Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi said Sunday that government troops have recaptured the western town of Bir al-Ghanam, one day after rebels claimed to have seized it.
Fighting in the strategic Bir al-Ghanam town, some 80 kilometres south of the capital Tripoli, intensified on Saturday.
Rebels are fighting to push towards western coastal cities in order to get closer to Tripoli, which is still under the control of leader Moamer Gaddafi.
The uprising to oust Gaddafi, who has been in power for 42 years, began in mid-February as protests turned into an armed conflict after the government's lethal crackdown on demonstrators. - Sapa-dpa