#News: FFs descend from Nalut and Jadu to expel G-forces from Nafusa Mnts Jawsh, Tkut, Rways Ghazaya are free now

Thursday, July 28, 2011

FFs descend from Nalut and Jadu to expel G-forces from Nafusa Mnts Jawsh, Tkut, Rways Ghazaya are free now

Libyan opposition fighters in the western mountains have launched attacks on several government-controlled towns, hoping to push out loyalist troops and open a route to the border.
The attacks began around dawn on Thursday, as rebels descended from around the towns of Nalut and Jadu in an attempt to expel forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi from the Nafusa Mountain foothills.
By midday local time, rebels had taken and lost the town of al-Jawsh and reached the outskirts of Ghazaya, a significant base for Gaddafi's troops near the Tunisian border. Four rebels were killed and 10 injured, while 18 loyalist troops were captured, according to opposition sources.

Rebels from Nalut assemble before moving out to attack Gaddafi positions [Nalut Media Committee]

Al Jazeera's James Bays, who approached al-Jawsh with the rebel advance, said fighters initially took the town and moved on but were caught by a surprise counterattack.
Despite hitting al-Jawsh with artillery fire and attempting to clear out Gaddafi's troops, some regime forces apparently remained in town, while others fired Grad rockets after the rebels entered.
Farther west, Ghazaya had been bombard by rebel tanks and "long-range guns" throughout Wednesday night in preparation for the attack, an opposition source said.
The fight for Ghazaya continued into Thursday afternoon, and rebels claimed to have seized the nearby town of Takut. A rebel spokesman in Jadu claimed rebels had taken Ghazaya, but that claim was not confirmed by other sources.
Hundreds of trucks carrying hundreds of fighters were involved in the operation at al-Jawsh, Bays said.
It appeared to be the largest attack by opposition fighters in the Nafusa Mountains since the conflict began.