In another blow to the government of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, opposition fighters in the west say they have forced Gaddafi troops out of the towns of Qasr el-Haj and Shakchuk.
The towns have been under attack since February.

Residents and rebels in the west celebrated on the streets after a battle that lasted for almost 12 hours.

By liberating the two towns, the opposition says it will now be able restore electricity to three other areas. One of them is Zintan which has been heavily bombarded in recent days.

Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from Zintan.