Libyan government forces loyal to leader Moammer Gaddafi carried out a counter-attack on rebels Tuesday, killing eight fighters, a day after the opposition claimed it had taken over the strategic eastern oil town of Berga, DPA reported.
The Dubai-based Al Arabiya Satellite channel said government forces riding in trucks with rebel flags shelled the opposition posts in Brega, inflicting casualties.
Rebel forces said land mines planted by Gaddafi's forces have been a main obstacle in their advance towards the capital, Tripoli, headquarters of Gadhafi's forces.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement Tuesday, that the medical facilities in Libya's rebel-controlled western mountains are flooding with casualties from the fighting.
"There is a shortage of antibiotics, and of vaccines against measles, chickenpox and polio," said Georges Comninos, who heads the ICRC's operations in Libya.
"Drugs for treating chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, kidney failure and mental disorders are also in very short supply," the statement added.
Libyan rebels have been struggling since February to oust Gaddafi's regime.