20110418
reuters

AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) - Rebels came under fire on the outskirts of Ajdabiyah on Sunday, hemming them in to their eastern outpost and denting their hopes of pushing west to try to end a stalemate in the Libyan war.

One witness said he saw around a dozen rockets land around the western entrance to town, which rebels wanted to use as a staging post to retake the oil port of Brega. Many fled as loud explosions boomed across the town.

"There are still some guys out there at the western gate but the situation isn't very good," said Wassim el-Agouri, a 25-year-old rebel volunteer waiting at Ajdabiyah's eastern gate.

Some rebels on Saturday made it into the outskirts of Brega, 50 miles (80 km) to the west, but many others retreated to Adjabiyah after six were killed by rockets fired by Gaddafi loyalists on the exposed coastal road joining the two towns.

By Sunday, scores of volunteer fighters and civilian cars carrying men, women and children streamed east from Ajdabiyah down the coast road towards Benghazi, where the popular revolt against Gaddafi's 41-year rule began on February 17.

Sunday marks a month since the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution authorising force to protect civilians in Libya, leading to an international air campaign.

But despite NATO air strikes against Gaddafi's armour, rebels have been unable to make or hold their gains in weeks of back-and-forth fighting over the coastal towns in eastern Libya.

In western Libya, the rebel-held city of Misrata has been besieged for seven weeks, raising international concern about a growing humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of civilians are believed to have died in fighting and bombing in the city.