<p>Nato said it had hit 11 tanks outside the eastern town and six burned-out hulks could be seen on its western approaches. A Reuters reporter saw 15 charred bodies scattered around two sites about 300 metres apart.<br /><br />Nato said it also destroyed 14 Gadhafi tanks on the outskirts of Misrata, a lone rebel bastion in western Libya which has been under siege for six weeks and where conditions for civilians are said to be desperate.<br /><br />Earlier, the rebels seemed to be losing control of Ajdabiyah after the heaviest government assault for at least a week.<br /><br />The attack, which began on Saturday, included a fierce artillery and rocket bombardment while some of Gadhafi’s forces, including snipers, penetrated the town.<br /><br />Rebels had for several hours cowered in alleyways in the town, which is gateway to their stronghold city of Benghazi 150 km up the Mediterranean coast to the north.<br /><br />The corpses of four rebels were found dumped on a roadside. “Their throats were slit. They were all shot a few times in the chest as well. I just could not stop crying when I saw them,” said rebel Muhammad Saad. “This is becoming tougher and tougher.”<br /><br />But by afternoon rebels looked back in control of Ajdabiyah, commanding key intersections, and the artillery and small arms fire had died down.<br /><br />A high-level African Union delegation led by South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in Tripoli on Sunday to try to start peace talks between the two sides.</p>
<p>Nato said it had hit 11 tanks outside the eastern town and six burned-out hulks could be seen on its western approaches. A Reuters reporter saw 15 charred bodies scattered around two sites about 300 metres apart.<br /><br />Nato said it also destroyed 14 Gadhafi tanks on the outskirts of Misrata, a lone rebel bastion in western Libya which has been under siege for six weeks and where conditions for civilians are said to be desperate.<br /><br />Earlier, the rebels seemed to be losing control of Ajdabiyah after the heaviest government assault for at least a week.<br /><br />The attack, which began on Saturday, included a fierce artillery and rocket bombardment while some of Gadhafi’s forces, including snipers, penetrated the town.<br /><br />Rebels had for several hours cowered in alleyways in the town, which is gateway to their stronghold city of Benghazi 150 km up the Mediterranean coast to the north.<br /><br />The corpses of four rebels were found dumped on a roadside. “Their throats were slit. They were all shot a few times in the chest as well. I just could not stop crying when I saw them,” said rebel Muhammad Saad. “This is becoming tougher and tougher.”<br /><br />But by afternoon rebels looked back in control of Ajdabiyah, commanding key intersections, and the artillery and small arms fire had died down.<br /><br />A high-level African Union delegation led by South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in Tripoli on Sunday to try to start peace talks between the two sides.</p>
