Revolutionaries claim control of Brega

Libyan revolutionaries fighting loyalists to embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi say that they have taken control of the strategically important town of Brega.

Opposition sources say that the bulk of Gaddafi’s army has pulled back to another nearby town.

“The bulk of Gaddafi’s forces have retreated to Ras Lanuf,” AFP quoted an opposition spokesman as saying on Monday.

The revolutionaries said they are working on taking out all the landmines littered by Gaddafi’s forces. The revolutionaries have been fighting Gaddafi’s men since Friday after they attacked the town.

Brega is the sight of a strategic oil terminal. Both sides have been fighting for it vigorously over the past few months. It has been lost by both sides several times since earlier this year.

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between government troops and revolutionary forces since mid-February. The deadly conflict has left thousands of people dead and wounded.

Tripoli and some western provinces remain under Gaddafi’s control while the revolutionaries hold Benghazi, most of the east and several western cities.

Revolutionary forces want an end to Gaddafi’s decades-long rule.