As a diplomatic mission led by African leaders called for an end to the conflict, fierce fighting raged near the eastern town of Ajdabiya between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and the rebels.
Fierce fighting today raged near the eastern town of Ajdabiya between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and the rebels, who were pushed back from Libya's strategic city of Brega as a diplomatic mission led by African leaders called for an end to the conflict.
Gaddafi's forces shelled rebel positions in Ajdabiya amid fierce fighting for a second day in the key eastern town, which is the gateway to the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, after forcing the rebels to retreat from the oil town of Brega.
The rebels had been outflanked by pro-Gaddafi forces and forced back from their advance on Brega.
"Reliable military sources told us that Gaddafi's forces managed to advance overnight from the southern desert and started shelling from that area," Al Jazeera reported.
"We are also told that there is street fighting going on inside Ajdabiya between rebels and Gaddafi loyalists. This is a very serious development because there is now fighting on two fronts ?" around Ajdabiya and around Brega," the Arab channel said.
According to Mohammed Idris, a supervisor at Ajdabiya hospital, at least eight rebels were killed and nine people, including two civilians, were injured in the shelling by Gaddafi forces and the subsequent gun battle with rebels in the streets.
The battle for the control of Ajdabiyah came as rebels pushed back an advance by Gaddafi's forces into Misurata, 214 kilometres east of Tripoli. The lone rebel bastion in western Libya has been under siege for six weeks.
The government today claimed that it had downed two helicopters belonging to the opposition which were undermining the 'no-fly' zone enforced by the NATO.
"A clear violation was committed by the rebels to [UN] resolution 1973 relating to the no-fly zone," Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said.
Amid warnings that the situation in Libya was reaching a stalemate, the African Union (AU) began a key diplomatic mission to end the crisis.
The peace mission, which is due in Libya after a visit to Mauritania, appealed for "an immediate end to all hostilities", "dialogue between the Libyan parties" and a transition period to adopt reforms in the insurrection-hit country.
The committee, which includes South African President Jacob Zuma, will visit Benghazi today and meet opposition's Interim Transitional National Council before heading to Tripoli to meet Gaddafi. The delegation also includes the leaders of Mali, Uganda, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Even as NATO intensified its air strikes on Gaddafi military targets, it accused them of using civilians as human shields.
The western military alliance said it destroyed key ammunition stockpiles and several armoured vehicles in air strikes across Libya in the last 24 hours. It had destroyed 17 tanks and damaged nine others, many around the western besieged town of Misrata, 214 kilometres east of Tripoli.
"We have observed horrific examples of regime forces deliberately placing their weapons systems close to civilians, their homes and even their places of worship," said Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, the commander of the alliance's operations in Libya.
"Troops have also been observed hiding behind women and children. This type of behaviour violates the principles of international law and will not be tolerated," he said in a statement.
A MiG-23 fighter jet flown near Benghazi by a rebel pilot earlier on Saturday was forced to land as it violated the 'no-fly' zone, NATO said.
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