Libya: Gaddafi forces reportedly kill 17 in Benghazi

Libyan leaders's forces attack weapons dump in Benghazi, reports Al Jazeera; at least 30 people killed, 300 wounded in town of Zawiyah near capital; rebels say they have control over oil town Ras Lanuf.

By REUTERS, JPOST.COM STAFF
zawiyah fighting libya_311 reuters (photo credit: Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters)
zawiyah fighting libya_311 reuters
(photo credit: Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters)
CAIRO - An attack by Libyan military forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on a weapons dump near Benghazi in rebel-controlled eastern Libya killed 17 people on Friday, Al Jazeera television reported.
There were no further details.
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At least 30 civilians were also killed on Friday when security forces tried to retake Zawiyah, a town near the capital that has for days been defying his rule, two residents said.
"I have been to hospital less than 15 minutes ago. Dozens were killed and more were wounded. We have counted 30 dead civilians. The hospital was full. They could not find space for the casualties," Zawiyah resident Mohamed told Reuters by telephone.
"We receive updates from the hospital and they say the number of casualties is rising," he added.
Among the dead was the town's rebel commander.
Another resident, Ibrahim, said between 40 and 50 people were killed in the clashes. Al Jazeera quoted a witness saying more than 50 people had been killed and 300 wounded there.
Their accounts could not be immediately verified. 
The rebellion in Zawiyah -- the closest rebel-held territory

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to the capital and also the site of an oil refinery -- has been
an embarassment to the authorities who are trying to show they
control at least the west of the country.
Protests erupt in capital; Interpol issues alert against Gaddafi
Throughout the day on Friday, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces
battled rebels on several fronts and unrest erupted in the capital when gunmen
fired to break up crowds shouting "Gaddafi is the enemy of God".

Paris-based Interpol delivered a global alert against

Gaddafi and 15 members of his inner circle to help police around
the world enforce UN sanctions aimed at ending turmoil in the
world's 12th largest oil exporter.

In the oil town of Ras Lanuf, rebels drove Gaddafi's forces out took over the eastern oil town, two rebel soldiers told Reuters by telephone.

"We have taken Ras Lanuf 100 percent, Gaddafi's forces have all left," rebel soldier Hafez Ibrahim said from inside the town.
Rajab Zawawei said by telephone from Ras Lanuf airport: "We have taken Ras Lanuf 100 percent. We took it an hour ago."
Earlier, anti-Gaddafi rebels fired a sustained barrage of mortar bombs and rockets at a military base in Ras Lanuf and the army returned fire with artillery.
Click for full Jpost coverage of turmoil in the Middle East
Click for full Jpost coverage of turmoil in the Middle East
"There are lots of flames, thuds and bangs. There is the wailing of sirens and puffs of smoke in the air," said Reuters correspondent Mohammed Abbas who could see the battlefield.
"More and more rebels with heavy artillery are streaming by to the front-line," said Abbas, adding "an anti-aircraft gun mounted on a truck and an anti-tank gun were the latest to go by".
Austria, UK widen asset freeze on Gaddafi
As international efforts progressed to isolate the Libyan leader, Austria widened an asset freeze list to include a top official at the Libyan Investment Authority, Mustafa Zarti, because of possible ties to Gaddafi's inner circle.
Zarti, 40, will be questioned by Austrian authorities on Friday, interior ministry spokesman Rudolf Gollia said.
Zarti told Austrian radio he had no clue how much money the Gaddafi clan might have amassed in the Alpine republic.
Britain also extended a freeze on assets to a further 20 members of Gaddafi's entourage on Friday, and has impounded around 100 million pounds ($160 million) of Libyan currency.
Around 2 billion pounds of assets belonging to Libyan interests are believed to have been frozen in Britain under sanctions against Gaddafi's government after its violent crackdown on protests against Gaddafi's 41-year rule.
The asset freeze was imposed last week and initially applied only to Gaddafi and his immediate family. It now extends to 26 people.
ICC says Gaddafi could be investigated for war crimes
In The Hague, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Gaddafi and members of his inner circle could be investigated for possible war crimes committed since the uprising broke out in mid-February.
Speaking at a press conference in The Hague in the Netherlands, Moreno-Ocampo said the crimes include claims that Gaddafi used violence against peaceful forces demonstrating across the North African nation. The list comprises between 13-15 individuals, and includes Gaddafi's head of personal security, and the head of external security forces among others.
Moreno-Ocampo added that the Arab League unanimously agrees with the suggestion, and that there will be "no impunity in Libya." He said that a government may not attack their own civilians, and such actions constitute crimes against humanity.