At least 40 dead as Gaddafi forces take rebel city in Libya

TRIPOLI - At least 40 people died Wednesday as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi regained control of the center of Zawiyah on Wednesday, after using tanks and snipers to drive rebels out of their stronghold in the western city's main square, residents said.A fighter told Reuters pro-Gaddafi forces had entered the main square of Zawiyah as rebels pulled back. A local doctor confirmed the report and said the death toll in the day's fighting was at least 40 and probably many more. The doctor said there were many dead in the streets, including old people, women and children.RELATED:'Libyans will take up arms against the West if attacked' Who wants a no-fly zone over Libya? Gaddafi: West conspiring to control Libyan oil Libyan state television also showed footage of Gaddafi supporters waving flags who it said were moving towards the center of Zawiyah, which had been the closest rebel-held city to the capital Tripoli."We have pulled back and they are inside the square but we will attack them again and have it back," the fighter said by telephone. "We will do that tonight. This is not the end."Foreign reporters are prevented from entering Zawiyah, 50 km (30 miles) west of Tripoli without an official escort.With the international community still hesitant about how to respond to the crisis in Libya, a counter-offensive by Gaddafi has halted a rebel advance in the east and left others stranded in Zawiyah and another western city, Misrata.