TRIPOLI, (Reuters) – Libyan rebels said they took control of Misrata airport in heavy fighting with Muammar Gaddafi’s forces yesterday, seizing large quantities of weapons and munitions in a major victory in the besieged city.
The rebels, who also rejected a United Nations call for a ceasefire, are fighting across the North African country to end Gaddafi’s 41 years in power.
The war has reached stalemate, with the government controlling the capital and almost all of the West while rebels in charge in Benghazi and other towns in the oil-producing east.
The port city of Misrata is the last major rebel-held bastion in the west. Gaddafi’s forces have besieged it for almost two months, leading to fighting that killed hundreds.
“The airport, with the help from great God, has been freed. The rebels have seized many weapons including tanks and, thank God, they are still functioning,” rebel spokesman Mohamad Jaber said by telephone from Misrata, 190 km east of Tripoli.
