. “All those who violate international humanitarian and human rights law will be held fully accountable,” his spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is in the Egyptian capital Cairo for talks on both Libya and Egypt’s hoped-for transition to democracy following the fall of Hosni Mubarak.

>Battles rage for control of Libya (Video)

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Anti-Gaddafi fighters continue to come under fire, unable to progress further in their fight to reclaim the town of Ajdabiya.

Finding themselves outgunned – and with no communication facilities and little structure to their forces – they have been left to run sporadic raids against troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, before coming under fire and returning to their orginal lines on the road from Benghazi.

Mohamed Hariri, a Libyan former special forces colonel, tells Al Jazeera the young volunteers, lacking experience and training, are brave “to the point of being suicidal”.

“They are really heroes,” he said. “Why else would these young people sacrifice themselves, so this country can have a better life?”

Airstrikes continue

Overnight, anti-aircraft fire erupted over the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after a day of heavy fighting between pro-democracy fighters and Gaddafi’s troops.

Gunner crews began shooting at aerial targets shortly after nightfall in the capital on Tuesday, four nights after an international military coalition launched an operation to enforce a no-fly zone over the country.

“We’ve been hearing big noises. We’ve heard some explosions in the last 10 minutes,” Al Jazeera’s Anita McNaught, reporting from Tripoli, said.

“We haven’t seen any smoke on the horizon. People are firing guns in defiance. We’re in the loyalist heartland here where people are utterly defiant of the international effort to force Gaddafi to surrender, as they would see it.

“The anti-aircraft fire has not been as intense [as Monday night when two naval installations outside the city were hit]. Perhaps they feel in the immediate neighbourhood that most of the significant targets have already been hit.”

The AFP news agency reported that at least two blasts were heard at a distance before the capital’s air defences opened fire.

Several strong detonations followed, said the journalists who were unable to determine the site of the explosions.

They said anti-aircraft fire streaked into the night sky for around 10 minutes, especially in the area near Gaddafi’s residence, not far from the hotel where the international press corps is housed.

In the previous night’s operations, the coalition air campaign suffered its first loss with the crash of a US fighter jet in the rebel-held east.

Both crew ejected safely.

The no-fly zone is intended to protect civilians from attack by forces loyal to Gaddafi in their battles with opposition fighters. The United States announced on Tuesday that it is shifting its focus to widen the no-fly zone across the north African country.

Despite the strikes, Gaddafi has remained defiant. The Libyan leader made a public appearance at his Bab Al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli that was the target on Sunday of a coalition missile strike, Libyan state television reported.

In televised remarks, Gaddafi said Libya was “ready for battle, be it long or short”.

“We will win this battle,” footage showed him telling supporters at the compound. “The masses were the strongest anti-air defences.”

“This assault … is by a bunch of fascists who will end up in the dustbin of history.”

Fighting rages

The developments came after a day of intense fighting in the three Libyan cities of Misurata, Ajdabiya and Zintan.

Forces loyal to Gaddafi have been shelling Misurata for days, pressing their siege of the embattled western city. Four children were killed in the shelling on Tuesday and at least 40 people were killed on Monday, a resident said.

There was also fierce fighting further east in Ajdabiya. Opposition fighters were seen retreating in the face of an attack by government forces.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Birtley, reporting from an area close to Ajdabiya, said there had been clashes outside the city.

“There’s been heavy fighting and heavy shelling going on … the rebels told me there have been heavy casualties and there are a number of corpses between here and the town [of Ajdabiya] that they have been unable to reach,” he said.

Meanwhile, around 106km south of Tripoli, Libyan pro-democracy fighters forced government troops to withdraw from the outskirts of Zintan, breaking a siege of the town.

A resident of Zintan told the Reuters news agency that at least 10 people were killed in the bombardment by Gaddafi’s forces.

“Gaddafi’s forces bombarded Zintan this morning and killed 10 to 15 people,” Abdulrahman said.

“After the bombardment they retreated from the eastern area of Zintan. But they have not withdrawn from the northern area. There is still a huge number of soldiers there, backed with 50 to 60 tanks and several vehicles.”

>Breaking News: Gaddafi vows ‘no mercy’ in attack on Benghazi

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TRIPOLI: Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi said his forces will soon launch an assault on rebel stronghold Benghazi, saying “traitors” would be showed no mercy but those who laid down their arms would be spared.

“The decision has been taken. Prepare yourselves. We will arrive tonight,” Gaddafi said on state television.

“We will chase the traitors from Benghazi,” he told his troops. “Destroy their fortifications. Show them no mercy. The world needs to see Benghazi free.”

Meanwhile, he said “those who surrender and throw down their arms will be saved.”

Sticking to recurring claims throughout the month-old rebellion that al-Qaida is behind it, Gaddafi said “we will hunt down the miscreants and bearded ones that have destroyed out country and we will punish them without mercy.”

“We will also punish the mercenaries who have served them,” he added, without saying to whom he was referring.

Gaddafi said the insurgents “take their strength from lies, and you do not have to spare them.”

Touching on another recurring theme of his public statements about the rebels, he said they needed to be “hunted down in every neighbourhood, every street, every house.”

Gaddafi, who came to power in a bloodless 1969 coup against Libya’s monarchy, said “I freed Benghazi with my rifle, and Benghazi will not betray me. Tomorrow Benghazi will be free.”

He accused the rebels of using people who had fled from prisons, criminals and murderers to do the “traitorous acts.”

This “handful of drug addicts and criminals are in the process of making a racket so that the Americans and the Europeans can come into hour houses, humiliate you and stain your honour.”

>Libyan rebels say Ras Lanuf under heavy bombardment

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The rebel leadership said on Thursday that the oil port of Ras Lanuf in eastern Libya is under heavy bombardment.
Asked about a Libyan state television report that government forces had cleared Ras Lanuf of “armed gangs”, Hafiz Ghoga, spokesman for the National Libyan Council, said: “No, this is not accurate.”

>Libya: UN appoints envoy and agrees humanitarian visit

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The UN has appointed a new envoy on Libya and is to send a humanitarian team as the battle between forces loyal to Col Gaddafi and rebels intensifies.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon named a former Jordanian minister to deal with Libya and said Col Gaddafi had agreed to allow an assessment team into Tripoli.

The UN’s top humanitarian official also demanded urgent access to the town of Misrata after fierce fighting there.

 Rebels have been trying to fight off a counter-offensive by Gaddafi forces.

Col Gaddafi’s forces have been attacking both near Tripoli and in the east after recent rebel gains.

‘Hospital bombed’

A statement from Mr Ban’s office said the UN secretary general “notes that civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence, and calls for an immediate halt to the government’s disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets”.

The statement continued: “He stresses that those who violate international humanitarian law or commit grave crimes must be held accountable.”

Mr Ban has appointed Jordan’s former foreign minister, Abdelilah Al-Khatib, as his special envoy “to undertake urgent consultations with the authorities in Tripoli and in the region on the immediate humanitarian situation,” the statement said.

Mr Ban also said Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa had agreed to accept the immediate dispatch of a humanitarian assessment team to the capital.

UN relief co-ordinator Valerie Amos said that after heavy fighting in Misrata, 200km (125 miles) east of Tripoli, “people are injured and dying and need help immediately”.

Government troops with tanks and artillery fought their way into rebel-held Misrata on Saturday before being forced back.

“I call on the authorities to provide access without delay to allow aid workers to help save lives,” Baroness Amos said.

A local doctor told the BBC that 21 dead and more than 100 wounded had arrived at his hospital, which he said was also targeted by government troops.

He said the fighting went on for at least six hours.

“They bombed all the houses with heavy weapons. They intentionally gunned and exploded our drug store. They bombed even around our hospital but fortunately nobody was injured. More than five mosques which I know are bombed.”

A resident of Misrata, Mohamed Benrasali, told the BBC there were joyous scenes there as the Gaddafi forces were turned back.

He said one government tank had been blown up and 16 Gaddafi soldiers killed. Other soldiers had been captured and would be interrogated on Monday.

With a population of 300,000, Misrata is the largest town controlled by rebels outside their stronghold in the eastern part of the country.

Residents have called for the international community to establish a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Col Gaddafi’s air force from attacking.

In the US, ex-ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson and ex-national security adviser Stephen Hadley were among those advocating the supply of arms to rebels.

‘Bigger attack’

Rebels in Zawiya, 50km west of Tripoli, also said they repulsed an attack by government forces on Sunday.

“There was a new attack, bigger than yesterday,” rebel spokesman Youssef Shagan told Reuters.

“There were one-and-a-half hours of fighting… Two people were killed from our side and many more injured. We are still in full control of the square.”

The anti-government forces are centred in the eastern city of Benghazi. The rebels have set up a Transitional National Council that has called on the international community to recognise it as Libya’s sole government.

On Sunday troops backed by helicopter gunships had attacked the major oil town of Ras Lanuf which was taken by rebel forces on Saturday. It is 160km east of Col Gaddafi’s well-defended hometown of Sirte.

Rebels said their forces withdrew from Bin Jawad – about 50km north-west of Ras Lanuf – after coming under attack when they advanced.

The UN estimates that more than 1,000 people have died in nearly three weeks of unrest in Libya, which follows public protests in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt that saw their longtime authoritarian leaders overthrown.

An estimated 200,000 people – mostly foreign workers – have fled the country, creating a humanitarian crisis along Libya’s border with Tunisia.

The UN Security Council approved sanctions last week imposing asset freezes and travel bans on Col Gaddafi and his family and aides.

The resolution also referred Col Gaddafi and his inner circle to the International Criminal Court for investigation of crimes against humanity.