Libya rebels seize desert hamlet in offensive

GUALISH, Libya - Libyan rebels fighting to oust Colonel Muammar Gadhafi pressed ahead on Thursday with day two of a NATO-backed offensive after seizing a desert hamlet some 50 kilometers from Tripoli.

Reinforced with fresh French weapons parachuted into the North African country, and coordinating with NATO-led airstrikes aimed at destroying Gadhafi's frontline armor, the rebels attacked government forces in the plains southwest of the capital.

The area targeted by the rebel offensive is seen as strategic as it also features the garrison city of Gharyan, a government stronghold in the Nafusa mountains.