MISRATA/KIKLA, Libya: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces shelled rebel positions in the Western Mountains Wednesday after rebel advances on three fronts edged them closer to the capital. The rebels have made advances in key areas in recent days, closing in on Tripoli, but they have a way to go if they are to successfully march on Gaddafi's well-defended territory. A rebel spokesman, called Kalefa, in the western town of Nalut said there were no casualties from the latest shelling. “Gaddafi's forces bombarded Nalut ... Over 20 Grad rockets landed in the town. They bombarded from their positions ... around 20 km east of Nalut,” he said, adding that they had also shelled the Wazin-DehibaTunisia border crossing.” Fighting was fairly subdued Wednesday as rebels held positions toward Zlitan, east of Tripoli, and on other fronts. NATO war planes bombed Tripoli Tuesday night, causing loud explosions that filled the sky with plumes of smoke, but there were no further reports of bombing Wednesday. On Tuesday, the rebels tried to advance in the east, setting their sights on the oil town of Brega to extend their control over the region, epicenter of the four-month rebellion against Gaddafi's four-decade rule. In a sign that Gaddafi's forces may be getting stretched, the rebels seized the town of Kikla, 150 km southwest of Tripoli. They also pushed several kilometers west of their Misrata stronghold to the outskirts of government-held Zlitan. A Reuters correspondent with the rebels said there were no further advances in the region.
