Rebels clashed with forces loyal to Col. Muammar Qaddafi for the third consecutive day on Sunday in the outskirts of the key oil city of Brega, as coalition air assaults continued to target the government’s troops. Hundreds of anti-government fighters retreated east of Brega amid intense artillery fire earlier on Sunday before regrouping and striking back with rockets. Rebel forces managed to proceed to a university campus close to the city’s western entrance. However, they appeared unable to advance further despite NATO’s air assaults on Qaddafi’s forces.
Meanwhile, rebels have admitted that a coalition air strike that killed 13 opposition fighters near Brega on Friday was caused when a rebel fired his anti-aircraft gun into the air during a coalition raid in the area.
