Tripoli, March 01: International pressure is mounting on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to leave Libya, but he told an American television network that Libyans love him and he has no plans to step down. Meantime, U.S. officials have come out with their strongest statement yet that Mr. Gadhafi must go, and anti-Gadhafi forces in Zawiya say they are repelling troops loyal to the Libyan leader.
Zawiya is 50 kilometers west of Tripoli. Witnesses tell VOA that troops and tanks loyal to Moammar Gadhafi are lined up along the coastline, blocking the city’s access to the sea.
One man who says he is a protest leader told VOA what happened Monday evening as pro-Gadhafi forces tried to enter the town. “Security militia that protects Gadhafi launched an attack from the west side of Zawiya. What happened then, we managed to kill three armed militiamen and destroy their car. The rest of them fled,” he said.
–Agencies