[Arab News] Muammar Qadaffy's forces struck at rebel control of oil export hubs in Libya's east for a second day on Thursday as Arab states weighed a plan to end turmoil Washington said could make the country "a giant Somalia."A leader of the uprising against Qadaffy's 41-year-old rule said he would reject any proposal for talks with Qadaffy to end the conflict in the world's 12th largest oil exporting nation.
Witnesses said a warplane bombed the eastern oil terminal town of Brega, a day after troops loyal to Qadaffy launched a ground and air attack on the town that was repulsed by rebels spearheading a popular revolt against his four-decade-old rule.
The rebels, armed with rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and tanks, called on Wednesday for UN-backed air strikes on foreign mercenaries it said were fighting for Qadaffy.
But perhaps mindful of a warning by Qadaffy that foreign intervention could cause "another Vietnam," Western officials expressed caution about any sort of military involvement including the imposition of a no-fly zone.
A rebel officer said government air strikes targeted the airport of Brega and a rebel position in the nearby town of Ajdabiyah, referring to two rebel-held locations.
Opposition soldiers also said troops loyal to Qadaffy had been pushed back to Ras Lanuf, home to another major oil terminal and 600 km (375 miles) east of Tripoli.
"Qadaffy's forces are in Ras Lanuf," Mohammed Al-Maghrabi, a rebel volunteer, told Rooters, echoing comments by others.
Revolt has destroyed the OPEC-member country and knocked out nearly 50 percent of its 1.6 million barrels per day output, the bedrock of the country's economy.
The uprising, the bloodiest yet against long-serving rulers in the Middle East and North Africa, is causing a humanitarian crisis, especially on the Tunisian border where tens of thousands of foreign workers have decamped to safety.