Explosions, gunfire rock Misrata

There have been reports of explosions and gunfire in the Libyan city of Misrata, although the Libyan army had announced that it halted operations there, the BBC reports.



Lybia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Khaled Kaim, saYS the army had stopped fighting to give local tribal leaders an opportunity to negotiate with rebels. But he said government troops had not withdrawn from the besieged port city. Rebels dismissed previous reports of an army retreat.



Misrata, which is Libya’s third largest city, is the rebels’ main stronghold in the west of the country.



Human rights groups say more than a thousand people have been killed in weeks of fighting in the city, as rebels struggle to fend off attacks by forces loyal to Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Saturday was recorded as one of the bloodiest days since the violence erupted.