Libya’s rebels claimed control of Brega yesterday, as most pro-Gaddafi troops retreated westward leaving around 150-200 loyalist fighters pinned down inside the oil town, a spokesman said.
“The bulk of (Muammar) Gaddafi’s forces have retreated to Ras Lanuf,” rebel spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah said, referring to another oil hub some 50 kilometres to the west.
Mr Abdulmolah added that the remnants of Col Gaddafi’s troops were holed up among industrial facilities in Brega with supplies dwindling.
“Their food and water supplies are cut and they now will not be able to sleep,” said Mr Abdulmolah as the latest battle for Brega entered its fifth day.
“It’s a matter of time before they come to their senses, we hope to prevent some bloodshed.”
Taking the town would be a major rebel victory, boosting morale and recapturing infrastructure vital to Libya’s economic future.
Brega is a major centre for channelling the pipelines of the oil-rich Sirte Basin to the rest of the world.
Fighters on the ground reported no signs so far that those oil installations have been set on fire or sabotaged, but Mr Abdulmolah said the area has been heavily mined.
Libya’s warring armies have been fighting over Brega since Thursday when rebel forces launched a three-pronged attack on the town which has switched hands many times, but which had been under Col Gaddafi’s control since April.
Rebel troops approached from the northeast, east and southeast, surrounding Col Gaddafi’s forces and reaching the outskirts of the city’s eastern-most tip on Friday before pulling back to allow for Nato bombardments. Since then it has been a steady advance.
Nestled on the Gulf of Sirte, Brega is made up of three areas, a residential area in the east, a major oil facility in the west and an old town in between.
But the complete occupation of Brega may still have to wait.
“Most of the troops going in right now are anti-mine teams,” said Mr Abdulmolah. “We have found an extraordinary number of anti-personnel mines.”
He added that the effort to clear the ordnance is being hampered by missile attacks from the village of Bishr around 20 kilometres away.
The rebels hope that a phalanx of their fighters which swept past Brega from the south will soon take out those positions.