Revolutionaries seize key Libyan towns

Revolutionary forces fighting the embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi’s troops have captured two strategically important towns near Libya’s border with Tunisia.

The revolutionaries seized al-Ghazaya on Thursday after launching an offensive on the town, which lies southwest of the capital Tripoli, near the Tunisian border, AFP reported.

The revolutionary fighters say they have also captured the nearby Umm al-Far town, adding that there were heavy clashes with Gaddafi’s men along a major high road in the area.

A spokesman for the revolutionaries said that several troops loyal to Gaddafi were injured.

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between government troops and revolutionary forces since mid-February.

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

The bloody conflict has left thousands of people dead and many others wounded.

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

NATO has also recently intensified its attacks on Libya in an alleged attempt to increase pressure on Gaddafi.

The attacks by the US-led military alliance has nevertheless killed scores of civilians and wounded many others in key Libyan cities.