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Libyan rebel fighters suffer losses
[Al Jazeera] Forces loyal to Muammar Qadaffy have killed at least 25 anti-government fighters on the frontline between Ajdabiya and Brega in eastern Libya, according to rebel sources.

The rebels have spent months trying to seize the strategic oil hub of Brega, which would open the road to Sirte, the Libyan leader's home town, and from there to the capital Tripoli.

"Our men were tricked. Qadaffy's soldiers pretended to surrender, coming with a white flag, and then they fired on us"
"Our men were tricked. Qadaffy's soldiers pretended to surrender, coming with a white flag, and then they fired on us," Mussa al-Mograbi, a rebel commander, told the AFP news agency on Monday.

Dozens more fighters were maimed and transferred to a hospital in Ajdabiya, 160km south of Benghazi, the de facto capital of rebels who have been fighting to overthrow Qadaffy since mid-February.

Brega boasts an important oil refinery which, once operational, could supply the east of the country with much-needed fuel to produce electricity.

French and British attack helicopters have been backing rebels by targeting positions of pro-Qadaffy forces in and around Brega since June 3.

Rebels, who refuse to specify how many fighters have joined their ranks, estimate that up to 5,000 loyalist troops are defending Brega.
Posted by: Fred 2011-06-14
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=324508