LIBYA: Rebels regain ground in new advance on contested oil port of Brega

Record ID: 375109

  • Title: LIBYA: Rebels regain ground in new advance on contested oil port of Brega
  • Date: 7th April 2011
  • Summary: ON THE ROAD BETWEEN ADJABIYAH AND BREGA, LIBYA (APRIL 6, 2011) (REUTERS) REBELS ON PICK-UP TRUCK WITH HEAVY ARTILLERY MULTI ROCKET LAUNCHER ON BACK OF PICK-UP TRUCK REBEL SHOUTING "ALLAHU AKBAR" VARIOUS OF REBELS IN PICK-UP TRUCK VEHICLE IN THE DESERT VARIOUS OF REBELS DRIVING VEHICLES REBELS SITTING ATOP VEHICLES REBEL LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS REBEL WALKING SM
  • Embargoed: 22nd April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: War / Fighting
  • Reuters ID: LVA8JRDVH12LM4THRGF24BXKJJ1Z
  • Story Text: Libyan rebels pushed back towards the contested oil port of Brega on Wednesday (April 6) regaining mostly desert territory lost to Muammar Gaddafi's army the day before.
    At the tiny outpost of al-Arbaeen, half way between Brega and rebel stronghold Ajdabiyah, on the Mediterranean coastal road, rebels returning from the front reported rocket duels close to the port.
    The rebels had clearly made ground after retreating at least 40 km on Tuesday (April 5) but it was impossible to verify accounts that they were back close to sparsely populated Brega, which sprawls across about 25 km (15 miles).
    The conflict in the east has reached stalemate with Western air power preventing Gaddafi landing a knockout blow and the rebels' rag-tag army unable to push closer towards Tripoli.
    Fighting along the open desert road is extremely fluid and territory has been lost and won very quickly.
    As rebels in pick-ups piled with weapons headed west from Ajdabiyah and civilians fleeing the fighting passed them in the opposite direction, anger has mounted over alleged lack of air strikes by NATO.
    Rebels have accused NATO of being too slow to order air strikes, saying Gaddafi's forces have been allowed to slaughter civilians in the besieged and isolated western city of Misrata.
    NATO denies the pace of air strikes has abated since it took over from a coalition led by the United States, Britain and France on March 31.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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