Oxford, MS 3/31/2011 (Penny PayDay) -- Troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have continued their advance against pro-democracy fighters as they moved eastwards toward Brega.Brega is one of several oil towns along the fiercely contested coastal strip. Ras Lanuf and Es Sider, west of Brega, have both been retaken by Gaddafi's forces. Zueitina, east of Brega, is still in rebel hands.
Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reports from Tripoli the Libyan response to recent reported defections
Some rebel forces fell back on Wednesday as far as the town of Ajdabiya, the gateway to the east about 150 kilometres south of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Ajdabiya was still in rebel hands on Thursday.
For several weeks pro-democracy fighters and forces loyal to Gaddafi have been fighting across a strip of land between Ajdabiya and Bin Jawad.
Rebels armed mainly with pick-ups mounted with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 assault rifles have been unable to hold on to gains despite almost two weeks of air strikes by coalition forces.
Brega and Misurata reportedly came under heavy attack from Gaddafi's forces on Thursday, with the frontline moving closer to Ajdabiya.
Misurata – the last major rebel stronghold in western Libya – has been encircled by pro-Gaddafi forces for weeks and repeated coalition air strikes aimed at protecting civilians there have not stopped them.
Civilian casualties
A rebel spokesman said pro-Gaddafi forces shelled Misurata on Thursday, leaving dozens of civilians dead in the past few days when their homes were hit.
"Massacres are taking place in Misrata," the rebel spokesman, called Sami, told Reuters by telephone.
"Artillery bombardment resumed this morning and is still going on. The [pro-Gaddafi] brigades could not enter the town but they are surrounding it.
"Twenty civilians were killed yesterday after their houses were hit by bombardments. Many people were wounded."
Residents say that figure added to the dozens who have been killed in fighting over the past 10 days.
Meanwhile, a NATO commander on Thursday said the bloc was taking seriously reports of civilian casualties in coalition air raids over Libya.
A top Vatican official citing reliable sources in close contact with residents told Reuters at least 40 civilians have been killed in air strikes over Tripoli.
"It is a news report and I appreciate the source of this report but it is worth noting that I take every one of those issues seriously," Lieutenant-general Charles Bouchard, the Canadian commander of the coalition's military operations over Libya, said.
"We are very careful in the prosecution of any of the possible targets that we have. We have very strict rules of engagement provided to us and we are operating within the legal mandate of our United Nations mandate."
'Gaddafi is staying'
A government spokesman on Thursday said that Gaddafi will stay in the country "until the end" to lead it to victory against its enemies.
Moussa Ibrahim, who spoke in Tripoli a day after Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister, fled to Britain, said coalition air strikes had only united its top leadership against "a clear enemy".
"If this aggression did anything, it only rallied people around the leader and the unity of the nation," he said. "Especially now. They see a clear enemy."
Ibrahim said Gaddafi and his sons were still in the country.
"Rest assured, we are all here. We will remain here until the end. This is our country. We are strong on every front."
"We are not relying on individuals to lead the struggle. This is a struggle of the whole nation. It's not dependent on individuals or officials."
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