Pro-government forces in Libya on Monday struck at an oil town taken by the rebels. A warplane launched an air strike on the eastern outskirts of the oil terminal town of Ras Lanuf some 600 km east of the capital Tripoli, witnesses told Reuters. The army forces were moving on the Mediterranean coastal road east of the recaptured town of Bin Jawad, heading towards Ras Lanuf, witnesses told Reuters.
Residents of Ras Lanuf, fearing assault by army forces, were leaving in cars on Monday and rebels said they had moved weapons into the desert for safekeeping.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the France 24 television station, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi said his country was an important partner for the West in containing al Qaeda and illegal migrants trying to reach Europe, "There are millions of blacks who could come to the Mediterranean to cross to France and Italy, and Libya plays a role in security in the Mediterranean," he stated.
Rebel forces
