Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gadafy fired at least 100 Grad rockets into Misrata today in a third day of heavy bombardment of the rebel-held city.
Misrata is the rebels' only major bastion in the western part of Libya. Pro-Gadafy forces have laid siege to it for seven weeks after cities across the coast rose up against the Libyan leader's four-decade rule in mid-February.
"They fired Grads at an industrial area this morning, at least 100 rockets were fired. No casualties are reported," Abdelbasset Abu Mzereiq said.
In the east, rebel military leader, Abdel Fattah Younes, said his forces were engaged in fierce fighting in Brega, west of Benghazi, and said he hoped he would have "good news" soon.
"We have people who are positioned at the entrance to Brega, they have cleared out some snipers. We've basically cleared out Gadafy's forces from the eastern outskirts," rebel commander Jibril Mohammed Jibril said.
A rebel at the entrance to Ajdabiyah said their forces were still being ambushed by government troops along the main highway linking the two towns. Artillery fire was heard coming from the direction of Brega, but it was unclear who was firing, he said.
More than 100 rockets landed in Misrata on yesterday as well, and rebels said government forces had reached the city centre.
Human Rights Watch said it had evidence Col Gadafy's forces were firing cluster bombs into residential areas of Misrata. It published photographs of what it said were
Spanish-produced cluster bombs, which release grenades designed to explode into fragments and kill the maximum number of people.
Rebel spokesman Abdelsalam in Misrata said pro-Gadafy forces had also shelled the road leading to the port, a lifeline for trapped civilians and the main entry point for international aid agencies, killing eight people.
"Today was very tough ... Gadafy's forces entered Tripoli Street and Nakl al Theqeel
road," he said by phone, referring to a main Misrata thoroughfare.
"Witnesses said they saw pro-Gadafy soldiers on foot in the city centre today. Except for snipers, they usually stay in their tanks and armoured vehicles."
A government reconnaissance helicopter had flown over the city, he said, despite a no-fly zone mandated by the UN Security Council and enforced by Nato warplanes.
Last night, an aid ship brought nearly 1,200 Misrata evacuees to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, just a fraction of those stranded and desperate to escape, an official of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.
Up to 10,000 people still needed to be evacuated from Misrata, IOM aid coordinator
Jeremy Haslam said. Continued bombardment made it impossible to get into many areas of the city, he said.
US president Barack Obama last night acknowledged the military situation on the ground in Libya had reached stalemate three weeks into the war, but said he expected Nato allies to force Gaddafi from power eventually.
Mr Obama, British prime minister David Cameron and French president Nicolas Sarkozy published a joint newspaper article vowing to continue their military campaign until Col Gadafy leaves power.
They acknowledged their aim of regime change went beyond protecting civilians, as allowed by a UN Security Council resolution, but said Libyans would never be safe under Col Gadafy.
Reuters