Gaddafi's forces routed in oil port battle

Rebel forces routed troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in a fierce battle over an oil port, scrambling over the dunes of a Mediterranean beach through shelling and an air strike to corner their attackers.

While they thwarted the regime’s first counter-offensive in eastern Libya, opposition leaders still pleaded for outside air strikes to help them oust the long-time dictator.