Residents report fierce fighting in besieged Libyan city

Delegates from Arab and African nations and NATO offered support to Libyan rebels at a summit in Qatar.

Tripoli, Libya Moammar Gadhafi's forces again pounded the besieged Libyan city of Misrata on Thursday, targeting the port where a medical aid ship was expected to dock and destroying a cement factory and cargo containers, residents said.

At least 20 people were killed and more than 20 others were wounded in the

dawn attack at the port and a nearby residential area, said Mohammed, a medical assistant who did not want his full name used for security reasons.

"If people do not die here from shelling, they will die from starving since Gadhafi is preventing aid from arriving to the port," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that Gadhafi's forces reportedly destroyed crucial food supply warehouses in Misrata and cut off water and power to the city "in an apparent attempt to starve (residents) into submission."

Misrata resident Abdlsalam told CNN the road leading to the port had also been attacked and that the shelling had prevented a ship intended to evacuate people from docking. "I couldn't hear any NATO planes today," said Abdlsalam, also not identified fully for security reasons.

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CNN could not independently verify the reports but the International Organization for Migration said it chartered a 800-person capacity boat to evacuate at least 6,000 stranded migrant workers in Misrata, many of whom have been living in warehouses with little food and a lot of fear.

The organization said the boat was carrying hundreds of tons of medical aid to Misrata and was en route to the port.

"From reports on the ground, this rescue mission cannot come soon enough," an IOM worker on the boat said in a news release. "It is going to be heartbreaking not being able to take everyone out at once."

Misrata has been under siege for weeks and its residents, especially vulnerable. Reports of civilian casualties streamed in Tuesday and Wednesday.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the situation is particularly grave in the cities of Misrata, Zintan and al-Brega in the east because of critical food and water shortages.

"We are also deeply concerned with the fate of third-country nationals who are trapped in the areas of fighting," Ban said at an Arab League meeting on Libya in Cairo. 

European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton said the first priority is to work toward a cease-fire and clear the way for humanitarian assistance.

At a NATO meeting in Berlin, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen endorsed the message that came out of Wednesday's international summit in Qatar that Gadhafi must step down immediately.

Rasmussen told reporters that NATO has the necessary assets to continue aerial strikes but the tactical nature of the fight has changed.

"Now they hide their heavy arms in populated areas, where before many targets were easier to get to," Rasmussen said. "To avoid civilian casualties, we need very sophisticated equipment. So, we need a few more precision fighter ground-attack aircraft for air-to-ground missions."

credit:CNN