Ajdabiya: Muammar Gaddafi's forces seized two strategic towns in eastern Libya on Tuesday, forcing rebel fighters to beat a hasty retreat and opening up the road to the insurgent stronghold of Benghazi.
The junction town of Ajdabiya fell after a heavy bombardment by ground forces that sent civilians streaming down the road towards safer territory. The oil port of Brega was taken after a morning of see-saw fighting.
Libyan state television said Gaddafi's forces were now "in total control" of Ajdabiya and a Reuters correspondent saw rebel forces pulling out of the town in convoys.
Government jets had opened up with rocket fire on the checkpoint at the western entrance to Ajdabiya Tuesday morning, then unleashed an artillery barrage on the position and a nearby arms dump.
Residential area hit
At least one missile hit a residential area. Residents piled into cars and pick-up trucks to flee town on highways leading towards Benghazi or Tobruk, which are still in rebel hands.
The same pattern of attack has pushed back rebels more than 160 km in a week-long counter-offensive.
Ajdabiya was all that stood between the eastward advance of Libyan government troops and the second city of Benghazi and lies on a road junction from where Gaddafi's forces could attempt to encircle the rebel stronghold.
A rebel fighter in Ajdabiya admitted that Brega, 75 km to the southwest, had also fallen.
"We have lost Brega completely. We could not face Gaddafi's forces," said the rebel, who identified himself only as Nasser.
Fighters had earlier spoken of skirmishes throughout the city as each side fought to win control.
As well as the coastal road to Benghazi, there is also a 400-km desert road straight to Tobruk, near the Egyptian border that would cut off Benghazi. But it was not clear whether Gaddafi's forces were strong enough to be split and whether they could operate with such long supply lines.
Al Jazeera television reported that elite army units commanded by Gaddafi's sons were heading towards Brega, suggesting he wanted to swiftly and emphatically crush the month-long insurrection against his 42-year rule.
