zawiya

In Zawiya itself, the rebels appeared to be consolidating their control despite shelling and sniper fire from Colonel Gaddafi's troops.

The offensive on Zawiya is thought to be spearheaded by an elite unit led and named after one of Gadhafi's sons, Khamis.

One man told us by telephone there were at least 50 government tanks attacking Zawiya and that there were bullets flying in all directions.

The main road and supply route from Tripoli to the Tunisian border, which runs through Zawiya, is said to have been partially closed.

The pipeline to Zawiya passes through rebel-held land near the Nafusa Mountains: pouring cement into a valve would shut it down.

Fighting between rival Libyan militias near the city of Zawiya left at least ten people dead.

The rebels will have to take Zawiya if they are to be able to advance on the capital.

If the rebels can hold on to Zawiya and take Zlitan (which will not be easy), the impact on life in Tripoli will be profound.

If Colonel Qaddafi were to lose Zawiya and its refinery, the game would probably be up.

Near the western rebel-held Libyan city of Zawiya, a heavy government military presence could be seen.

On battlegrounds across the vast, empty land, his forces have taken back Zawiya and Zuwara west of the capital, Tripoli.

About 50 government tanks were reported to have attacked Zawiya near the capital Tripoli from where Wyre Davies reports.

Amid fierce battles the colonel's forces seemed to have regained control of Zawiya, a city near Tripoli.

Zawiya's fleeing residents and rebel fighters said most of the city was now under rebel control.

Earlier this month two militias fought each other in a territorial dispute near the town of Zawiya, west of Tripoli.

Rebel fighters converging in armoured cars from Zawiya in the west and Misrata in the east quickly swept through the city from both sides.

The leader of the eastern Al Zawiya tribe has threatened to halt oil exports if the violence against protesters continues.

They fought their way down to the Mediterranean coastal plain, backed by NATO airstrikes, and captured the strategic city of Zawiya.

On Thursday, an estimated 23 people died as violence broke out in the city of Zawiya, just 50 kilometers west of Tripoli.

A military checkpoint guarded the entrance of the Zawiya Oil Refinery Co. , the country's second-largest refinery.

The roads leading to Zawiya were clogged with rebel fighters pouring toward town and refugees fleeing in the opposite direction.

When the town of Zawiya got taken by the rebels we then knew that we had no way out.

The last big battle occurred on the highway between Zawiya and Tripoli.

Rebels were reportedly fighting units of the regular army in the western cities of Misrata and Zawiya.

It follows a second day of fierce fighting in Zawiya, an oil terminal an hour's drive from Tripoli.

Fighting in and around Zawiya and Gharyan remained furious, and in the past rebels have taken ground only to lose it again soon after.

On Saturday, they consolidated control of Zawiya, then launched their furious rush on the capital.

Libyan rebels have been pushing north towards Zawiya for some weeks now.

The rebels' setback at the city of Zawiya, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli, was the second in as many days.

A trickle of oil from fields in the regime-held south-west feeds the refinery at Zawiya, on the coast near Tripoli.

Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khalid Kaid, denied reports that the government had attacked opposition forces in Zawiya's central square.

Another clash broke out Thursday just west of the capital in the city of Zawiya.

As The Economist went to press, reports suggest he may have retaken Zawiya. He may then counter-attack eastward towards Benghazi.

Early Monday, a long line of cars could be seen heading toward Tripoli from Zawiya.

Brega, still heavily defended by Colonel Qaddafi's forces, is almost as crucial as Zawiya.

Libyan rebels have taken control of an oil refinery outside the town of Zawiya.

Until today his mosque and zawiya are still open, and many people go there to visit and obtain his blessings and barakah.

Zawiya, Libya: Residents lie in open graves and make the victory sign to show their willingness to die, next to freshly dug graves