Rebel forces fought their way Monday toward Muammar Gaddafis hometown of Surt,a key government stronghold guarding the road to capital Tripoli. Their rapid advance came on the back of international airstrikes that have battered Gaddafis air force and troops over the past week. The rebels have now recaptured all the territory they lost over the past week and brought them closer than ever to Surt within 100 km. Some residents were fleeing the city of 1,00,000,as soldiers from a brigade commanded by Gaddafis son al-Saadi and allied militiamen streamed to positions on the city's outskirts to defend it,witnesses said. Surt,where a significant air and military base is located,was hit by airstrikes Sunday night and Monday morning,witnesses said,but they did not know what was targeted. Russia on Monday criticised the international campaign,saying it had overstepped its UN mandate to protect civilians. In a symbolic diplomatic victory for the Opposition,Qatar recognised Libyas rebels as the legitimate representatives of the country the first Arab state to do so. Meanwhile,Al-Jazeera TV has aired interviews with the parents of a Libyan woman who rushed into a Tripoli hotel to tell foreign reporters that Muammar Gaddafis troops detained her at a checkpoint and later gang raped her. Iman al-Obeidi was tackled by waitresses and government minders,and dragged out of the hotel as she tried to tell her story on Saturday. The Associated Press only identifies rape victims who volunteer their names. In the interviews,broadcast on Monday,the parents say al-Obeidi is a lawyer and is now being held at Gaddafi's compound in Bab Al-Aziziya in the capital.
