A SECOND DAY of fighting is underway in the key eastern Libyan town of Ajdabiya as rebel forces continue to lose ground to the army loyal to embattled leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The rebels had been advancing on Brega before they were outflanked by pro-Gaddafi forces, reports the BBC.
AP reports that at least 11 people died in Saturday’s fighting according to an Ajdabiya hospital supervisor, with two more rebels killed so far today.
The Libyan government also said they shot down two rebel helicopters that were in contravention of the NATO imposed no-fly zone that had been designed to assist the rebels.
This report was not confirmed independently but AP says journalists in the area described seeing at least one helicopter apparently fighting for the rebels on Saturday.
Ajdabiyah is the gateway to the rebels’ stronghold of Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city which has been under the opposition control for weeks, Reuters reports.
It has been the launch point for insurgents during a week-long fight for the oil port of Brega further west and is the home of the country’s national provisional council which is aiming to take over from Gaddafi.
However, recapturing the town of Ajdabiya would give Gaddafi forces a key staging ground for an assault on Benghazi that could crush the uprising.
Meanwhile, African Union mediators have arrived in Libya looking to end the crisis citing a roadmap adopted in March which calls for an end to hostilities, “diligent conveying of humanitarian aid” and “dialogue between the Libyan parties”, reports Al-Jazeera.
- with additional reporting from AP
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