Libya rebels report street-to-street fighting in Brega

BENGHAZI, Libya: The battle for the Libyan oil town of Brega switched from the desert to intense street-to-street fighting on Sunday, as rebel forces said they punched into a residential area in the town's northeast. 


Rebel forces said they had re-entered Brega but had not yet managed to wrest control of the town from Gaddafi's troops, who have held it since April. 

"Some small groups have made it inside, but we do not control the whole (town) yet," said Mohammed Zawi, a spokesman for the rebel forces. 

Zawi dismissed rumours that Gaddafi troops had abandoned the town altogether. "It is now close fighting," he said, indicating a new phase in the four-day rebel campaign. 

Until now heavy artillery had set the tenor of the battle, but mortars and rockets now appear to have given way to heavy machine guns -- a more useful weapon for fighting at close quarters. 

But that did little to stem the bloodshed. Some 13 rebel fighters have now been killed and almost 200 wounded since the battle for Brega began on Thursday.