Government forces in trucks disguised with rebel flags shelled opposition positions Tuesday near the strategic eastern oil town of Brega, killing eight rebel fighters and wounding dozens more, officials said.
In an audio message directed at a rally of thousands in the town of al-Aziziya, south of Tripoli, embattled ruler Moammar Gadhafi emphasized the importance of Libya’s vast oil wealth to his regime, and called the civil war a battle “for our way of life.”
Rebel forces have been pushing to seize the front-line town of Brega, which is home to an oil refinery and terminal, for nearly a week, but they say fields of land mines planted by Gadhafi’s forces have slowed the advance.
The rebels are fighting in a residential area on Brega’s eastern side and control about one-third of the town, spokesman Mohammed al-Rajali said.