Libya: Rebels Driven Out Of Key Oil Port

Libyan rebels have admitted they have been forced out of the key oil port of Ras Lanuf by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

hey say the dictator's fighters now control both the town and the oil refinery there - but have vowed to take them back.

The admission was made by General Abdel-Fattah Younis, who was the country's interior minister before he defected to the rebel side.

The opposition forces retreated following a sustained bombardment and the front line has moved back 12 miles from the outskirts of Ras Lanuf.

It was despite a claim made on Friday by the rebels that they had fought off an attempt by Col Gaddafi's militia to retake the eastern town.

It was the latest setback for the rebels who just a week ago held the entire eastern half of the country and were heading towards the capital Tripoli.

The assault on Ras Lanuf was a sign the Gaddafi's forces have regrouped and are taking back areas lost during the uprising that began on February 15.

Pro-government fighters also this week seized back Zawiyah in the west of the country, where rebels had openly defied Col Gaddafi's rule.