By IANS,
Tripoli : Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s troops Tuesday “forced rebels out” of strategic town of Ajdabiya, according to reports even as the international community continued to debate a possible no-fly zone to protect anti-government protesters from air strikes.
The town on Libya’s east coast is the only major obstacle that stands between the advance of government troops and the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
Libyan state television claimed that pro-Gaddafi forces were now “in total control” of the town. Rebel fighters told Al Jazeera that they were pulling out.
Gaddafi’s forces also appeared to be gaining control of the nearby oil town of Brega, the report said.
“We have lost Brega completely. We could not face Gaddafi’s forces,” said a rebel now in Ajdabiya.
Libya has been rocked by anti-government protests since Feb 14. Protesters are demanding the ouster of Gaddafi, who has ruled the country for over 42 years. According to an estimate, over 6,000 people have died in the clashes.
Battle lines around Ajdabiya, which has a population of 100,000, and Brega have moved back and forth several times in three days of heavy fighting.
In Ajdabiya, government jets attacked the town’s western entrance point, forcing rebels back, then unleashed an artillery bombardment on the position.
“They are bombarding the arms dump with land-based weapons. It is a really heavy bombardment,” said a civilian rebel supporter. “If they hit the arms cache it will destroy Ajdabiyah.”
Meanwhile, foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) countries meeting in Paris Tuesday fell to agree to press the UN Security Council to back a no-fly zone to protect Libyan rebels from air strikes, DPA reported.
The G8 urged the Security Council to increase pressure on Gaddafi to leave, including further economic measures.
France and Britain had been pushing for a no-fly zone over Libya but other G8 members, including Russia, Germany and the US have balked at any military intervention.
Pro-Gaddafi forces took control of the small town of Zuwarah, west of Tripoli, late Monday after sending in tanks.
Libyan state television said the people of Zuwarah “came out in mass demonstrations” in support of Gaddafi Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Gaddafi warned that if the West were to attack his country, he would ally his forces with Al Qaeda in a “holy war”, DPA reported.
Gaddafi made the remarks in an interview with Milan-based daily Il Giornale from Tripoli.He also ruled out negotiations with anti-government rebels.
Asked whether he feared ending up like former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who was toppled by a US-led invasion and then hanged for war crimes, Gaddafi said: “No, our war is against Al Qaeda.”
However, “if they (the West) behave with us as they did in Iraq, then Libya will leave the international alliance against terrorism”.
“We will then ally ourselves with Al Qaeda and declare a holy war,” Gaddafi said.
Gaddafi had previously accused anti-government rebels and their leaders of being “hostages” of Al Qaeda.