Libyan military slows rebel advance on 'Gaddafi power base' Sirte
By ANI | ANI – Tue, Mar 8, 2011 11:59 AM ISTTripoli, Mar 8(ANI): Libyan military has reportedly launched fresh air strikes on rebel forces to halt their advance on leader Muammar Gaddafi's hometown and power base, Sirte.
Sirte is the midway point between rebel-held Benghazi and Gadhafi's stronghold of Tripoli.
The strikes were part of a government offensive that has thrown tanks, jets and troops into the battle to halt the rebel advance.
"It's a very volatile atmosphere and Gaddafi's forces are taking on the rebels head-on," Sky News quoted its correspondent in Libya, Dominic Waghorn, as saying.
"When we witnessed the air strike by a Libyan Air Force fighter jet, the rebels opened up an extraordinary array of weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, and everything was being fired into the air," he added.
In Bin Jawad, 100 miles from Sirte, doctors said that seven people were killed and 50 were wounded when rebel forces were ambushed.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths and injuries has prompted the United Nations to demand urgent access to the civilian population.
Tens of thousands have fled the violence in Libya and crossed the border to Tunisia since the uprising prompted a crackdown by security forces.
An official said that over 213,000 foreign workers have fled already, and hundreds of thousands are struggling to get out. (ANI)
