Libyan rebels battle into key city

Libyan rebels fought their way into the strategic city of Zawiya west of Tripoli today in their most significant advance in months, battling snipers on rooftops and heavy shelling from Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.

Zawiya is a key target for rebels waging a new offensive launched from the mountains in the far west of Libya, an attempt to break the deadlock in combat between the two sides that has held for months in the centre and east of the country.