Ongoing Torment for Civilians as Misrata Becomes a Mini-Stalingrad

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Stalingrad, Russia in 1944: Eerie parallels are developing between the over six months-long battle between German troops and Russians for control of each street during this pivotal battle of World War II, and Misrata in 2011, where Gaddafi forces have already been battling Libyan rebels almost daily for over six weeks for a few city blocks at a time, control often going back and forth.

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From al Jazeera reporter Hoda Abdel Hamid:

Rebels in the Libyan city of Misurata scorned reports Muammar Gaddafi had agreed to a ceasefire on Monday after his forces fired rockets on the city and fought intense house-to-house battles.

African mediators said late on Sunday the Libyan leader had accepted a peace plan which included a ceasefire, but hours later Misrata, where anti-Gaddafi rebels have been fighting off attacks for weeks, came under renewed bombardment.

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NATO jets can only do so much since Libyan regime armored divisions and ground troops are now embedded within the tormented and shattered city of Misrata, often well-camouflaged against aerial surveillance. Air power alone cannot protect the city now. Outgunned and under-equipped revolutionaries are racing from attack-point to attack-point to meet regime thrusts against the still-liberated portions of the city, attacks that can come from all four cardinal directions, according to reports. Rebels claimed that they beat back two separate offensives Tuesday, April 12th, with heavy fighting occurring in the streets, with particularly fierce fighting along the city's east side.

Misrata has degenerated into a mini-Stalingrad, the famous World War II battle which saw German troops engaged in vicious street-fighting with Soviet troops for months, with utter disregard for civilian casualties. Likewise in Misrata, international groups are warning of a dire humanitarian crisis at the hands of Gaddafi's forces.

Meanwhile, army snipers continue to gun down anyone moving, including children, as you will see in the following video. The only good news is that supplies continue to trickle into Misrata's port, just barely sustaining the hunkered-down population, while severely wounded civilians and fighters are transported, whenever possible, on boats returning to Benghazi.