Libyan rebels attacked an oil refinery today in a bid to drive the last remaining troops loyal to Muammar Gadafy out of a city on Tripoli's outskirts and consolidate their siege of the capital.
After 41 years of power, Col Gadafy (69) is looking isolated, with reinvigorated rebel forces closing in on the capital from the west and south and cutting off its road links to the outside.
Six months into an often stalemated conflict, rebels have transformed the battle recently by seizing most of the city of Zawiyah on Tripoli's western outskirts, as well as a town to the south, cutting Tripoli's two main supply routes.
In Zawiyah, which controls the main highway linking Tripoli to the Tunisian border, Gadafy forces hoping to break the siege have retained control of an oil refinery and have harassed the rebels with shelling and snipers on rooftops of tall buildings.
"There are some snipers inside the refinery facility. We control the gates of the refinery. We will be launching an operation to try to take control of it shortly," said rebel fighter Abdulkarim Kashaba.
Heavy shooting could be heard near the refinery and Col Gadafy's green flags could be seen still flying from a building and an electrical pylon. The rest of the city now flies the red, black and green flag used by the rebels.
Under a bridge, rebels loaded large-calibre ammunition into a car and headed towards the refinery. Other rebels could be seen speeding in that direction.
Elsewhere in Zawiyah appeared quiet today and under rebel control. The city was largely deserted and shops were boarded up, with clusters of rebel fighters in the streets.
Medical workers at a hospital on the outskirts said three people had been killed and 35 injured yesterday, most of them civilians, as Col Gadafy's troops shelled the town and snipers fired from its rooftops.
Libya's rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) has dismissed reports that it was holding secret talks with representatives of the Libyan leader in neighbouring Tunisia.
Sources had said the two sides were meeting in Tunisia this week where a U.N. envoy has also arrived for talks.
"The NTC would like to affirm that there are no negotiations either direct or indirect with the Gadafy regime or with the special envoy of the United Nations," said NTC leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil. Gadafy must step down and leave Libya, he said.
In Washington, US defence secretary Leon Panetta said "the sense is that Gadafy's days are numbered."
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters: "They have been saying this for six months and we are still here."
Reuters