RABAT (Updated 6) - Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are mounting an intense artillery bombardment of rebel-held Misrata and pro-Gaddafi troops are attacking shops and homes in the city centre, a rebel spokesman said. Misrata is the last big rebel stronghold in western Libya, but after weeks of shelling and encirclement, government forces appear to be gradually loosening the rebels' hold on the city, despite Western air strikes on pro-Gaddafi targets there. "They used tanks, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and other projectiles to hit the city today. It was a random and very intense bombardment," the spokesman, called Sami, told Reuters by telephone. "We no longer recognise the place. The destruction cannot be described." "The pro-Gaddafi soldiers who made it inside the city through Tripoli Street are pillaging the place, the shops, even homes, and destroying everything in the process." "They are targeting everyone, including civilians' homes. I don't know what to say, may Allah help us," he said. Al Jazeera television station quoted another rebel spokesman, Abdulbasset Abu Mzereiq, as saying that five people had been killed, including a six-year-old child in a car which was hit by shellfire. He also said the Mediterranean sea port, the only access point for aid and supplies, was being bombarded. Accounts from Misrata, Libya's third biggest city about 200 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, could not be independently verified because Libyan authorities have not allowed journalist to report freely from the city. Misrata – like many cities across Libya – rejected Gaddafi's rule in a revolt in February. In a violent crackdown, Gaddafi's forces restored control in most places in western Libya, leaving Misrata cut-off and surrounded. The rebels say they still control the city centre and the sea port, but Gaddafi's forces have pushed into the centre along Tripoli Street, the main thoroughfare. A resident in the city told Reuters in an email that the 32nd Brigade, one of the best-equipped and trained units in the Libyan armed forces, had been sent in to Misrata early on Friday with the aim of occupying the city. "So the question is where is the international community?" he said. A Libyan living abroad who is in touch with people in Misrata told Reuters: "There is a new heavy attack on Misrata toady with heavy arms (and) troops moving in at the western entrance of the city." He said casualties had started arriving at the clinic in the city which is being used as a makeshift hospital. "People are ... crying for help," said the resident.
