Foreign mercenaries and Libyan militiamen loyal to Moammar Gadhafi tried to roll back the uprising against his rule that has advanced closer to his stronghold in Tripoli, attacking two nearby cities in battles that killed at least 15 people. But rebels made new gains, seizing a military air base, as Gadhafi blamed Osama bin Laden for the upheaval.
The Libyan government attacked but failed to take Misratah airport, but did extend their control to the west of Tripoli, at Zawiya. At Misrata, the government forces not only failed to dislodge the rebels but air force personnel at a nearby air base revolted and disabled their planes.
The rebels now hold the coast from the Egyptian border to Marsah al Burayqah (which I think is Breqa in the article). Sirte remains loyal to the government, thus cutting of Misratah from rebel territory to the east.
Will the rebels advance on the Sirte region to link up with Misratah? Or will the government send additional forces to clear out Misratah to allow them to reinforce Sirte? Priority for the government would seem to be nailing down the Tripoli region, which they haven't managed to do yet.
UPDATE: This article adds the southern oil fields (in the eastern half of the country, I assume) to those controlled by the rebels.
