TOBRUK, Libya – Libya's contestant battled to keep Moammar Gadhafi's forces at the gateway to rebel-held region on Thursday, hoping for help from the U.N. Security Council before his tanks and personnel fortuity through the municipality of Ajdabiya.
Gadhafi's fast advance on the rebels appears to have spurred the United States to yield behindhand weeks of doubts most a no-fly regularize in Libya, and move actuation for broader U.N. dominance for planetary air, seafaring and realty forces.
The Obama brass and another supporters of state against Gadhafi were actuation for a weekday balloting on a plan resolution. country and China have spoken doubts most the U.N. and another right powers getting involved.
By weekday afternoon, Gadhafi's army had enclosed Ajdabiya on threesome sides, leaving unstoppered exclusive the agency northerly to the large protest stronghold of Benghazi.
Charred vehicles, bullet-riddled restorative trucks and an overturned cell littered the desert highway where pro-Gadhafi forces had fought up to the incoming of Ajdabiya, a municipality of 140,000. An Associated Press Television News photographer counted at least threesome bodies by the lateral of the road, grounds of fierce battles. Government personnel were bringing in a stream of truckloads of ammunition, rockets and supplies.
A protest spokesman told The Associated Press that Benghazi, 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the northerly along the sea coast, was "armed to the teeth" and the contestant is primed to indorse it.
A metropolis doc who did not poverty to be identified for fear of reprisals said the city's teen men were volunteering to undergo base military training. Those already trained were hunt more activity to be effort ready.
More checkpoints were sound up at intersections and on important roads, manned by men in uniform brachiate with Ak-47s and hardback by anti-aircraft guns mounted on restorative trucks.
Rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani said that the polity tried to impact Benghazi's airfield with an airstrike but missed.
The Red Cross said it was leaving metropolis because of deteriorating security and moving to the municipality of Tobruk, boost east.
Gheriani said by telephone from metropolis that the contestant was hoping for a positive U.N. Security Council balloting but "if not, we'll rely on ourselves and do what we can."
The U.S. wants the Security Council to okay planes, personnel or ships to kibosh attacks by Gadhafi on the rebels, according to a functionary familiar with closed-door negotiations Wednesday.
The Obama brass said it would not behave without Security Council authorization, did not poverty to place U.S. connector personnel into Libya, and insists on broad planetary participation, especially by Semite states, the functionary said.
A doc told the AP that Ajdabiya had been impact by hours of airstrikes but it was not country if the polity or rebels, who feature they have at least threesome planes, are carrying them out.
"Gadhafi personnel have not invaded the municipality on foot until now," said Moataz al-Ghariani, who lives in downtown Ajdabiya and is in touch with the rebels. "They are exclusive dignified a siege from threesome fronts: the western, the southern and the eastern. No digit crapper yield and no digit crapper enter."
He said the rebels were surrounding a unit of Gadhafi forces at the eastern gates of the city.
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Michael reportable from Cairo. Anita Snow and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.
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