Reply #42: Rebels march halted as Obama defends Libya role [View All]

Rebels march halted as Obama defends Libya role


Michel Moutot
March 29, 2011 - 1:44PM

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On the ground, the rebels, who launched their uprising against Kadhafi's four-decade rule in mid-February, came under heavy fire at the village of Harawa, 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the Libyan leader's birthplace of Sirte.

Their march westwards towards Sirte, and then onwards towards the capital, Tripoli, was halted Monday after only a few dozen kilometres amid heavy artillery fire.

Late Monday, more coalition air raids were reported, and the official JANA news agency said civil and military targets in the central Mezda region and Gharyan in the west came under attack by "the colonial Crusader aggressor."

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On Monday, the rebels came under heavy machine-gun fire from regime loyalists in pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns as they pressed westwards from the hamlet of Bin Jawad to Nofilia.

The insurgents were forced to pull back into Bin Jawad, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the key oil town of Ras Lanuf which they retook on Sunday, and replied with multiple rocket launchers and cannon fire.


http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/rebels-march-halted-as-obama-defends-libya-role-20110329-1ce9c.html