Libya: rebels battle Gaddafi forces south of Tripoli
Fighters battle government forces for a second day in the town of Zawiyah, as International Editor Lindsey Hilsum writes from Tripoli that the rebels are yet to penetrate Col Gaddafi’s capital.
Rebel fighters in Zawiyah have said that at least 13 people were killed in clashes in the town on Sunday, and that the main road to neighbouring Tunisia is shut.
Zawiyah, situated within a few miles of the capital Tripoli, was the scene of battle earlier this year.
Gaddafi‘s forces appeared to drive out the rebellion and used bulldozers to flatten the town’s central mosque. But on Saturday, witnesses said the fighting had broken out again.
International Editor Lindsey Hilsum was diverted from the town by government minders as she travelled to the capital.
“We were travelling to the Libyan capital on the regular bus which drops off journalists who are leaving the country, and picks up the newbies,” she said.
“As we rolled along the coastal road, the atmosphere began to change. The shops were shuttered. There were dozens of checkpoints manned by jumpy soldiers. We picked up a police escort, with flashing light.
“As we stopped at a roadblock, a soldier waved his pistol and then pointed it at the police car. Then a man in a crisp white naval uniform at a roadblock some five miles west of Zawiyah made us turn back and take a long detour.
“The detour ensured that we saw and heard nothing. Once we arrived in Tripoli, the government spokesman told us there had been nothing to see or hear. Just a few renegades, and not even in Zawiyah, he said, but 15 miles to the south.
“Rebel sources, however, suggested heavy fighting in the town, which they had occupied briefly in March before being defeated by Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.
“Sunday morning, the Libyan government wasn’t letting us anywhere near Zawiyah.
“About 50 journalists were loaded onto a bus to Aziziya, just south of Tripoli, and taken to what was described as a cultural centre. In a half empty hall, a few dozen lacklustre youths waved placards of Col Gaddafi in various regalia.
“As the TV cameras arrived, they started to chant, and as we left, they stopped.”
Read more from Lindsey Hilsum in Tripoli on the World News Blog here.
Fighting has continued in Libya after weeks of a stalemate between Gaddafi’s forces and anti-government rebels.
In the port city of Misrata held by rebel fighters, six people were reportedly killed by a government artillery barrage. Five rebels were reported dead in a heavy bombardment in the town Zintan.
Western governments say they believe that it is only a matter of time before Gaddafi’s rule collapses, while rebels are gradually expanding the areas they control around Misrata and in the Western mountains region.
