ZAWIYA, Libya (AP) — Anti-government forces backed by rebel army troops are in control of the city closest to the capital Tripoli.
An Associated Press reporter who arrived Sunday in Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, says forces loyal to longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi are surrounding the city of 200,000. But anti-government rebels and troops allied with them are in control of the city center.
Police stations and government offices have been torched and anti-Gadhafi graffiti is everywhere. Many buildings in the city are pockmarked by bullet holes.
"Gadhafi Out," chanted hundreds in the city center, where army tanks controlled by rebels are deployed.
Gadhafi loyalists remain in control of Tripoli.