Reporting from Bin Jawwad, Libya— A sustained counterattack by Libyan government forces sent overmatched rebel fighters fleeing eastward through this desert crossroads early Tuesday as heavy fighting engulfed the battered town.
It was the second day of an aggressive government effort to defend the garrison city of Surt, birthplace of Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi. Rebel forces gave up the ground they had gained the previous day, retreating in panic across a 50-mile stretch of desert highway east of Surt.
Lightly armed rebel gunmen at first fled to new lines a few miles east of Bin Jawwad. Rockets from the government troops’ BM-21 Grad launchers exploded two miles away, sending up plumes of dirty brown smoke. The dull thump of artillery and heavy-machine-gun fire sounded around Bin Jawwad as rebels fought desperately to hold the town.
Ambulances with blaring sirens sped west from the front, with paramedics frantically working on wounded fighters.
At 2:30 p.m., a furious government fusillade stirred more panic among rebel volunteers and a few defecting army regulars fighting alongside them. A couple of hundred fighters suddenly abandoned their positions and sped east in a mad dash to safety.
Full Story: Libya: Rebels flee counterattack in Surt, Libya – latimes.com