Libyan ruler’s forces heavily bombard strategic town of Ajdabiyah, enter it

Libyan long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi's artillery heavily bombarded the strategic town of Ajdabiyah and his forces forced their way inside on Sunday in their most determined assault on the strategic eastern town for at least a week.

According to news agencies, opposition fighters appeared to be losing control of the town, which is gateway to their stronghold of Benghazi 150 km (90 miles) up the Mediterranean coast to the north.

Ajdabiyah had been the launch point for the fighters during a week-long fight for the oil port of Brega further west and its fall would be a serious loss.

They said Gaddafi's forces killed at least four fighters in the second day of fighting for Ajdabiyah. "I saw the four this morning. Their throats were slit and they were all shot through the chest and dumped on the road. Their car was also riddled with bullets," said Mohammed Saad, at a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Ajdabiyah.

Gaddafi's artillery shelled the western approaches all morning and two rockets landed in the center in the middle of the day. There were long exchanges of small arms fire.

The streets were deserted as the fighters guarded various crossroads and dashed around in pick-ups.

The fight for Ajdabiyah on Sunday followed pitched battles on Saturday when fighters fought off a heavy assault by government forces on the besieged western coastal city of Misrata.

Meanwhile, a high-level African Union delegation led by South African President Jacob Zuma was due in Tripoli on Sunday to try to kindle peace talks between the two sides.

South African officials said the delegation, which also included the leaders of Mauritania, Congo, Mali and Uganda, would meet opposition leaders in Benghazi after talking to Gaddafi.

But an opposition spokesman rejected a negotiated outcome in the conflict. "There is no other solution than the military solution, because this dictator's language is annihilation, and people who speak this language only understand this language," spokesman Ahmad Bani told al Jazeera television.

Gaddafi's government sought to showcase a reform-friendly face on Sunday, gathering foreign journalists in the early hours of the morning to unveil a "Libyan version" of democracy. Details were vague and officials could not explain what Gaddafi's role would be, but it was clear he would continue to play a leading role.