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Libyan rebels take Brega, Ras Lanuf

A crew chief from the 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron marshals an F-16 Fighting Falcon out of a hardened aircraft shelter at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, March 20, 2011. Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and control of U.S. military forces supporting the international response to the unrest in Libya and enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973. UPI/Benjamin Wilson/US Air Force
A crew chief from the 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron marshals an F-16 Fighting Falcon out of a hardened aircraft shelter at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, March 20, 2011. Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and control of U.S. military forces supporting the international response to the unrest in Libya and enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973. UPI/Benjamin Wilson/US Air Force | License Photo

TRIPOLI, Libya, March 27 (UPI) -- Libyan rebels, backed by allied airstrikes, continued their westward advance Sunday, recapturing the oil town of Brega and taking control of Ras Lanuf.

Rebels on gun trucks piled high with weapons and ammunition rolled into the abandoned Libyan oil city of Ras Lanuf after charging down the coastal highway after fleeing government forces, the Los Angeles Times repored.

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The rebels advanced more than 150 miles in 24 hours, recapturing a city they had fled 16 days earlier, the Times said.

Forces loyal to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi abandoned tanks, rocket batteries, weapons and ammunition in the desert after allied airstrikes, the report said.

The Times said airstrikes now have helped the rebels restore control over 75 percent of Libyan oil production.

The New York Times reported overnight fighting in Egila, on the road to Ras Lanuf.

If Ras Lanuf has fallen, the rebels' next goal would be Bin Jawwad, where dictator Gadhafi's forces turned back their gains weeks ago, the report said.

On Saturday, the rebels took Ajdabiya after U.S., French and British jets blasted the military's tanks and artillery positions.

The Pentagon reported coalition planes flew 96 missions in a 24-hour period that ended Saturday, while France reported its jets had destroyed at least five Libyan combat planes and two helicopters during the same period, The Wall Street Journal reported.

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In besieged Misurata in the west, rebels are running out of ammunition and the government brought in more snipers overnight, Bougaighis said, but a ship with humanitarian aid did get through Sunday.

Allied planes kept bombing Misurata overnight, destroying a big ammunition depot in a huge explosion, a rebel fighter told the Times.

NATO's council was to decide Sunday whether to begin coordinating direct airstrikes on Gadhafi's forces, the Times reported.

On March 17, the U.N. Security Council authorized the coalition to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya to ground Gadhafi's air force, which the council claimed was not only targeting rebels, but killing civilians.

Control of the air campaign was gradually being transferred from the United States to NATO during the weekend, although U.S. aircraft will continue to participate, U.S. officials said.

Gadhafi has been in power for 41 years and turned the military against protesters calling for him to step down and make way for democratic reform.

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