Libyan forces carried out an air strike near a military base on the western outskirts of the rebel-held town of Ajdabiya early today, causing no casualties or damage, rebels said.

"There was a bomb outside the military base near Ajdabiya," said Mohammad Abdallah, a rebel fighter at the last checkpoint of the town on the road to Brega, where rebels fought deadly battles with government forces on Wednesday.

"It was about 8.00 am (0600 GMT)," Abdallah added. Other rebels also reported the air strike, but there were no casualties nor any visible damage.

The military barracks on the outskirts of Ajdabiya has been targeted repeatedly by Muammar Gaddafi's forces since rebels in the east began a popular uprising to evict the Libyan leader who has ruled for four decades.

An AFP reporter today saw crates upon crates of abandoned ammunition inside the barracks, but no damage. The reporter said a warehouse was full of anti-tank rockets, bazookas and rocket launchers.

Rebels also reported a series of explosions near Ajdabiya at around 3 a.m., but the cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.

About 15 to 20 rebel fighters manned the checkpoint but the situation in Ajdabiya was calm, compared to two days ago when convoys of rebels sped towards Brega to reinforce the battle lines.