Success on both sides sows fear of civil war

So far,Gaddafi has had little success in taking back territory,with the entire eastern half of the country and some cities near the capital under rebel control. But the opposition forces have had limited success in marching on pro-Gaddafi areas.

Saturday’s assault on Zawiyah,a city of some 200,000 people 50 kilometers west of Tripoli,began with a dawn attack by Gaddafi’s forces firing mortar shells and machine guns.

Witnesses who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone with the rattle of gunfire and explosions in the background said the shelling damaged government buildings and homes. Witnesses said snipers were shooting at anybody on the streets,including residents who ventured onto balconies.

Initially,the rebels retreated to positions deeper in the city before they launched a counteroffensive in which they regained some of the lost territory,according to residents.

By midafternoon,the rebels had reoccupied central Martyrs’ Square while the pro-regime forces regrouped on the city’s fringes,sealing off the city’s entry and exit routes,the witnesses said.

Pro-Gaddafi forces on foot and firing artillery,mortars and other heavy weapons launched a new attack on Zawiyah in the afternoon from south and west,witnesses said.

Anti-Gaddafi rebels fared better elsewhere,capturing the oil port of Ras Lanouf on Friday night,their first military victory in a potentially long and arduous westward march from the east of the country to Tripoli.

An Associated Press reporter in Ras Lanouf saw Libya’s red,black and green pre-Gaddafi monarchy flag,adopted by the rebels,hoisted over the town’s oil facilities.