Tripoli, March 06: Sustained automatic gunfire has been reported in Libyan capital of Tripoli as tensions continue to run high in the country between forces loyal to embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi and the revolutionary forces.
It was not immediately clear where the shots were coming from. They were heard early Sunday at a hotel not far from the capital’s Green Square area, AFP reported.
Opposition forces, meanwhile, report that they have downed two aircraft belonging to the forces loyal to embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
In Ras Lanuf, witnesses reported seeing a downed warplane and two dead pilots.
There are also reports that opposition forces have downed a helicopter in the city of Ben Jawad, a few kilometers away from Ras Lanuf.
Meanwhile, reports of fresh fighting have again emerged from the western city of Zawiyah. Witnesses say tanks operated by pro-Gaddafi forces have once again entered the city and began firing at people’s homes.
Medical sources have raised extreme concerns that a massacre may have taken place in Zawiyah.
A few hours earlier, the opposition had repelled an attack by pro-Gaddafi forces to retake the city. At least 30 people, including women and children, have been killed in the course of the battle.
Furthermore, revolutionary forces, heading west from east of the country, have reached Sirte. The city has been held by pro-Gaddafi troops since the uprising began more than two weeks ago.
Opposition fighters are also in control of the oil-rich city of Ras Lanuf. The city fell into the hands of the opposition forces after heavy fighting that reportedly left at least eight people dead.
Meanwhile, dozens of people have been reported killed and many more wounded in Benghazi after government forces used warplanes to bomb a weapons depot near the city.
——–Agencies