Misratah, March 30: Latest reports say heavy fighting continues between revolutionaries and forces loyal to the embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi in town of Misratah.
Gaddafi troops have reportedly launched a new attack on the positions of the revolutionary fighters in Misratah, the town located some 200 kilometers east of the capital Tripoli.
“Misrata is in danger. The criminal forces are advancing on the city and the tanks are firing shells indiscriminately,” AFP quoted an opposition spokesman as saying.
The revolutionaries say eight civilians were killed in overnight attacks by the Gaddafi loyalists on Monday night.
The opposition fighters have made swift progress westwards from their stronghold in Benghazi in recent days. But pro-Gaddafi troops have reportedly used heavy weaponry to check their advance.
Medical sources earlier put at 142 the number of people killed in Misratah by pro-Gaddafi forces since March 18.
The Libyan government says over one hundred civilians have been killed in Western air attacks on the country. The US, however, denies any civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, over 40 governments and international bodies are planning for the post-Gaddafi Libya in London.
The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stressed in the conference that the air attacks on Libya will continue until Gaddafi would comply with the UN resolutions. Clinton has also met with a Libyan opposition leader in London.
Libyan deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim accuses the West of seeking to split Libya into two parts.
——–Agencies