WASHINGTON POST: Libyan rebels launched a surprise attack Saturday seeking to retake a key oil port 27 miles west of Tripoli on the road that has become the beleaguered capital’s main lifeline.
Government forces appeared to have been caught off guard as the rebels opened fire on troops loyal to Moammar Gaddafi near the city of Zawiyah, which is still recovering from shelling that government forces unleashed there in March to crush a rebel uprising. …
Saturday’s battles were the closest to the capital in months and raised the prospect that the government’s grip on the coastal road that leads to the Tunisian border could be slipping. If the rebels were to seize control of Zawiyah and nearby towns in coming days, they could cut off already-scant supplies of fuel and food. Gaddafi has come to rely heavily on the two-lane road because a NATO-imposed no-fly zone, near-daily airstrikes on military targets in Tripoli and a naval blockade have left the capital largely isolated…. (more)
