MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.
MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
Moammar Gadhafi struck back today. Forces loyal to the Libyan leader launched ground and air attacks on a town held by rebels. It's called Brega, an oil export terminal on the Mediterranean coast not far from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. The battle for Brega lasted much of the day.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE)
BLOCK: Unidentified Man #1: Allahu akbar. Allahu akbar. Allahu akbar. Allahu akbar.
BLOCK: And, Lourdes, tell us how this battle unfolded in Brega today.
LOURDES GARCIA: Eventually, through sheer force of numbers, Gadhafi's men were forced to retreat, and the rebels had control of the streets, but it was a bloody battle, at least four dead and many more injured.
BLOCK: And what about the airstrikes launched by the Libyan regime?
GARCIA: On the ground, the rebel troops were firing with anti-aircraft guns, but many of the men manning them seemed to be firing sort of randomly.
BLOCK: And we heard some of that anti-aircraft fire from the rebels' side in the introduction there. How would you describe, Lulu, the significance, the strategic importance of this town of Brega?
GARCIA: Well, there's a few things. First of all, it's a port city, and it has one of the largest refineries in Africa. There are also several other sort of installations, including an ammonia factory and other things. So it does have strategic importance in that sense. But also what we've seen is that Gadhafi's forces seem to want to push farther into the east and gain ground there.
BLOCK: Now, also today, Lulu, there was a fiery speech - three-hours long - from Moammar Gadhafi pledging that if the United States or NATO enters Libya, it will become another Vietnam. He said we will enter a bloody war, and thousands and thousands of Libyans will die. What was the reaction from the rebels you spoke with today?
GARCIA: Unidentified Man #2: We have the faith. We believe that we must be free in our country. Of course, there was no chains around our feets or our hands, but we were not free. This man has taken all the money that's given to Africa. He said clearly to us, there is no future for Libya. You must go.
BLOCK: Lulu, the way you have been describing these rebel forces, you know, having surface-to-air missiles but not knowing how to use them, it sounds like a pretty ragtag collection of people, many of them and heavily armed. But do they have unit cohesion? Would they be able to launch any sort of coordinated assault on the Libyan regime?
GARCIA: But what they do have, they say, is the will to fight and the willingness to die. And so they launched this counteroffensive against what was a very well-equipped and well-organized group of Gadhafi soldiers, and they managed to repel them. Certainly, they have the will, and they have the numbers. They might not have exactly the capabilities.
BLOCK: Lulu, thanks very much.
GARCIA: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.