Gadhafi forces shell Misrata

[May 02, 2011]  MISRATA, Libya (AP) -- A Libyan activist says Moammar Gadhafi's forces have brought their tanks back to the western gates of Misrata and shelled the besieged town throughout the night and into the morning.

Rida al-Montasser said Monday after a night of shelling that the bombardment started anew at 6 am.

Hundreds have died after two months of siege in Misrata, a city of 300,000, that is the sole major rebel bastion in the west of the country.

Al-Montasser said that rumors are rife that Gadhafi forces are preparing to use chemical weapons.

"We heard like everybody else that the soldiers are distributing gas masks," in the nearby city of Zlitan, he said.

He said that rebels have requested the Interim council in Benghazi to send a shipment of gas masks.

[Associated Press]

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