Sources: Gadhafi forces seize rebel-held Libyan town
March 15, 2011 -- Updated 1110 GMT (1910 HKT)
Rebels are holding journalists back, fearing media coverage could provide intel to government forces.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Troops announce they are in control of Zuwara, the opposition says
- Tanks and heavy artillery roll into the town, west of Tripoli
- Moammar Gadhafi is fighting to regain control of rebel parts of the country
- The rebel stronghold is in the east
(CNN) -- Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi have wrested control of the town of Zuwara from the rebels, an opposition spokesman and an eyewitness told CNN Tuesday.
Pro-Gadhafi forces with tanks and heavy artillery forcibly entered the town Monday, clashing with rebels for several hours before subduing the town, the sources said.
Troops entered the town around 9 p.m. Monday and began shooting randomly into buildings, the opposition spokesman said, declining to be named for his safety. He is in Zuwara.
Tuesday morning troops announced they were in control, the spokesman said.
The town is relatively quiet Tuesday, with locals afraid to leave their homes, he and the eyewitness said.
Gadhafi is fighting to regain his dominance over the entire country after some towns and cities came under control of the armed opposition.
Zuwara is west of the capital Tripoli, which Gadhafi controls. The rebels' stronghold is in Benghazi, to the east of Tripoli.
Rebels appeared Monday to have slowed the eastward advance of government forces toward Benghazi at the town of al-Brega.
But it was not clear late in the day who controlled al-Brega, which contains a large oil refinery and natural gas plant, said CNN's Ben Wedeman, reporting from Benghazi, which is about two hours further east.
Meanwhile, government planes carried out air raids 40 minutes from al-Brega, in the town of Ajdabiya.
CNN was not able to reach the front lines Monday.
For the first time since violence erupted last month, forces opposed to Gadhafi did not allow members of the news media to go forward. They expressed concern that coverage from the rebel side of the lines could provide intelligence to government forces about the ragtag rebel forces' tactics, or lack thereof.
Life in Benghazi appeared calm on the surface Monday. Stores were open and people went about their business. But some residents expressed an underlying fear that Gadhafi appeared to have gained the upper hand and was advancing his military forward as much of the rest of the world focused on the catastrophe in Japan.
Some expressed fear that Gadhafi may seek to block roads leading to Benghazi and other coastal cities, then lay siege to them. Some worried that, if Gadhafi reasserts control of those cities in eastern Libya that led the revolt against his rule, he might carry out bloody reprisals.
Forces loyal to Gadhafi have been fighting to recapture towns from the rebels since the uprising began last month.
En route to Washington after a weekend trip to Bahrain, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters Monday that the logistical challenges of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya could be overcome. "If we are directed to impose a no-fly zone, we have the resources to do it," he said. "The question is whether it's a wise thing to do. And that's the discussion that's going at a political level."
The Arab League voted Saturday to back a no-fly zone to protect the civilian population.
The Libyan Foreign Ministry has denounced the league's move, calling it a "flagrant action against its charter," according to state TV Sunday. It also reported that the ministry would welcome the arrival of a fact-finding mission sent by some African nations.
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