NEAR AJDABIYAH, Libya, March 16 (Reuters) - Libyan soldiers said on Wednesday they had met resistance from rebels near the eastern city of Ajdabiyah.
A group of journalists was taken by the Libyan government to a location west of Ajdabiyah, a crucial city serving as a gateway to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
Reuters photographer Ahmed Jadallah said he saw a number of tanks deployed along the coastal road as well as tank carriers returning empty from the frontline.
He said several soldiers, looking tired as they returned on rotation, said rebel fighters had returned fire from their positions near the city.
Three or four charred bodies were lying on the side of the main road and there were up to 50 burned cars. Rocket launchers, armoured personnel carriers and about 20 ambulances were also seen along the road.
Outside Ajdabiyah, soldiers fired into the air in celebration and said the city was under their control. The journalists were not taken into the city.
Almost no civilians could be seen. About 50 trucks loaded with food, weapons and petrol were also parked along the road.
Another Reuters correspondent, Khaled al-Ramahi, said he saw a lot of damaged buildings in the city of Brega, now under government control.
"We saw a lot of damage in Brega. The city was empty, all the shops were closed," he said, adding that green flags indicating loyalty to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were hung around the city. (Reporting by Khaled al Ramahi and Ahmed Jadallah, Writing by Maria Golovnina; editing by Elizabeth Piper)
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