Gaddafi's Forces Launch Air Attacks

The push and pull continues in Libya: After troops loyal to embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi attacked rebels with tanks, helicopters, and fighter planes in the coastal town of Bin Jawwad on Sunday, stalling the protesters' march towards the capital of Tripoli, Gaddafi's government forces launched a new air assault on rebels on Monday in the town of Ras Lanuf. The rebel defeat at Bin Jawwad was a setback after their major victory in taking the oil port at Ras Lanuf. "We're trying. We're not advancing. We can't do anything about it," said an army second lieutenant fighting with the rebels. The rebels, meanwhile, are trying to capture Surt, a stronghold of Gaddafi that blocks the path to Tripoli, and are still fighting to retain control of the city of Zawiyah, where loyalists reportedly committed a massacre.