Libya's opposition forces have advanced once again to the strategic oil town of Brega thanks to four days of airstrikes by NATO, a rebel officer said Saturday. Col. Hamid Hassy said that following scattered clashes with the government forces of Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi, the rebels had reached the outskirts of the key oil facility in Brega, a town that has already changed hands half a dozen times since fighting began in early March.
He added that the rebels will bring engineers to repair any damage to the refinery and oil facilities there.
For four days, the rebel forces maintained their positions around the city of Ajdabiya, about 50 kilometers away, allowing airstrikes by NATO planes to weaken government forces, Hassy said.
The NATO bombardments, which began last month after the United Nations authorized military action to defend civilians caught in Libya's civil war, have kept rebels from being outright defeated on the battlefield by Gadhafi's better trained and equipped forces, but until now they have not been enough to turn the tide.
The military alliance has struggled to coax its members to supply enough planes for its sorties, and earlier this week launched an appeal for more aircraft capable of precision ground attacks. Only half of NATO's members support the assault on Libya, and just a handful – including Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Britain and Norway – have furnished jets for the mission.
While opposition fighters were advancing on Brega in the east, the rebels' struggled to hold their positions in the city of Misrata, their only major foothold in the country's west. (read more)
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