THURSDAY, 17 MARCH 2011 19:45
Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly ordered round-the-clock supervision of the prime minister and senior members of his inner circle amid fears that they may defect and join the opposition.
Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi and all cabinet members have been held in Bab al-Azizia military compound, situated in the southern suburbs of the capital Tripoli, for the past three weeks.
Large contingents of police and military forces are deployed around the structure, which is the main base for the 68-year-old Gaddafi and access to it is strictly limited, Benghazi-based Berneeq online newspaper reported on Thursday.
The report added that all the government meetings are held in the Gaddafi family compound within the barracks. No one can either enter or leave Bab al-Azizia military compound unless he has Gaddafi's personal permission.
This is while Gaddafi's forces heavily bombarded residential areas in Libya's eastern town of Ajdabiya on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, at least 30 people, including women, children and elderly men, were killed in Ajdabiyah as a result of clashes between revolutionary forces and troops loyal to Gaddafi around the town.
Meanwhile, residents of opposition-held Benghazi reported air strikes on the outskirts of the city on Thursday.
Rising casualties, threats of hunger and a refugee crisis have exerted additional pressure on foreign governments to respond to the deteriorating crisis in Libya.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss whether to impose a no-fly zone over the country.
On Wednesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties in the Libyan conflict to "accept an immediate ceasefire," and that "those responsible for the continuous use of military force against civilians will be held accountable."
Libyan anti-government forces, inspired by revolutions that toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, are fighting to unseat Gaddafi after more than 41 years of despotic rule.
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