Gadhafi’s forces dig into populated areas
Outside Ajdabiya, Libya • Opposition fighters cheered and flashed victory signs as allied jets streaked across the sky Monday over the strategic city of Ajdabiya, under siege by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
But as the rebels sped toward Ajdabiya in dozens of vehicles, many mounted with machine guns, Gadhafi’s soldiers attacked. They rained mortar and tank shells that exploded like thunderclaps, spraying thick smoke and debris along the highway. The rebels quickly retreated.
Even as allied strikes hammer Gadhafi’s air defenses, his ground forces have dug into heavily populated urban areas such as Ajdabiya, and on Monday they gained ground in the western city of Misurata.
Resorting to human shields. Scurrilous.