20110711
presstv
Libyan revolutionaries have reportedly planned to launch a major assault on the strategic town of Gharyan near the capital Tripoli as fighting rages in the country between the opposition and Gaddafi forces.

Anti-regime forces reported that the planned attack is aimed at closing off supply routes south of Tripoli, British media reported.

Gharyan is located just 80 kilometers south of Tripoli.

Reports say forces loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have organized militia groups in strategic towns surrounding Tripoli.

On Sunday, Gaddafi's forces launched a counterattack against revolutionary forces southwest of Tripoli near the town of Gualish.

Regime forces fired half a dozen Grad rockets into the troubled region.

The revolutionary forces tried to repel regime forces with anti-tank fire.

The mountainous town was seized by revolutionary forces just days ago, in their push toward the capital.

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between government troops and revolutionary forces since mid-February.

Tripoli and some western provinces remain under Gaddafi's control while the revolutionaries hold Benghazi, most of the east and several western cities.

The bloody conflict has left thousands of people dead and many others wounded.

Revolutionary forces want an end to Gaddafi's decades-long rule.

NATO has also recently intensified its attacks on Libya in an alleged attempt to increase pressure on Gaddafi.

The US-led military alliance has admitted that its forces have killed scores of civilians and wounded many others in the ongoing aerial attacks on key Libyan cities.