CAIRO - The Libyan army has reinforced its positions around the strategic eastern oil town of Brega and dug in its long-range missile batteries to conceal them from attacks by NATO warplanes, a rebel army officer said on Tuesday. Rebels intent on overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi fought battles with government loyalists for weeks after an uprising erupted in February, but fighting has reached stalemate on the desert road between Brega and Ajdabiyah, 80 km (50 miles) further east. Insurgent fighters reported clashes in Brega last week. Comments by rebel officer Abdul Salam Mohammed suggested Gaddafi now had clear control of the town, which is home to a major oil exporting terminal. "There are 3,000 government troops in Brega and the next two towns. They have been building up their presence," he told Reuters on the western edge of Ajdabiyah. Mohammed said Gaddafi forces had dug tunnels to hide their Grad rockets and stop them being attacked by NATO air strikes. "We are controlling the area from here to al-Arbeen (halfway to Brega) but they still have snipers in the area, hiding in the desert behind the sand dunes, and they are active," he added.