A spokesman for the fighters, Mustafa Gheriani, on Sunday confirmed the presence of the British group in the country's second largest city, but was tight-lipped on the reason for the visit. "It's a delegation," said Gheriani, spokesman for Transitional National Council, adding however that the British delegation was meeting with the TNC on Sunday.

In London, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office confirmed the visit. "A further diplomatic team led by Christopher Prentice arrived in Benghazi on April 2 to engage with key figures including the Interim National Council.

"It will build on the work of the previous team and seek to establish further information about the INC, its aims and more broadly what is happening in Libya," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, warplanes flew over Brega on Sunday as the fighters battled with loyalist troops for control of the east Libyan oil town. Near the eastern gate of Brega aircraft and the thud of explosions and machine-gun fire could be heard.

Comments from volunteer fighters suggested that better trained anti-Qaddafi army units continue to battle government forces around the town's university 15 km to the west, without any clear outcome.