AJDABIYA/TRIPOLI/PARIS – The Libyan government forces pulled back 100 kilometres from rebel-held Benghazi but showed they still had plenty of fight on Monday as they easily beat off a rebel advance. The forces loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi had retreated overnight to the key town of Ajdabiya, south of the city of Benghazi, after Western-led airstrikes destroyed much of their armour, leaving dozens of wrecked tanks along the road.
But as rebels who massed in their hundreds outside Ajdabiya advanced towards their position, the government troops opened fire with artillery and remaining tanks, sending the insurgent forces fleeing. The rebels began advancing south from their position about five to 10 kilometres (three to six miles) from Ajdabiya after hearing the sound of planes overhead. “These are Sarkozy’s planes,” they shouted, referring to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who led an effort to convince the international community to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.
The rebels moved forward with Katyusha rockets and 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns mounted on trucks, racing south on the desert road towards Ajdabiya, but they quickly came under fire, with dozens of artillery rounds forcing the convoy of vehicles to screech to a halt, before swiftly retreating north. Separately, loud explosions and barrages of anti-aircraft fire were heard near Gaddafi’s Tripoli compound on Monday night, an AFP correspondent said.
Gaddafi’s forces retreat after coalition airstrikes
