Libya: Rebels Claim Win In Oil Port Battle
6:22pm UK, Friday March 11, 2011
Libyan rebels say they have fought off an attempt by dictator Muammar Gaddafi's militia to retake the oil port town of Ras Lanuf. Government troops backed by tanks and air power landed from the sea but after hours of fighting withdrew to the east, according to reports from the area. A large column of black smoke billowed from storage tanks after what the rebels claimed - and the government denied - was a series of attacks from the air on the plant.
The insurgents then regrouped outside the town and counter-attacked and seized it back, they said.
"There has been intense fighting with Gaddafi's forces. They have withdrawn from the residential area to the west. We are now combing the area," rebel fighter Mohammed Aboul Hassan said.
Many insurgents are angry with the West for its failure to support their cause.
They appealed to foreign powers to impose a no-fly zone to stop further attacks overrunning their three-week uprising.
"Where is the West? How are they helping? What are they doing?" shouted one angry fighter.
In Tripoli, Libyan security forces used tear gas and fired in the air to disperse worshippers near a mosque before they could even attempt any protest, witnesses reportedly said.
West of the capital, the revolt in Zawiyah was crushed and state television broadcast live pictures of jubilant Gaddafi supporters waving green flags in the main square.
The only town now holding out in western Libya is Misrata, about 200km (125 miles) east of Tripoli.
Britain and France faced scepticism from other EU members as they pushed for tough action against Gaddafi at a summit in Brussels, with Germany sounding a note of caution.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants the EU to follow his lead and recognise the rebel-led Libyan National Council as the legitimate authority.
He said France and Britain were "open", if the United Nations backed it, to "defensive" air strikes against Gaddafi's forces if they used chemical weapons or warplanes to target the civilian population.
But in practice, any military action will require the participation of the United States which, along with Nato, has expressed doubt over the wisdom of imposing no-fly zones without full international backing and a legal justification.
US National Intelligence chief James Clapper said Gaddafi was "in this for the long haul" and was likely to win in the end.
