Libyan rebels captured the strategic Misurata airport yesterday after a fierce battle with Muammar Gaddafi’s troops, marking their first significant advance in weeks.

The airport of Libya’s third-largest city, which had been under siege by loyalist forces for almost two months, fell to the rebels after fighting that raged through the night, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

By yesterday afternoon, insurgent fighters were in full control, as people celebrated the victory in the streets and others set ablaze tanks left behind by Gaddafi troops.

The airport’s capture is significant, as the rebel-held city had been nearly cut off from the outside world, with the port, which has been a repeated target of shelling, being the only route in or out.

Human rights groups have warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe in the city of 500,000 people, facing acute shortages of food and medical supplies.

Insurgent forces captured 40 Grad rockets from the regime troops, whose mortar fire wounded 13 rebels, the AFP correspondent said.

Inspired by the uprisings in other Arab nations, rebels have been fighting since mid-February to oust Colonel Gaddafi. They have met stiff resistance despite taking a large chunk of eastern Libya and establishing a stronghold in its main city of Benghazi.

A spokesman for the rebel National Transitional Council in Benghazi confirmed that Misurata airport had been captured.

“We took full control of Misurata airport and pushed back Gaddafi forces around 15 kilometres from the airport,” said Abdel Busin.

“The airport is in our control but is not free because it is still within range of Grad rockets” fired by retreating Gaddafi forces.

Haj Mohammed, a Misurata rebel commander, had said on Tuesday that loyalists were slowly being pushed back westwards from Misurata along the coastal road toward the town of Zliten.