A wounded prisoner from Gadhafi’s forces is transported in the back of a pickup truck by rebels, to take him to a hospital for treatment, half way between Brega and Ajdabiya, in Libya on Saturday, April 9. Rebels say they took two prisoners after a clash on Saturday with soldiers near Brega’s university outside the government-controlled oil facilities, marking a noticeable advance by rebels struggling to push back Moammar Gadhafi’s forces. (AP Photo)
Tripoli, April 9 (PTI): Muammar Gaddafi's forces on Saturday pushed ahead towards the eastern town of Ajdabiya, the gateway to the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, as five people were killed in heavy fighting for the western city of Misurata which lies encircled by government troops. After forcing the rebels to retreat from the oil town of Brega, Gaddafi's tanks and heavy artillery are pushing ahead to retake Ajdabiya which lies midway between Brega and Benghazi.
On the western front, Libyan rebels claimed to have pushed back an advance by Gaddafi's forces into Misurata, with five people killed in the fighting for the besieged city. Fierce street fighting was witnessed as Gaddafi's forces mounted an assault on the eastern part of the port city that is the only major rebel stronghold in the west of the country.
Reports from the east said rebel fighters came under heavy artillery fire from the advancing government forces in of Ajdabiya. The last few weeks have seen a military stalemate grow in the east with both sides advancing and retreating across enemy lines. Coming under heavy shelling, the rebels had retreated from the outskirts of Brega and were struggling to hold their ground.
In Ajdabiya as well, intense artillery fire was making lives difficult for the rebels. Misurata has been the centre of a weeks-long siege with the rebels managing to hold out to their major western post in the face of an advancing Libyan military in other parts of the country.
Severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies are being experienced by the besieged people and hospitals are overflowing with patients, Al Jazeera reported. Terrified people are crammed into the few remaining safe districts -- five families to a house -- to escape incessant mortar and rocket fire.
A resident was quoted as saying that five people were killed and 10 others were wounded in the fighting today. A rebel spokesman said government troops had advanced on the heavily populated Esqeer district in an effort to loosen the rebels' grip on Misurata. He said the attack had been repelled and the forces pushed back for now.
With the situation in Libya descending into a stalemate, international voices are growing in favour of seeking a ceasefire and a political solution. A group of African Union leaders, including South African President Jacob Zuma, will visit Libya this weekend and meet representatives of both sides.
The South African foreign ministry said that the AU panel will meet Gaddafi in Tripoli and rebel leaders in Benghazi to seek an immediate end to the conflict. The panel, which includes leaders of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, South Africa and Uganda, had been scheduled to visit Libya last month but had to cancel the trip after failing to obtain permission to enter the country as Western nations began implementing a no-fly zone. Before starting their visit to Libya, the leaders will first meet in Mauritania.
Meanwhile, weapons depots belonging to Gaddafi's forces near the town of Zintan were hit by NATO air strikes yesterday, and residents said they saw the buildings on fire. Al Jazeera said rebels at the western boundary of Ajdabiya, still jittery after the friendly fire accident, fled from an artillery bombardment though there was no immediate sign of a government advance.
On the western front, Libyan rebels claimed to have pushed back an advance by Gaddafi's forces into Misurata, with five people killed in the fighting for the besieged city. Fierce street fighting was witnessed as Gaddafi's forces mounted an assault on the eastern part of the port city that is the only major rebel stronghold in the west of the country.
Reports from the east said rebel fighters came under heavy artillery fire from the advancing government forces in of Ajdabiya. The last few weeks have seen a military stalemate grow in the east with both sides advancing and retreating across enemy lines. Coming under heavy shelling, the rebels had retreated from the outskirts of Brega and were struggling to hold their ground.
In Ajdabiya as well, intense artillery fire was making lives difficult for the rebels. Misurata has been the centre of a weeks-long siege with the rebels managing to hold out to their major western post in the face of an advancing Libyan military in other parts of the country.
Severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies are being experienced by the besieged people and hospitals are overflowing with patients, Al Jazeera reported. Terrified people are crammed into the few remaining safe districts -- five families to a house -- to escape incessant mortar and rocket fire.
A resident was quoted as saying that five people were killed and 10 others were wounded in the fighting today. A rebel spokesman said government troops had advanced on the heavily populated Esqeer district in an effort to loosen the rebels' grip on Misurata. He said the attack had been repelled and the forces pushed back for now.
With the situation in Libya descending into a stalemate, international voices are growing in favour of seeking a ceasefire and a political solution. A group of African Union leaders, including South African President Jacob Zuma, will visit Libya this weekend and meet representatives of both sides.
The South African foreign ministry said that the AU panel will meet Gaddafi in Tripoli and rebel leaders in Benghazi to seek an immediate end to the conflict. The panel, which includes leaders of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, South Africa and Uganda, had been scheduled to visit Libya last month but had to cancel the trip after failing to obtain permission to enter the country as Western nations began implementing a no-fly zone. Before starting their visit to Libya, the leaders will first meet in Mauritania.
Meanwhile, weapons depots belonging to Gaddafi's forces near the town of Zintan were hit by NATO air strikes yesterday, and residents said they saw the buildings on fire. Al Jazeera said rebels at the western boundary of Ajdabiya, still jittery after the friendly fire accident, fled from an artillery bombardment though there was no immediate sign of a government advance.
24 Syrian protesters killed: Rights activist
DAMASCUS, April 9 (AFP): Anti-government demonstrations across Syria saw 24 protesters killed in clashes with security forces as thousands marched for change on Friday, the head of the National Organisation for Human Rights said. Residents in the southern city of Daraa, which has become a focal point for opponents of the regime, reported that demonstrators had been fired on, sprayed with tear gas and targeted by other violent crowd control tactics.
"We have the names of 19 demonstrators killed in Daraa, and we have been told of the deaths of two protesters in Homs and three in Harasta," Ammar Qurabi told AFP by telephone from Cairo, where he lives in exile. "We are aware that live bullets, tear gas and another gas that causes fainting were used," he added.
Earlier, other activists said 13 protesters had been killed in Daraa, a number of people wounded in the central industrial city of Homs and also spoke of fighting in Harasta, a Damascus suburb. President Bashar al-Assad, under pressure to introduce major political reforms and end emergency powers which give security services great leeway to crush dissent, had ordered a probe into previous protest casualties in Daraa. The official SANA news agency said 19 members of the security forces were killed and 75 were wounded by "armed groups" in Daraa. US President Barack Obama condemned what he called an "abhorrent" crackdown on the demonstrators and also hit out at violence committed by protesters.
"I strongly condemn the abhorrent violence committed against peaceful protesters by the Syrian government today and over the past few weeks," Obama said in a written statement, the latest in a flurry of US rebukes of Damascus. "I also condemn any use of violence by protesters. I call upon the Syrian authorities to refrain from any further violence against peaceful protesters."
The interior ministry said Syrian authorities will face up to armed groups firing indiscriminately on demonstrators and security forces. "We will not allow confusion between peaceful demonstrations and (acts of) sabotage (aimed at) sowing discord, harming national unity and destabilising the foundations of Syrian policy," said a statement published early Saturday by SANA. The statement spoke of "plotters... pushed by known foreign parties who reject the reforms and turn up their noses at the popular demands."
"These people have infiltrated the ranks of the demonstrators and fired indiscriminately to sow discord between the citizens and the security forces. They have set fire to public institutions, attacked soldiers and security agents who refrained from opening fire, which caused a large number of dead and wounded among them," the statement said. State television said "saboteurs and conspirators opened fire on residents and security forces" alike in Daraa, killing two people -- an officer and an ambulance man.
"We have the names of 19 demonstrators killed in Daraa, and we have been told of the deaths of two protesters in Homs and three in Harasta," Ammar Qurabi told AFP by telephone from Cairo, where he lives in exile. "We are aware that live bullets, tear gas and another gas that causes fainting were used," he added.
Earlier, other activists said 13 protesters had been killed in Daraa, a number of people wounded in the central industrial city of Homs and also spoke of fighting in Harasta, a Damascus suburb. President Bashar al-Assad, under pressure to introduce major political reforms and end emergency powers which give security services great leeway to crush dissent, had ordered a probe into previous protest casualties in Daraa. The official SANA news agency said 19 members of the security forces were killed and 75 were wounded by "armed groups" in Daraa. US President Barack Obama condemned what he called an "abhorrent" crackdown on the demonstrators and also hit out at violence committed by protesters.
"I strongly condemn the abhorrent violence committed against peaceful protesters by the Syrian government today and over the past few weeks," Obama said in a written statement, the latest in a flurry of US rebukes of Damascus. "I also condemn any use of violence by protesters. I call upon the Syrian authorities to refrain from any further violence against peaceful protesters."
The interior ministry said Syrian authorities will face up to armed groups firing indiscriminately on demonstrators and security forces. "We will not allow confusion between peaceful demonstrations and (acts of) sabotage (aimed at) sowing discord, harming national unity and destabilising the foundations of Syrian policy," said a statement published early Saturday by SANA. The statement spoke of "plotters... pushed by known foreign parties who reject the reforms and turn up their noses at the popular demands."
"These people have infiltrated the ranks of the demonstrators and fired indiscriminately to sow discord between the citizens and the security forces. They have set fire to public institutions, attacked soldiers and security agents who refrained from opening fire, which caused a large number of dead and wounded among them," the statement said. State television said "saboteurs and conspirators opened fire on residents and security forces" alike in Daraa, killing two people -- an officer and an ambulance man.
