At least 30 killed in Libya as Gadhafi forces fight to take back rebel-held town

A Libyan rebel fighter wraps himself in heavy machine gun ammo before heading to battle against pro Khadafi forces, some 40 km down the road of the northern central city of Ras Lanuf on Mar. 4. AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT

The Libyan army staged a prolonged artillery barrage on the city of Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, on Thursday, with residents saying more than 30 people have been killed.

“There has been heavy shelling of Zawiyah by (Muammar) Gadhafi’s forces and we are hearing of many casualties,” Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the rebel February 17th Coalition, said.

An improvised force of rebels has been pushed back to the central square in Zawiyah, 50 km west of Tripoli, where about 2,000 of them are getting ready to make a last stand, a rebel spokesman said.

Read more at Haaretz.com.