Libyan rebels say they've reached oil town again

Ajdabiya: Libya's rebel forces advanced once again to the strategic oil town of Brega thanks to four days of airstrikes by NATO, a rebel officer said

on Sunday.

Following scattered clashes with government forces, the rebels reached the outskirts of Brega, which has already changed hands half a dozen times since fighting began in early March, Col Hamid Hassy said.

Explosions that appeared to be from new airstrikes could still be heard on Sunday in the area.

For four days, rebel forces have maintained their positions around the city of Ajdabiya, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the east, allowing airstrikes to weaken government forces, Hassy said.

On Saturday, however, the fighters pushed in to reach Brega's university campus, just outside the town's oil port.

He said that if rebels retake Brega, they will bring engineers to repair any damage to the refinery and oil facilities there.

Government troops, meanwhile, continued their powerful assault with tanks and rockets on Misrata, the last major rebel city in western Libya. The city has become emblematic of the limits of NATO's air campaign, with the alliance's top military commander saying he needs more precision attack aircraft to avoid civilian casualties in urban combat.

Rebels in Misrata and the New York-based group Human Rights Watch have alleged that Gadhafi's forces have been using cluster bombs, which pose particular risk to civilians because they scatter small bomblets over a wide area.