Fresh protests hit Libyan capital Hundreds of people stream out of mosques in Tripoli demanding end to Gaddafi's rule, as tear gas is fired at protesters. Last Modified: 04 Mar 2011 12:54 GMT
Opposition protesters in the country's east have set up advanced positions to guard against pro-Gaddafi forces [AFP] At least 1,000 people protesting against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi have taken to the streets of Tripoli, the Libyan capital, raising fears of fresh conflict between anti-government protesters and loyalist forces. Protests called by the opposition began on Friday when worshippers streamed out of a mosque in the centre of the city, chanting "Gaddaf is the enemy of God", witnesses said. "This is the end for Gaddafi. It's over. Forty years of crimes are over," Faragha Salim, an engineer at the protest, told the Reuters news agency. Pro-Gaddafi forces fired tear gas at protesters, the AP news agency said, saying at least five cannisters were fired at the crowd in the district of Tajoura in the capital. "They fired teargas. I heard shooting. People are scattering," a reporter from the Reuters news agency in Tajoura said. Government forces set up checkpoints in Tripoli ahead of the action, and residents said soldiers had been roaming the city in civilians cars. Some news agencies have also reported a crackdown on foreign journalists, saying security guards have attempted to block their movements. Internet services have also reportedly been disrupted in Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi. Air strikes Friday's action comes amid more reports of battles between loyalist forces and anti-Gaddafi fighters in strategic cities. LIVE BLOG Opposition fighters said Libyan forces carried out an air strike near a military base on the western outskirts of Ajdabiya, a town captured by the opposition, but said there was no casualties or damage. Witnesses said a bomb was dropped on Friday and other rebel fighters say two rockets were fired at the base near the eastern town, but also missed. Al Jazeera reporters near the town say standstorms have hit the region, making further strikes unlikely. But Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the eastern city of Benghazi, said she had heard reports that volunteers going to the front line of fighting were feeling "very vulnerable from the air". Other clashes between Gaddafi loyalists and rebels have been reported in Ras Lanuf, the eastern oil port 660km from Tripoli, and in Az-Zawiyah, 50km west of Tripoli. Government forces are said to be battling to regain control of rebel-held towns close to Tripoli, trying to create a buffer zone around what is still Gaddafi's seat of power. Opposition protesters in the country's east have set up advanced positions 50km west of Brega, which lies in between Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte and the opposition-held port of Benghazi, and sits near ethnic fault lines between tribes loyal to the leader. Fighters, who are poorly equipped and not well trained, are also said to have pushed further west on Friday, heading along the main coastal road out of Uqayla, a village 280km from Benghazi. The AFP news agency said six pick-up trucks were spotted five miles out of the village, mounted with heavy machine guns. Funerals held Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners have buried victims of clashes between pro- and anti-government forces in the country's east, where the opposition beat back an offensive by forces loyal to Gaddafi. Read more of our Libya coverage Human Rights Watch confirmed at least 14 deaths from the fighting in Brega as of Thursday morning, including a 13-year-old shepherd named Hassan Umran. Saif Gaddafi, a son of the Libyan leader, told a British broadcaster that Thursday's air strikes were meant to scare opposition protesters away, not kill them. However, the air strikes failed to dislodge opposition fighters from the oil-rich area,. Dozens of people marched in a funeral procession in Ajdabiya on Thursday, with five coffins held aloft en route to the cemetery there. "For the people of Ajdabiya, these men are marytrs to their revolution. And the more of their comrades who are killed, the more they are determined to defeat Muammar Gaddafi," reported Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the city. Mourners shouted slogans against Gaddafi, including: "The blood of marytrs will not be spilled in vain"; "Gaddafi get out, Libyans don't want you!"; and "Gaddafi you're crazy!". A crowd of anti-government activists packed into vehicles and drove to the cemetery, where they fired into the air and said prayers honouring those who had been killed. Amid the turmoil sweeping the African nation, government officials from the Netherlands are continuing with efforts to win the release of three Dutch marines detained in Libya. They were captured on Sunday by forces loyal to Gaddafi after they landed in the coastal city of Sirte. They were trying to rescue two Europeans who have since been handed over to the Dutch embassy in Tripoli. ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
