The Libyan government forces continued to pound the insurgents Wednesday and were close to their stronghold of Benghazi, a city in the East, after the promise of Muammar Gaddafi to "crush the enemy," the West is powerless to stop the repression . At least twenty-six people have been killed since Tuesday in the strategic town of Ajdabiya, in air raids and heavy artillery, according to a doctor at the city hospital.
"Yesterday, the fighting was terrifying," said the Dr. Mohammad Abdelkarim, reached by telephone, adding that the hospital had received twenty-two died on Tuesday, mostly civilians caught in cars or houses, and four Wednesday only insurgents. Wednesday night, state television said the city had been "purged of bands of armed terrorists, mercenaries and terrorists linked to al-Qaeda." Further north, the streets of Benghazi, the second largest city and seat of the National Transitional Council (CNT) set up by the opposition, were almost deserted early morning.
The rebels still controlled the road between Benghazi and Tobruk, in the far east, where all seemed quiet in the afternoon. After a month of a revolt that has turned into civil war, the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, said on Tuesday evening with assurance that he would "crush the enemy." "The settlers are defeated, France will be defeated, America will be defeated, Britain would be defeated," said the colonel in power for forty-two years.
Echoing this bellicose speech, the Libyan army announced an impending operation against Benghazi, 1000 kilometers east of Tripoli. "In forty-eight hours, everything will be finished," said Saif al-Islam, a son of Gaddafi, in an interview with Euronews. Faced with the breakthrough of troops in the east Muammar Gaddafi, a flood of Libyans and foreigners joined Egypt on Wednesday aboard their cars loaded with baggage.
In the west, insurgents said they were still masters of Misrata (150 km east of Tripoli), despite an offensive Wednesday by government forces, who did they think at least four dead and ten injured. The regular forces were also attacked with heavy weapons Zentena the town under the control of the rebellion, 145 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, according to one witness reached by telephone.
"There are shots of tanks a few miles south of the city and the firing of missiles in Grad-type series, as well as clashes with light weapons," said the witness. At the Tunisian border, the Libyan military fired heavy weapons for half an hour on Tuesday towards the sea, targeting insurgents who tried to flee with their families, witnesses told Wednesday and Tunisian border guards.
In one month, violence has claimed hundreds of lives in the country. According to the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), they have already grown from 204 to 20,000 people to leave Libya. Meanwhile, discussions in international fora not lead to any concrete decision. 
"Yesterday, the fighting was terrifying," said the Dr. Mohammad Abdelkarim, reached by telephone, adding that the hospital had received twenty-two died on Tuesday, mostly civilians caught in cars or houses, and four Wednesday only insurgents. Wednesday night, state television said the city had been "purged of bands of armed terrorists, mercenaries and terrorists linked to al-Qaeda." Further north, the streets of Benghazi, the second largest city and seat of the National Transitional Council (CNT) set up by the opposition, were almost deserted early morning.
The rebels still controlled the road between Benghazi and Tobruk, in the far east, where all seemed quiet in the afternoon. After a month of a revolt that has turned into civil war, the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, said on Tuesday evening with assurance that he would "crush the enemy." "The settlers are defeated, France will be defeated, America will be defeated, Britain would be defeated," said the colonel in power for forty-two years.
Echoing this bellicose speech, the Libyan army announced an impending operation against Benghazi, 1000 kilometers east of Tripoli. "In forty-eight hours, everything will be finished," said Saif al-Islam, a son of Gaddafi, in an interview with Euronews. Faced with the breakthrough of troops in the east Muammar Gaddafi, a flood of Libyans and foreigners joined Egypt on Wednesday aboard their cars loaded with baggage.
In the west, insurgents said they were still masters of Misrata (150 km east of Tripoli), despite an offensive Wednesday by government forces, who did they think at least four dead and ten injured. The regular forces were also attacked with heavy weapons Zentena the town under the control of the rebellion, 145 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, according to one witness reached by telephone.
"There are shots of tanks a few miles south of the city and the firing of missiles in Grad-type series, as well as clashes with light weapons," said the witness. At the Tunisian border, the Libyan military fired heavy weapons for half an hour on Tuesday towards the sea, targeting insurgents who tried to flee with their families, witnesses told Wednesday and Tunisian border guards.
In one month, violence has claimed hundreds of lives in the country. According to the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), they have already grown from 204 to 20,000 people to leave Libya. Meanwhile, discussions in international fora not lead to any concrete decision.
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