Libyan rebels seize Ras Jdir post on Tunisia border

TUNIS—Libyan rebels on Friday took control of the Ras Jdir post on the border with Tunisia, and raised the flag of the rebellion, a Tunisian goverment source told AFP.

“More than 100 Libyan rebels arrived Friday at Ras Jdir,” the source said.

“There were not any real clashes, the (regime) loyalists took off and the rebels’ flag was raised at the border post.”

A representative of the Libyan rebels’ National Transitional Council, Adel Debachi, said on Tunisian television from Ras Jdir that they took control of the border post just before breaking the Ramadan fast around 1800 GMT.

He also said four pro-Gadhafi loyalists surrendered.

A humanitarian worker at Ras Jdir also told AFP the rebels had taken the border post.

Tunisian soldiers stationed near the crossing have been on high alert in recent days as fighting in western Libya has approached the border.

Ras Jdir, the main crossing point between Libya and Tunisia, was closed Monday by Tunisian officials who sought to block armed fighters from entering the country. Only those injured by the fighting in Libya and humanitarian workers were allowed to cross.

Hundreds of people have entered Tunisia through Ras Jdir in recent days, according to humanitarian workers.

The rebels seized the Dehiba border post, the other crossing point between Libya and Tunisia, in April.