By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Cairo : Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi retook control of the eastern town of Al Brega and bombed the nearby town of Ajdabiyah Wednesday.
Al Brega, 250 km south of the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, is a major oil terminal.
Two fighter jets bombed the eastern town of Ajdabiyah, 500 miles from Tripoli, even as Gaddafi’s forces were advancing on the town.
Two US warships – the amphibious assault ships the USS Kearsarge, which can carry 2,000 Marines, and the USS Ponce – are passing through the Suez Canal en route to the Mediterranean.
Another destroyer (the USS Barry) moved through the Suez Canal Feb 28.
The White House said the ships are being deployed in preparation for possible humanitarian efforts but stressed it “was not taking any options off the table”.
“We are looking at a lot of options and contingencies. No decisions have been made on any other actions,” said US Defense Secretary Robert Gates.