Gadhafi Forces Mount New Offensive on Ajdabiya

Moammar Gadhafi's forces shelled the eastern edge of Ajdabiya today, bringing the fight to the front-line rebel town that has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks. Rebel forces fired back with rockets and no government forces entered the city, said a rebel fighter. Rebels acknowledged the setback a day after claiming they had reached the outskirts of the oil town of Brega. Said one, "The situation is hard here, and we don't really know who is holding what."

Meanwhile, in Syria, gunmen opened fire during a funeral for a slain anti-government protester today, killing at least three people on a day when tens of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide as part of an uprising against the country's authoritarian regime, witnesses and activists said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the shooting; one witness said gunmen wearing black clothes opened fire while other witnesses said soldiers and security forces were to blame.