Libyan Rebels Retake Cities as Allies Step Up Air Attacks

March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Libyan rebels moved into the central city of Ajdabiya, recaptured Brega in the east and advanced toward the strategic oil port of Ras Lanuf, after U.S. and allied warplanes bombarded Muammar Qaddafi’s tanks, artillery and soldiers along the coastline.

Opposition fighters, who have struggled to move west from their eastern stronghold of Benghazi in the past week, retook Ajdabiya yesterday, Al Jazeera television and the Benghazi-based Breniq newspaper reported.

The rebels were moving toward Ras Lanuf, Al Arabiya television said, citing the Libyan interim council. The advance came as the U.S. military said coalition warplanes flew 96 strike sorties for the second day.

The Libyan rebellion has evolved from the kind of popular uprising seen in Egypt and Tunisia into an armed conflict, sending oil prices up about 25 percent since it began last month, amid heightened concerns about Middle East crude supplies. Crude oil for May delivery fell 20 cents to settle at $105.40 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange last week.

The U.S. and allies such as France and the U.K. are enforcing a United Nations mandate to protect Libyan civilians. Leaders have also called for Qaddafi’s ouster and the coalition has been seeking to push back his forces from cities such as Ajdabiya and Misrata, a rebel-held town in western Libya.

Misrata Attack

French fighter aircraft destroyed five Libyan air force planes and two helicopters at an air base in Misrata, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported today, citing an unidentified French official. The city has been besieged by Qaddafi’s forces for several weeks.

Coalition forces flew 160 sorties, or military flights, over Libya, including 96 designed to strike targets on the ground, according to the Pentagon. Since the Libyan operation began more than a week ago, the U.S. has flown 787 sorties, while coalition allies have flown 470.

“Aircraft strikes included fixed targets and maneuver forces along the coastline and near the cities of Tripoli, Misrata and Ajdabiya,” according to an e-mail yesterday from Navy Captain Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman.

Sadoon al-Misrati, a member of the opposition forces, told Al Jazeera that rebels repelled efforts by fighters loyal to Qaddafi to enter Misrata, Libya’s third-biggest city, from two directions. Rebels also said they recaptured Brega in eastern Libya, Al Jazeera reported.

Ajdabiya Recaptured

Libyan state-run television accused the U.S.-led allied forces of causing a “massacre” among civilians in Ajdabiya as their warplanes sought to provide air cover for the rebels.

Footage on Al Jazeera showed abandoned tanks, some charred, on the eastern entrance of the gateway city. A group of rebels was shown celebrating, waving victory signs, with one of them brandishing an automatic rifle.

“There are scores of prisoners,” Yassin El-Bregi, a spokesman for the rebel’s ruling council, told Al Arabiya in a live interview from Cairo.

U.S. President Barack Obama will address the nation on tomorrow about the American and allied military action in Libya. The U.S. is shifting many of its flight activities to allies, Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said March 25 at a briefing at the Pentagon.

Two Arab countries, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have both confirmed that they are sending fighter jets to help enforce the no-fly zone.

NATO Command

The 28-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed on March 24 to take command of no-fly zone operations while continuing to discuss conditions for also commanding the attacks on Qaddafi’s ground forces, the so-called no-drive zone that is considered part of the civilian defense measures authorized by the UN Security Council.

“Without prejudging the deliberations, we would expect a decision to take over all operations in the next few days,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told reporters March 25 in Brussels.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Syrian President Bashar Al- Assad’s security forces engaged in deadly clashes with protesters in several cities as promises of new freedoms and pay increases failed to quiet dissent.

In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said no compromise was reached on his future in talks with Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Al Arabiya reported. Qirbi said earlier that he’d hoped to reach an agreement on Saleh’s departure following months of anti-government demonstrations and the defection of ministers, army generals and diplomats from his regime.