Witness accounts suggest forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi now control almost all of Zawiyah, a city on the Mediterranean Sea about 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli, but rebels are still fighting there.
“We do not know what is going on in the outside world. We do not have television channels or radios, we are kind of cut off from the outside world,” the rebel fighter, called Ibrahim, told Reuters by telephone.
“But all we want is a no-fly zone. To ban him (Qaddafi) from flying his planes. I swear to God, if this happens we will be talking to you from Bab Al-Aziziyah in a week,” he said, referring to Qaddafi’s compound in the Libyan capital.
Rebels in the east of Libya have also called for a no-fly zone, but there is little sign that one will be imposed soon.
Zawiyah is one of only two big towns in Qaddafi’s stronghold of western Libya where rebels openly defied his rule, and it has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in three weeks of violence across the country.
There have been reports of Qaddafi’s forces using heavy weaponry, houses and mosques being demolished and dozens of casualties including women and children.
Libyan officials say the rebels are gangsters and Al-Qaeda operatives and they have used the minimum force necessary to dislodge them from the town.
The fighter said that there had been no fighting in the city on Friday but that he was expecting pro-Qaddafi militias to launch a fresh attack soon to flush out the remaining rebels.
“It is quiet so far. Nothing is happening but we are on alert,” said Ibrahim. “This is the calm before the storm, we are confused now about why things are so calm.”
“But we do not trust him (Qaddafi). We feel he is planning something but we do not know what it is. We are worried now and nervous but we are ready for the battle and we will win, if God wills it,” he said.
Asked about food supplies he said: “We managed to smuggle some stuff into the town but it is never enough.”
It is impossible to verify accounts of what is happening in Zawiyah because Libyan authorities have prevented journalists from reporting freely there and mobile telephone connections with the town are frequently out of action.
Libyan officials brought a group of journalists to Zawiyah on Wednesday night but they were confined to a stadium on the outskirts where they were shown a dancing display by Qaddafi supporters.
The other rebel holdout in western Libya is Misrata, about 200 km (125 miles) east of Tripoli. A resident there said the rebels were still in control of the town, apart from a military academy where pro-Qaddafi militias were based.
“Misrata is calm now,” the resident, called Abdelbasset, told Reuters by telephone. “Anyway, revolutionaries are ready to counter the militia and I expect clashes in the coming hours.”
