Gadhafi forces ambush rebels

RAS LANOUF, Libya – Rebels seeking to advance toward the hometown of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and open a new front threatening his capital were battered from the ground and air, forcing them to retreat along a stretch of Mediterranean coast vital to both sides.

A bloodied convoy of rebel vehicles retreated from Bin Jawad, the western front of the rebels’ advance in eastern Libya, and regrouped 27 miles to the east in Ras Lanouf, whose oil complex and port the rebels had seized two days earlier.

A sudden counterattack Sunday by pro-Gadhafi forces seemed to stun the rebels, who a few hours earlier had spoken of pushing past Bin Jawad, which they’d captured the previous day, to lay siege to Sirte, Gadhafi’s hometown and stronghold where thousands of pro-government fighters have massed.

Bin Jawad lies on the fault line between western Libya, controlled by Gadhafi, and eastern regions liberated from Gadhafi by the opposition last month. Gadhafi’s forces also attacked rebels holding two towns close to the capital on Sunday.

If the rebels managed to capture Sirte, they would have a relatively clear path to the capital, confronting Gadhafi with a new threat on his eastern flank.

It is equally important for rebels to hold Ras Lanouf, home to an oil refinery and petrochemical complex, a port and a small airport. By holding Ras Lanouf and Port Brega, the rebels control the flow of petroleum in eastern Libya, which produces three-quarters of the country’s oil.

In addition to the fighting in Bin Jawad on Sunday, an airstrike by government warplanes targeted Ras Lanouf, destroying three hangars at a military base.

Government helicopter gunships strafed rebels in the town center of Bin Jawad. The rebels also were pounded by artillery and mortars, and picked off by snipers who fired from rooftops and lobbed grenades. Several rebels said at least one jet fighter plane also attacked their positions.

Opposition fighters tried several times during the afternoon to fight their way back into Bin Jawad, but were held at bay by helicopter gunships and artillery. The rebels fired back with anti-aircraft guns, grenade launchers and automatic rifles.

By nightfall, Gadhafi’s forces apparently retained control of Bin Jawad, but heavy fighting and conflicting reports made it difficult to determine the situation.

Exhausted rebel fighters said the government counterattack began after a small group of Gadhafi loyalists pretended to defect Sunday morning, then opened fire. They accused pro-Gadhafi fighters of using civilians in Bin Jawad as human shields, but those claims could not be confirmed.

At least two homes were set afire by airstrikes, the rebels said, and civilians were caught in the crossfire.

“They were shooting at people from helicopters, just killing anybody they saw,” said Mouftah Zawki, 40, a rebel fighter.

“They had too many heavy weapons for us. We couldn’t stop them,” said Ali Suleman, 36.

At least six people died and 60 were wounded, hospital officials told the Associated Press. Ambulance drivers at Ras Lanouf Medical Center said they tried to collect other dead and wounded but were driven back by gunfire. Several bodies were burning, they said.

Some rebels said tribesmen in Bin Jawad turned against them and helped Gadhafi loyalists by letting them ambush the rebels from their homes.

Several tribesmen interviewed in Bin Jawad on Saturday, hours before the rebels advanced into the hamlet, said they wanted to be left alone and not be forced to choose sides. They threatened to fight and kill anyone who threatened them or their families.

The Ras Lanouf oil facility’s 3,500 workers — including 300 expatriates who fled by boat last month — have stopped working during the fighting, two managers of the facility said Sunday.