RAS LANUF // Libyan fighter jets strafed rebel positions on the edge of the key oil port of Ras Lanuf, forcing the rag-tag fighters to cede ground to Muammar Qaddafi's advancing forces amid fears government forces were preparing a major attack.
Witnesses said an unknown number of people were killed the air strike on Ras Lanuf, including at least two children. Earlier in the day, soldiers pounded rebel positions in the town with rockets and gunfire to halt their rapid advance west from the town towards Sirte, Col Qaddafi's hometown and stronghold, and the capital Tripoli. Government troops under air cover were later reported heading towards Ras Lanuf, which contains Libya's biggest oil refinery and was seized by the rebels on March 5.
Clashes during the past two days have become more deadly as the rebels moved along the Libyan coast towards Tripoli and government troops escalated their effort to retake two opposition-held cities near the capital, Misrata and Zawiyah. The front line is ill-defined and fast-moving.
Residents said pro-Qaddafi forced also punched into Misrata, 200km east of Tripoli, with mortars and tanks but were pushed out five hours later by rebel forces. The rebel commanders intentionally opened the way for government tanks to enter the city, then surrounded them and attacked with anti-aircraft guns and mortars, said Abdel Fatah al Misrati, one of the rebels.
"Our spirits are high," Mr al Misrati said. "The regime is struggling and what is happening is a desperate attempt to survive and crush the opposition. But the rebels are in control of the city."
The United Nations has demanded urgent access to scores of "injured and dying" in Misrata.
The UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, yesterday urged the international community to protect the increasing numbers of civilians caught in the conflict.
"We call on the international community and in particular the Security Council to stand up to its historical responsibilities to protect this dear people," Sheikh Abdullah said in his opening remarks at a meeting of GCC ministers in Abu Dhabi.
"The meeting is being held amid difficult changes the brotherly Libyan people are going through, prompting us to join our efforts to help them in their crisis," he said.
The GCC secretary general also accused Col Qaddafi of crimes against humanity, but implied the West should not interfere. "What the regime there is doing in massacring its people constitutes a crime against humanity," said Abdul Rahman al Attiyah.
He added that the protection of the Libyan people was a priority at this "delicate" stage of the conflict, but rejected "foreign intervention" in the conflict.
The rebels have pleaded for international airstrikes on Col Qaddafi's forces and have tried to provoke the West into action by warning that he could attack oilfields.
"The West needs to move or this crazy guy [Qaddafi] will do something to the oilfields. He is like a wounded wolf," said Mustafa Gheriani, a media officer for the rebels in Benghazi, referring to rebel appeals for a no-fly zone.
"If the West does not intervene with tactical air strikes, he could put the oilfields out of commission for a long time."
The rebel National Libyan Council yesterday rejected a former premier's call for national dialogue and said any talks must be on the basis that Col Qaddafi quits.
"We have made it clear all along that any negotiations must be on the basis that Qaddafi will step down. There can be no other compromise," rebel official Ahmed Jabreel told Reuters.
The UN Security Council unanimously passed sanctions against the Qaddafi regime and, on February 26, ordered an investigation into possible crimes against humanity. Diplomatic sources said Britain and France could put a resolution to the Security Council this week demanding a no-fly zone over Libya to counter Col Qaddafi's offensive against rebels.
But any move towards military action is likely to face tough resistance from China, Russia and other members of the 15-member council.
Enforcing a no-fly zone could take weeks to organise and the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, has noted that it must be preceded by a military operation to take out Libya's air defences.
Arming rebels is one of several options the United States is considering for Libya, the White House said yesterday.
A White House spokesman, Jay Carney, emphasized the White House was moving rapidly to evaluate the options but the United States does not want to get ahead of events.
"The option of providing military assistance is on the table because no options have been removed from the table," Mr Carney said.
In Misrata, the wounded were being treated on hospital floors because of a catastrophic shortage of medical facilities in the besieged city, a resident said.
Misrata is the largest city in the west not under the control of Qaddafi, and its stand against a militia commanded by his own son has turned it into a symbol of defiance.
Units of the 32nd brigade, which is led by Khamis Gaddafi, on Sunday launched the fiercest attack on Misrata so far, with a doctor there saying at least 18 people had been killed. Rebels said they repelled the attack.
In the east, a warplane launched an air strike on the outskirts of Ras Lanuf, witnesses said.
"There was an aircraft, it fired two rockets, there were no deaths," Mokhtar Dobrug, a rebel fighter who witnessed the strike, told Reuters.
The attack fit the pattern of much of the fighting, which has been erratic with small groups engaging each other, guerrilla-style, in hit and run raids. Air attacks have been fitful and the bombing often inaccurate.
In some areas, advantage on the ground has swung back and forth without conclusive result. In Geneva, UN aid coordinator Valerie Amos said more than a million people fleeing Libya and inside the country need humanitarian aid.
Ms Amos made clear that her first priority was Misrata. "Humanitarian organisations need urgent access now," said Ms Amos, who was in areas of Tunisia along the Libyan border at the weekend. "People are injured and dying and need help immediately."
The rebels have called for UN-backed air strikes against what they say are African soldiers-for-hire used by Col Qaddafi to crush the uprising against his 41-year-old rule.Government troops under air cover were later reported heading towards Ras Lanuf, which contains Libya's biggest oil refinery and was seized by the rebels on March 5.
Clashes during the past two days have become more deadly as the rebels moved along the Libyan coast towards Tripoli and government troops escalated their effort to retake two opposition-held cities near the capital, Misrata and Zawiyah. The front line is ill-defined and fast-moving.
Residents said pro-Qaddafi forces also punched into Misrata, 200km east of Tripoli, with mortars and tanks, but were pushed out five hours later by rebel forces. The rebel commanders intentionally opened the way for government tanks to enter the city, then surrounded them and attacked with anti-aircraft guns and mortars, said Abdel Fatah al Misrati, one of the rebels.
"Our spirits are high," Mr al Misrati said. "The regime is struggling and what is happening is a desperate attempt to survive and crush the opposition. But the rebels are in control of the city."
The United Nations has demanded urgent access to scores of "injured and dying" in Misrata.
The rebel National Libyan Council yesterday rejected a former premier's call for national dialogue and said any talks must be on the basis that Col Qaddafi quits.
"We have made it clear all along that any negotiations must be on the basis that Qaddafi will step down. There can be no other compromise," rebel official Ahmed Jabreel said.
The UN Security Council unanimously passed sanctions against the Qaddafi regime and, on February 26, ordered an investigation into possible crimes against humanity. Diplomatic sources said Britain and France could put a resolution to the Security Council this week demanding a no-fly zone over Libya to counter Col Qaddafi's offensive against rebels.
But any move towards military action is likely to face tough resistance from China, Russia and other members of the 15-member council.
Enforcing a no-fly zone could take weeks to organise and the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, has said that it must be preceded by a military operation to take out Libya's air defences.
Arming rebels is one of several options the United States is considering for Libya, the White House said yesterday.A White House spokesman, Jay Carney, emphasised the White House was moving rapidly to evaluate the options but the US does not want to get ahead of events.
"The option of providing military assistance is on the table because no options have been removed from the table," Mr Carney said.
* The National Staff
