Gaddafi sends offensive reinforcement to city near Tripoli

 

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has sent additional forces for his military offensive to the city of Az Zawiyah near the country's capital, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.

The military offensive on Az Zawiyah began on Friday night and by Saturday morning Gaddafi's army, using heavy artillery and tanks, managed to break through the opposition defenses and entered the city.

Tanks and armored vehicles broke on to Martyrs' Square in the heart of the city but protesters were able to repel the attack. The agency, citing eyewitnesses, has reported that a number of military hardware has been set on fire.

More than 30 people were killed during the battle in the city on Friday, but the number of casualties from Saturday's clashes is so far unknown. Eyewitnesses say they saw numerous bodies in the streets and many people wounded.

The city with a population of around 300,000 is currently encircled by pro-Gaddafi's forces reportedly waiting for reinforcements.

The government lost control of Az Zawiyah, some 60 km (37 miles) to the west of Tripoli, in late February and the city was viewed as a platform for an attack on the country's capital to oust Gaddafi.

Inspired by the recent ouster of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, opponents of Gaddafi are demanding an end to his 42-year rule. More than 2,000 people have been killed in clashes that began in the North African country on February 15.

MOSCOW, March 5 (RIA Novosti) 

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