Rebels battle Gaddafi forces

Libyan rebels battled to hold a strategic eastern city against a punishing offensive by forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi, voicing anger and frustration at the West for not coming to their aid. At the same time, government troops heavily shelled the last main rebel bastion near the capital.

Charred vehicles, bullet-riddled pickup trucks and an overturned tank littered the desert highway where pro-Gaddafi forces had fought up to the entrance of the key eastern city of Ajdabiya. An Associated Press Television News cameraman counted at least three bodies by the side of the road, evidence of fierce battles. Government troops were bringing in a stream of truckloads of ammunition, rockets and supplies – signs of an intensified effort by the Libyan leader to retake control of the country he has ruled with an iron fist for more than four decades.