AJDABIYA, Libya — The front line for control of Libya moved to its most eastern point in three weeks Saturday as forces loyal to Moammar Khadafy stormed rebel-held Ajdabiya in a fleet of pickups.
Rebels who swept in to defend the town 100 miles from the opposition capital of Benghazi were hit by fire from pro-Khadafy snipers and a rain of artillery shells. Street battles raged for hours inside the town, which was largely empty of unarmed civilians.
There was no sign of NATO aircraft during the battle, though a rebel spokesman said aircraft had hit Khadafy positions before dawn. Airstrikes have been crucial to rebel military successes.
Libyan state television showed what it claimed were live images of Khadafy supporters celebrating in the streets of Ajdabiya, though by nightfall rebels said they had chased most of the loyalists out of town. Fighting continued near the town’s western gate, which Khadafy’s forces have pummeled since Thursday with missile strikes and mortar rounds.
The battle appeared to show a rebel movement hanging by a thread, barely able to retain a key gateway to its capital, a city of about 1 million people.
The ragtag opposition forces seemed surprised when Khadafy’s fighters — riding in about 30 four-wheel-drive vehicles, some equipped with Russian-made Grad missile launchers — attacked Ajdabiya from three directions, including the southern desert and two western roads.
The loyalist attack showed the degree to which the Khadafy forces have adapted to conditions on the ground, where heavy tanks and artillery have become easy targets for NATO jets enforcing a U.N. resolution intended to protect civilians.
Switching to civilian vehicles and light weapons, the Khadafy forces are now using the same equipment as the rebels, confusing NATO air crews and leading to two mistaken NATO airstrikes on rebel positions that killed at least 18 people in the past week.
