2011-06-27 08:35:47

Libya's rebels push toward Tripoli


Rebels in Libya's western mountains said they have advanced and are battling Muammar Gaddafi's forces in a strategic town southwest of the capital, ramping up pressure against government troops on a second front.

The rebels' are claiming an advance into the outskirts of the town of Bair al-Ghanam, some 80 kilometers from the capital Tripoli.

The gains follow weeks of intense fighting in the Nafusa mountains in which opposition forces have slowly pushed Gaddafi troops back toward the capital.

Amidst these claims of advancement, Gaddafi's government remains defiant.

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said Gaddafi will remain in Libya, but wouldn't confirm that the leader is still in the capital.

Meanwhile, just over 100 Libyans arrived in Tripoli by ship from the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi early Sunday. The ferry was operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which transported about 300 people in the opposite direction, to Benghazi from Tripoli, on Friday.

Listen to Sean Patrick Lovett’s report: RealAudioMP3








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