Gaddafi troops' 'gains' disputed Eyewitnesses and rebels say four towns which Libyan forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi claim to have retaken remain under rebel control.
BBC correspondents say that Tobruk and Ras Lanuf remain in rebel hands. Anti-Gaddafi forces still control Misrata and Zawiya, residents and rebels said. But both Misrata and Ras Lanuf came under renewed attack on Sunday, and clashes have been reported in the small town of Bin Jawad. In the capital, Tripoli, officials said pre-dawn gunfire there was celebrating pro-Gaddafi "gains" of the towns. The BBC's Wyre Davies in Tripoli says many people there first thought the firing was clashes between pro- and anti-government forces. 'Dancing in the square' Ras Lanuf - 160km (100 miles) east of Sirte - was taken by opposition forces on Saturday. The BBC's Nick Springate went into Ras Lanuf on Sunday and confirmed that it was still held by the opposition and that there are no pro-Gaddafi forces nearby. Ras Lanuf is under control of the opposition forces. Colonel Gaddafi's forces have not taken Ras Lanuf and they have not come within 50km of the town since it was taken by opposition forces on Saturday evening. I'm in the centre of the oil town. The refinery, the buildings, the roads are completely controlled; there are vehicles with anti-aircraft weapons on top of them. In the last few minutes, two planes flew overhead and anti-aircraft guns belonging to the opposition are trying to target them. At the moment the central road that runs along the coast from Ras Lanuf to Bin Jawad is seeing clashes between Gaddafi loyalists and opposition fighters. Ras Lanuf, an important town because of its major oil refinery. is also significant as it is near the town of Sirte, where Col Gaddafi was born. Many people within the opposition believe that if Sirte were to fall, then Col Gaddafi will fall. However the major oil town has seen overflights by planes loyal to the government, and rebel fighters are trying to target them, says our correspondent. About 50km north-west of Ras Lanuf, clashes were reported in Bin Jawad. Rebels said their forces withdrew after coming under attack when they advanced. Doctors told the French news agency AFP that two people had been killed and about 40 were wounded in the fighting. A local doctor in Misrata, 200km east of Tripoli, told the BBC that the situation had become "very bad" after pro-Gaddafi forces with tanks and armoured cars went into the city centre and opened fire. He said they shot at people whether they were armed or not, and that three people had been killed. Earlier, machinegun and heavy weapons fire could be heard across the capital Tripoli, starting at about 0545 (0345 GMT). Government spokesman Musa Ibrahim said the gunfire was celebratory because the "government forces have in the last 12 hours crushed rebel groups in Ras Lanuf, Zawiya and Misrata." He said there was no fighting going on in Tripoli. Tripoli has been Col Gaddafi's main stronghold as he attempts to reassert control over the country from rebels who have taken much of the east of the country as well as some towns closer to Tripoli, in the west. On Saturday, residents of Zawiya, 50km west of Tripoli, said Col Gaddafi's troops had fired indiscriminately on civilians as they attempted to capture the town. map In their eastern stronghold of Benghazi, rebels formed a 30-member National Libyan Council which claims to now be the country's sole representative. The UN estimates that more than 1,000 people have died in the unrest in Libya, which follows public protests in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt that saw their presidents overthrown. 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. But in an interview with a French newspaper published on Sunday, Col Gaddafi said he would welcome a United Nations or African Union investigation into the violence in the country. In a separate development, the UK Ministry of Defence has declined to comment on a report in a Sunday newspaper that eight members of the SAS have been seized by rebel forces in Libya. The Sunday Times claims the plain clothes, armed men were trying to put UK diplomats in touch with rebels trying to topple the Gaddafi regime. ------------------------------------ Post message: prole...@egroups.com Subscribe : proletar-subscr...@egroups.com Unsubscribe : proletar-unsubscr...@egroups.com List owner : proletar-ow...@egroups.com Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! 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