BENGHAZI, Libya — Moammar Khadafy’s forces swept rebels from a key oil town Sunday with waves of strikes from warships, tanks and warplanes, closing on the opposition-held eastern half of Libya as insurgents pleaded for a U.N.-imposed no-fly zone.
Khadafy’s troops have been emboldened by a string of victories in the struggle for Libya’s main coastal highway, but their supply lines are stretched and their dependence on artillery, airstrikes and naval attacks makes it hard for them to swiftly consolidate control of territory, particularly at night.
The insurgents claimed they moved back into the strategic town of Brega after dusk in a fast-moving battle with a constantly shifting front line, destroying armored vehicles and capturing dozens of fighters from Khadafy’s elite Khamis Brigade.
Meeting of minds
The United States sent U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton to meet with rebel leaders in Paris today as world powers consider trying to ground Khadafy’s air force.
The Obama administration and other governments have expressed deep reservations about a tactic that would require them to destroy Kha dafy’s air defenses and possibly shoot down his planes. The Arab League raised the pressure on the U.S. and its NATO allies Saturday by asking the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone, but a day later they appeared no closer to taking action.
“This was a rare decision of the Arab League,” rebel spokesman Abdul Basit al-Muzayrik told Al-Jazeera. “We call on the international community to quickly make a firm decision against these crimes.”
The poorly equipped and loosely organized rebel fighters said throughout the day they were fleeing the oil town of Brega under heavy attack, losing a vital source of fuel for their vehicles and leaving Khadafy’s military less than 150 miles from the main opposition city of Benghazi.
A spokesman for Khadafy’s military declared it had seized control of the town and was “dealing with the situation.”
It was impossible to independently confirm either side’s account because it has become too dangerous for reporters to operate in the contested area.
Ajdabiya is the only other major population center between Khadafy’s forces and the rebel headquarters. If his successes continue, the Libyan strongman will soon face the choice of consolidating his control of the Mediterranean coast or moving swiftly toward Ben ghazi and the prospect of a devastating battle.
“Benghazi doesn’t deserve a full-scale military action,” army spokesman Milad Hussein told reporters in the capital, Tripoli. “They are a group of rats and vermin, and as soon as we go in, they will raise their hands and surrender.”
The rebels were trying to secure the southern and eastern roads to Ajdabiya and storing provisions and weapons there after the loss of free access to gasoline in Brega.
“I think they are bombing heavily because they want to win time before a no-fly zone is imposed,” one rebel shouted over the phone.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, he said the opposition was bracing for conflict in Ajdabiya by evacuating doctors and the wounded from there too.
Facing superior troops
An opposition leader in Aj dabiya said the rebels planned to retake Brega and were attacking Khadafy’s forces with guns and roadside bombs as they moved in reinforcements from government-held cities in the West.
Another rebel said that after their initial defeat, opposition forces destroyed armored vehicles and captured dozens of fighters from Khadafy’s elite Khamis Brigade, driving others back into Brega’s airport.
A fourth opposition fighter told The Associated Press by telephone that celebrations had broken out in the nearby city of Ajdabiya, and celebratory gunfire, honking and shouting could be heard in the background.
“We are on our way to Brega to celebrate with our brothers there,” he said.
However, about an hour later he said Khadafy’s forces had pushed the rebels back to a town called al-Ojela, about 12 miles east of Brega.
The rebels fighting to oust Khadafy from power after more than 41 years were inspired by protesters who toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. A week ago, they held the entire eastern half of the country and were charging toward the capital, Tripoli.
Then Khadafy’s troops began reversing those early gains with superior weaponry and firepower from the air.
Khadafy’s forces also appeared to edge closer to Misurata, battling rebel fighters on the outskirts of Libya’s third-largest city, 125 miles southeast of Tripoli, residents reported.
