Revolutionaries repel attack on western town of Zawiya
Libyan revolutionaries pursue westward drive
Libyan fighters prepare to leave the oil town of Ras Lanuf to the west
CAIRO/Ras Lanouf, LIBYA (Agencies)
Libyan revolutionaries on Saturday advanced further west along the Mediterranean coast to Bin Jawad, inching closer towards Muammer Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, an AFP reporter said.
"We pushed them past Bin Jawad and today we will pound them back to Sirte," said one fighter, an officer who defected from the military when the uprising began more than two weeks ago.
"We pushed them past Bin Jawad and today we will pound them back to Sirte," said one fighter, an officer who defected from the military when the uprising began more than two weeks ago.
An AFP reporter saw groups of revolutionaries in Bin Jawad, a small settlement of two restaurants, shacks and houses, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) from Sirte.
Libyan planes were circling over Bin Jawad and the small oil town of Ras Lanuf further east, which the rebels seized after heavy fighting with pro-Gaddafi forces on Friday.
Defected soldier Ibrahim al-Atrashi said that 16 rebels died in the fighting on Friday. Medics have confirmed at least 10 of the deaths.
"In the last three days, 7,000 men have moved from Benghazi west towards the front," he claimed. He also said 25 Gaddafi soldiers were killed in fighting on Friday, but the information was impossible to confirm independently.
Among rebels, there were reports of negotiations for a peaceful entry into Sirte, although that would seem unlikely given its symbolism for Libyan leader Gaddafi.
Asked when the rebels would advance further towards Sirte, a retired army soldier turned rebel said it would depend on reinforcements and the weather. A dust storm had drastically reduced visibility in Ras Lanuf on Saturday.
Libyan planes were circling over Bin Jawad and the small oil town of Ras Lanuf further east, which the rebels seized after heavy fighting with pro-Gaddafi forces on Friday.
Defected soldier Ibrahim al-Atrashi said that 16 rebels died in the fighting on Friday. Medics have confirmed at least 10 of the deaths.
"In the last three days, 7,000 men have moved from Benghazi west towards the front," he claimed. He also said 25 Gaddafi soldiers were killed in fighting on Friday, but the information was impossible to confirm independently.
Among rebels, there were reports of negotiations for a peaceful entry into Sirte, although that would seem unlikely given its symbolism for Libyan leader Gaddafi.
Asked when the rebels would advance further towards Sirte, a retired army soldier turned rebel said it would depend on reinforcements and the weather. A dust storm had drastically reduced visibility in Ras Lanuf on Saturday.
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