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Gaddafi denies loss of oil townhttp://bit.ly/q3QqzE #libya#feb17
Gaddafi denies loss of oil town
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has denied that rebel forces have captured the strategic eastern oil town of Brega.
The embattled dictator also vowed once again to “fight to the last drop of blood” for control of the beleaguered North African nation’s rich oil reserves.
Rebel groups besieged Brega on the oil-rich Gulf of Sirte late last week, finally entering the town on Sunday. Yesterday a spokesperson for the rebels said they were in “full control” of the town as Gaddafi loyalists fled west to nearby Ras Lanuf.
Libyan government spokesperson, Moussa Ibrahim, told reporters in Tripoli yesterday: "They [rebels] tried to recapture the town, but were repulsed losing 500 of their fighters in the battle.”
Although reports have surfaced of some casualties on the rebels’ side, Ibrahim’s number far outweighs any figures so far reported.
Brega is a key staging post in the battle for control of oil production from the south of the country and export through the Mediterranean.
In the early days of the uprising which swept through Libya from mid February, control of the port and town swapped hands between rebels and Gaddafi forces, though the latter has maintained control for most of the past few months.
The rebels’ advance has been aided by NATO bombing of Gaddafi-controlled assets in and around the town in recent weeks. Within the past 24 hours the coalition force hit five armed vehicles and one armoured fighting vehicle in the vicinity of Brega.
Speaking at a rally yesterday in Aziziya, near Tripoli, Gaddafi told supporters that he is not giving up the fight against opposition forces.
"We are in our own home, and we will fight to the last drop of blood to defend our honour, our oil and our riches," he
