Libyan rebels in last ditch effort to group together

The Libyan rebels were trying over the weekend to put their act together and shore up support and confidence even as Gaddafi's forces solidified their advancements in recent days by unleashing vicious shell attack on Misrata.

The attack on Misrata, where rebels had upper hand earlier, killed at least one person and wounded more, Reuters reported, citing a resident of the area. The report said as many as 160 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Misrata in the last week.
Intensified attacks y Gaddafi forces on Misrata followed the government troops' significant gains throughout the west of the country. After weeks of shelling and encirclement, Gaddafi's forces appear to be gradually loosening the rebels' hold on Misrata, the report said.

Rebels in the east are, however, better organized. We are reorganising our ranks. We have formed our first brigade. It is entirely formed from ex-military defectors and people who've come back from retirement, former Air Force Major Jalid al-Libie told Reuters.

Before the end of the week you will see a different kind of fighting and that will tip the balance, said Libie, who is based out of Benghazi.

The Benghazi-based rebels formed crisis team on Saturday to sustain the momentum and keep its ranks together.

Omar Hariri is in charge of the military department while General Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi, is his chief of staff, Reuters said.