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Rebels regain Ajdabiyah
[Arab News]  NATO...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants... said it had increased the tempo of its air operations over the weekend, after rebels accused it of responding too slowly to government attacks. The cut-throats hailed the more muscular approach. The NATO strikes outside Ajdabiyah on Sunday helped break the biggest assault by Qadaffy's forces on the eastern front for at least a week. The town is the gateway to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi 150 km (90 miles) north up the Mediterranean coast. A Rooters news hound saw six burning hulks surrounded by 15 charred and dismembered bodies in two sites 300 meters (1,000 feet) apart on Ajdabiyah's western approaches which rebels said were hit by air strikes. "NATO has to do this to help us every single day. That is the only way we are going to win this war," said 25-year-old rebel Tarek Obeidy, standing over the bodies. The government attack, which began on Saturday, included a fierce artillery and rocket bombardment, while some of Qadaffy's forces, including snipers, penetrated Ajdabiyah. Rebels cowered in alleys for several hours under the bombardment. The corpses of four rebels were found dumped on a roadside. "Their throats were slit. They were all shot a few times in the chest as well. I just could not stop crying when I saw them," said rebel Muhammad Saad. "This is becoming tougher and tougher." But by afternoon rebels looked back in control of Ajdabiyah, commanding key intersections, and the artillery and small arms fire had died down. Ajdabiyah had been the launch point for cut-throats during a week-long fight for the oil port of Brega 70 km (45 miles) further west, and its fall would be a serious loss. Posted by: Fred 2011-04-11 |
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