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According to Al-Jazeera, the Libyan rebels have taken advantage of the latest NATO air raids to recapture most of the eastern oil city of Brega. They are now trying to dislodge Gaddafi forces from industrial estates in the city’s western suburbs.
In Misurata in the west, rebel forces and local people have lost dozens more men and women………………..
Heavy fighting between Libyan rebels and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi continued on Sunday around the strategic oil town of Brega, with reports of the rebels beating a fresh retreat in the see-saw battle.
But in the rebel capital of Benghazi in the east, the anti-Gaddafi council named a “crisis team”, including former Libyan interior minister Younes al Abidi as the armed forces chief of staff, to try to run parts of the country it holds.
The team headed by Mahmoud Jebril will take its direction from the transitional national council, which remains the top rebel political body, council spokesman Hafiz Ghoga said.
Heavy fighting is taking place in Ivory Coast’s main city, Abidjan, for a third day as rival forces battle for power.
Internationally-recognised President Alassane Ouattara’s fighters fought for control of key areas held by troops loyal to incumbent Laurent Gbagbo.
Mr Gbagbo’s forces made a call to arms after apparently retaking state TV.
Fighters supporting Ivory Coast’s internationally recognized leader seized control of the country’s administrative capital on Wednesday, marking a symbolic victory after months of political chaos sparked when the incumbent refused to step down after the election.
The fall of Yamoussoukro caps a dramatic advance on the city from multiple directions this week, but many believe a final bloody battle over the presidency is now destined for the commercial capital of Abidjan, only 143 miles away.
Capt. Leon Alla, a defense spokesman for the internationally backed leader Alassane Ouattara, confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that “the town of Yamoussoukro is in the hands of the Republican Forces.”
Pro-government forces have intensified their attacks on Libyan rebels, driving them back tens of kilometres over ground they had taken in recent days.
The BBC’s Nick Springate says the rebels have lost Bin Jawad and most have now fled even further east past the town of Ras Lanuf.
Misrata, closer to Tripoli, has also come under heavy attack and blasts have been reported in the capital.
There has been celebratory gunfire over Benghazi following follows reports that Libyan rebels have captured Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte.
There is no independent confirmation of the claim but Western journalists there say it is quiet in the city. Rebel forces have pushed west to retake a series of key towns from pro-Gaddafi troops who are being pounded by Western coalition air strikes.
Libyan rebels continue to advance toward the capital Tripoli, after securing control of the strategic oil towns of Ras Lanouf, Brega and Ajdabiyah from Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
Meanwhile, NATO is due to meet on Sunday to discuss assuming control of the mission in Libya.
Recent reports claim that rebel troops have also taken control of the town of Bin Jawad, shortly after they entered the crucial oil port of Ras-Lanouf, located 660 km (410 miles) from Tripoli.