TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Government forces retreated in Misrata but seized a protest municipality in Libya's farther Western Mountains, as no clew emerged of Muammar Gaddafi existence dislodged from noesis despite more than a month of expose strikes.
"Misrata is free, the rebels impact won. Of Gaddafi's forces, whatever are killed and others are streaming away," a protest spokesmen said in the protest coastal city, where a punishing two-month blockade that killed hundreds appeared to impact been broken.
One polity soldier, Khaled Dorman, among a assemble of 12 existence brought to infirmary for communication in Misrata, told Reuters from the back of a restorative truck: "We impact been told to withdraw. We were told to stop yesterday."
But the coverall way of offend in Libya was farther from clear. Al Jazeera broadcasting reported that onerous offend continuing on Sat around a infirmary in western Misrata existence utilised as a base by Gaddafi's forces.
And polity forces captured the municipality of Yafran in Libya's Western Mountains on Saturday, a protest spokesman said.
The offend in the farther mountains has received lowercase planetary attention. Rebels there captured a abut post two life ago and had begun been running supplies to towns under attack, saying they were cheered by reports from Misrata.
"Gaddafi brigades seized curb of the (Yafran) municipality edifice and we are currently in nearby villages," the spokesman, who identified himself as Ezref, told Al Arabiya television.
"They are onset mortars and Grad missiles," he said, adding that he had counted more than 44 Grad rockets fired in one hour.
Yafran and other mountain towns are colonised by Berbers, ethnically crisp from most Libyans and traditionally viewed with distrustfulness by Gaddafi's government.
AIR STRIKES
At small threesome explosions were heard in Tripoli on Sat daytime after NATO bomb flew over the capital, drawing African anti-aircraft fire.
Western militaries appeared keen to verify whatever assign for the polity retreat in Misrata. kingdom said its planes had attacked bulletproof vehicles in the Atlantic and NATO said the prototypal U.S. Predator drone to blast over Libya had impact a herb armament nearby the municipality on Saturday.
President Nicolas Sarkozy told a protest cheater this week that author would deepen its expose strikes.
The African polity acknowledged on Friday the raids had taken their toll on its forces in Misrata.
"The manoeuvre of the African grey is to impact a preoperative solution, but it doesn't work, with the expose strikes it doesn't work," Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said.
Analysts said the bit of nation and French expose raids haw ease be too modest to alter a decisive expeditionary result. The newborn ingest of U.S. drones would be a psychological increase for rebels but no "magic bullet" to fortuity the stalemate in a war where Western powers are anxious to limit their expeditionary involvement.
Shashank Joshi of London's Royal United Services Institute said the drones' deployment reflected U.S. reluctance to wage low-flying manned aircraft, much as the A-10 Tankbuster and the AC-130 gunship, which author in portion had pressed for.
(Additional reporting by Michael Georgy in Misrata; Writing by Andrew Roche; Editing by Peter Graff)
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