Libya rebels push into town they lost twice before
BREGA, Libya (AP) — Rebel fighters pushed back into this hard-fought oil town, seizing half of Brega and pledging to drive out Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces in hours in an advance that would open a vital conduit for oil sales by the opposition.
Control of Brega's small refinery and Mediterranean port could significantly boost the rebels' hunt for revenues they can use to purchase heavy weapons for the fight against Gadhafi's better-equipped troops and militiamen.
Lightly armed and loosely organized opposition forces have surged into and beyond Brega several times in recent weeks from their strongholds in eastern Libya, only to be driven out by Gadhafi loyalists exploiting the rebels' inability to hold territory. In recent days the opposition has placed the front lines under the control of former military men, creating a more disciplined advance against Gadhafi's forces.
"We're more organized now, and that's played a big role," said Salam Idrisi, 42, a rebel fighter.
The opposition advanced under artillery fire throughout Monday and took the streets of New Brega, a largely residential section separated from the town's oil facilities by a stretch of highway and a university campus, where the rebels were battling Gadhafi fighters at close range.
"New Brega is under control of our forces and we are mopping up around the university," said Lt. Muftah Omar Hamza, a former member of Libya's air force who had a satellite phone and a GPS around his neck.
The rebels also saw success Monday in their efforts to establish an internationally recognized government in eastern Libya, forging tighter links with Britain and Italy, both potentially major markets for Libyan oil.
Italy offered diplomatic recognition to the Libyan opposition council, becoming the third country to do so after France and Qatar. The Italian foreign minister also said the CEO of energy company Eni had visited the rebels' de facto capital, Benghazi, with the aim of resuming oil ties.
Eni has extensive oil facilities in eastern Libya and was Libya's biggest gas exporter and oil producer before the uprising against Gadhafi split the country.
Rajab Sahnoun, a senior official with Arabian Gulf Oil Co., which runs an oil terminal in the eastern city of Tobruk, said the company was waiting for a Liberian tanker but was unsure when it would arrive. He did not say where the oil would be headed.
In Benghazi, opposition spokeswoman Iman Bughaigis declined to provide any information on oil tankers coming to Libya.
Bughaigis said a small group of regime forces attacked the rebel-held Misla oil field in southern Libya. She said she could not say whether the attack took place Sunday night or Monday morning, but added that only one small diesel storage tank had been damaged. She provided no other information.
Britain announced that it would supply communications equipment to the Libyan rebels, declining to say what kind. It denied that the gear was intended to help wage attacks against Gadhafi's forces.
The U.N. special envoy to Libya, Abdelilah Al-Khatib, told the U.N. Security Council Monday afternoon that pro- and anti-Gadhafi forces had clashed over the past few days in Zawiya, one of two western cities that rose up early in the revolt against Gadhafi.
He said there were unconfirmed reports of government shelling of towns southwest of Tripoli, a rare indication of resistance to the Libyan leader in that area.
The U.S. military, which initially led the U.N.-authorized air campaign against Libya, was pulling its warplanes from front-line missions and shifting to a support role in the conflict, officials said.
Under NATO's leadership, Britain, France and other allies will now provide the fighter jets for intercept and ground-attack missions that enforce a no-fly zone over the North African country, they said.
Late Monday, Libyan TV broadcast what it said was live video of Gadhafi in a car driving through Tripoli, surrounded by security officers and a crowd of supporters. Gadhafi himself could not be seen. He has not made a public appearance in more than two weeks.
Of the popular uprisings across the Arab world inspired by those in Tunisia and Egypt, the strife in Libya, which began Feb. 15, has been the most violent.
The rebels and forces loyal to Gadhafi, their leader for 42 years, have reached a stalemate, with a series of towns along one stretch of Mediterranean coastline passing back and forth multiple times between the two sides. Though the regime's forces are more powerful and plentiful, they have been unable to decisively defeat a poorly equipped and badly organized rebel force backed by international airstrikes that have kept the Gadhafi loyalists in check.
Also Monday, a military plane from Jordan landed in Benghazi carrying medical supplies. Jordanian Col. Aqab Abu Abu Windi, who arrived on the plane, said it contained seven and one half tons of medical supplies to help the Libyan people and promised, "This plane is just the beginning."
Tunisia's official TAP news agency said late Monday that 71 Libyans injured in combat in Misrata, near Tripoli, have been evacuated to the Tunisian city of Sfax aboard a ship belonging to Doctors Without Borders.
(기사내용)
리비아 반군, 석유 수출항 탈환
브레가, 리비아 (AP) - 모하마르 카다피군을 퇴각시킨 반군은 브레가의 전투에서 시가의 반을 차지하며 석유 수출을 위한 중요한 길을 터놨다.
브레가의 일부 정유시설과 지중해에 위치한 수출항을 수중에 넣음으로써 반군은 완벽하게 무장한 카다피군과의 전투에 필요한 중무기를 구매할 수 있는 자금을 마련할 수 있게 되었다.
전 리비아 군의 합세로 조직을 갖춘 반군은 몇 차례의 공방 끝에 수주 만에 브레가를 완벽하게 재탈환하기 위하여 카다피군과 시가전을 벌이고 있는 것으로 밝혀졌다.
4일 동부 리비아에 국제적 승인을 받는 정부를 수립하기 위한 활동에서 리비아 석유의 주요 수출국인 영국과 이탈리아와 강한 관계를 맺게 되었다.
프랑스와 카타르에 이어 이탈리아가 세 번째로 리비아 반정부 위원회를 승인하면서 이탈리아 외무장관은 이탈리아 석유회사 관계자가 벵가지를 방문하여 석유 수출에 관해 반정부군과 협의를 가질 것이다 고 말했다.
동부 리비아에 대규모의 석유시설을 갖고 있는 것으로 알려진 이탈리아의 석유회사는 석유 선적을 위해 탱커가 도착하기를 기다리고 있는 것으로 알려졌다.
영국은 카다피군과 전투를 벌이고 있는 반정부군을 지원하기 위해 통신장비를 지원기로 했다고 발표했다.
리비아의 카다피 지도자는 지난 2주 동안 모습을 나타내고 있지 않는 것으로 밝혀졌다.
KNS뉴스통신 kns@kns.tv
