Gaddafi fires Scud missile as rebels cut off Tripoli

Colonel Gaddafi's forces fired a Scud missile for the first time in Libya's war, US defence officials said, after rebel advances left him isolated in Tripoli.

Fighters trying to end his 41-year rule have entered two strategic towns near the capital over the past 24 hours, cutting its supply lines and leaving him with dwindling options.

The Scud was fired on Sunday from about 50 miles east of Sirte, Colonel Gaddafi's home town. It flew east and landed beyond the coastal oil town of Brega, where rebels are fighting for control. The official said it fell in the desert and there were no injuries.

There was no comment from Tripoli. Until now Gaddafi forces have used shorter-range Grad rockets, but not Scuds, which can reach up to 185 miles and cause huge damage.

The regime acquired stocks from the Soviet Union in the Seventies, and from North Korea, according to globalsecurity.org.

Rebels have made their most dramatic advances in months of fighting. Forces from the Western Mountains surged forward to enter Zawiyah, only 30 miles west of Tripoli and straddling the highway linking the capital to Tunisia.

Rebels said they captured Gharyan, which controls the highway south from Tripoli. "Gaddafi has been cut off from the outside world," said a rebel spokesman.

A UN envoy arrived in Tunisia, where sources say rebels and the regime are holed up in the resort of Djerba for negotiations. Colonel Gaddafi's spokesman denied his government was in talks.