TRIPOLI/BIN JAWAD, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan government forces launched fierce attacks on the western rebel stronghold of Zawiyah yesterday, while in the east, rebels advanced on Muammar Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte.
Fighters in Zawiyah, just 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli, repelled two attacks by pro-Gaddafi forces who used tanks and artillery. Dozens of rebels armed with rifles manned rooftops, watching nearby streets from behind piles of sandbags. Roads and side streets were barricaded with rebel checkpoints.
“After the morning attack they attacked again. They entered from the west and started shooting rockets at buildings in the square,” rebel spokesman
