Kadhafi troops kill six in Libyan oasis town: rebels

Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi stormed the oasis town of Jalo, south of the rebel bastion of Benhgazi, killing six civilians, rebels said.

"Seventy cars entered Jalo, coming from the south," said a rebel fighter.

"They killed six civilians, one of them was getting bread from the bakery, the other five were workers," the rebel fighter told AFP by telephone.

"The attack took place between 9:30 and 10:00 am," he said, adding that the loyalists troops continued moving north towards the rebel-held, virtual ghost town of Ajdabiya, about 240 kilometres (150 miles) away.

"It seems Kadhafi is trying to open another front in the south," said a second rebel, also contacted by phone.

"It is not a great sign," said Jalal al-Gallal, spokesman of the Transitional National Council's media committee, confirming reports of the attack and the number of casualties.

"Kadhafi has troops travelling around the desert to spread fear, death and destruction but he doesn't have the numbers to hold the gains," he told AFP.

The rebels said the troops that entered Jalo were the same ones that on Thursday swept into Kufrah, which lies hundreds of kilometres to the south.

At the time, a rebel spokesman said there were "no casualties" there as rebels withdrew after "putting up a light resistance," and that Kadhafi forces were "now in control of three quarters of the city."

AFP was receiving mixed reports about who now held the desert town.

Kufrah is the main city in Kufrah province, which lies in the southeastern corner of the country, bordering Chad, Sudan and Egypt.

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