20110524
press TV
Forces loyal to embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have pounded the western town of Zintan near the border with Tunisia.

Pro-Gaddafi forces fired several Grad rockets at opposition positions in Zintan on Monday.

"Zintan is being shelled by Grad rockets as we speak," Reuters quoted an opposition spokesman as saying.

Pro-Gaddafi forces have been shelling revolutionary fighters' positions in the desert near Zintan for several days.

There have also been reports of a build-up of pro-Gaddafi troops just outside the nearby city of Yafran.

Libyan revolutionary forces say Gaddafi's troops are planning to launch an offensive to take the city.

The country's western mountain region -- which includes the towns of Nalut, Kalaa, Yafran, and Zintan -- has received little international attention.

The region is populated by Berbers, an ethnic group traditionally viewed with suspicion by Colonel Gaddafi.

Elsewhere, heavy fighting between government troops and revolutionary forces around Misratah has continued.

The area has been attacked by pro-Gaddafi forces almost every day since mid-March.

Meanwhile, NATO warplanes continue targeting Gaddafi strongholds in Western Libya.

The UN-mandated NATO airstrikes have claimed scores of civilian lives.

Libyan troops have also killed thousands of civilians since the revolution against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi began in mid-February.