Gaddafi loyalists fail to retake territory in six-hour battle with rebels

Leila Fadel and Liz Sly
Washington Post
March 1, 2011

Libyan soldiers and paramilitaries loyal to Moammar Gaddafi attempted Tuesday to retake territory that has been seized by rebels, but neither side appeared to gain ground, according to accounts of the fighting from residents and officials with the opposition movement.

In a six-hour battle, rebels armed with tanks, anti aircraft guns and automatic weapons repelled an overnight attack by government troops using the same weapons in the town of Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, the Associated Press reported.

But the battle for control of the North African country seemed to be settling into a stalemate, with pro-Gaddafi forces unable to recapture any of the cities or territory held by the opposition, despite episodic attacks that included the use of helicopters and airplanes, residents and opposition officials said. The strikes demonstrated that the regime remained able to fight back with potentially lethal weaponry.

At the same time, residents opposed to Gaddafi in the capital, Tripoli, have so far been unable to seize control of his stronghold and achieve their ultimate goal of ousting him from power — a fact made evident by Gaddafi’s hosting of U.S. and U.K. reporters at a seaside restaurant in the capital.

Full article here