* Gaddafi forces advance on rebel enclave from east
* Insurgents try to block suppply lines to Gaddafi troops
(Adds details and quotes)
BEIRUT, April 8 (Reuters) - Libyan government troops
advanced on Misrata's eastern districts on Friday, triggering
street-battles with rebels in the coastal city that forced
residents to flee the area, a rebel spokesman said.
"They tried to advance and enter the city from the eastern
side, from an area called Eqseer, which is a populated area. The
rebels confronted them and clashes are continuing," rebel
spokesman Hassan al-Misrati told Reuters by telephone.
The rebels were attempting to disrupt supply lines of
government forces in an effort to loosen the grip of Muammar
Gaddafi loyalists on Libya's third city, Misrati said.
"They (rebels) have cut the Tripoli road into four parts
using huge containers filled with sand and stones. This way they
have managed to block the back-up coming to the snipers. We have
managed to liberate a few buildings," he added.
Misrata rose up with a number of other towns against Gaddafi
in mid-February and has been under siege for weeks after a
violent crackdown put an end to most pro-democracy unrest
elsewhere in the west of the Arab North African state.
Accounts from Misrata cannot be independently verified
because the Libyan authorities have not allowed journalists to
report freely from the city.
(Reporting by Mariam Karouny; writing by Richard Lough; editing
by Mark Heinrich)
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