AJDABIYAH, Libya - Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi kept up an offensive on the rebels' eastern front-line outpost of Ajdabiyah, while the West again ruled out sending ground troops to help the rebel cause.

One witness said he saw around a dozen rockets land near the western entrance to Ajdabiyah, which rebels wanted to use as a staging post to retake the oil port of Brega. Many fled on Sunday as loud explosions boomed across the town.

"There are still some guys out there at the western gate, but the situation isn't very good," said Wassim el-Agouri, a 25-year-old rebel volunteer waiting at Ajdabiyah's eastern gate.

"We want weapons, modern weapons," said rebel Ayman Aswey, 21. "If we had those, we could advance against them."

Sunday marked a month since the UN Security Council passed a resolution authorizing force to protect civilians in Libya, leading to an international air campaign. But despite NATO airstrikes against Gadhafi's armor, rebels have been unable to hold gains in weeks of back-and-forth fighting over the coastal towns in eastern Libya.

With NATO troops bogged down in Afghanistan, Western countries have ruled out sending ground troops, a position reinforced by the British prime minister on Sunday.

"What we've said is there is no question of invasion or an occupation - this is not about Britain putting boots on the ground," David Cameron told Sky News in an interview.

He said outside powers would help in every other way to stop Gadhafi "unleashing this hell on people in Misrata" and other towns up and down the Libyan coast, including providing "non-lethal equipment" to the rebels.

European Council President Herman van Rompuy said he viewed the Libyan rebel council as "a valuable discussion partner ... that embodies the Libyan people's aspirations", a political vote of confidence for a force that has struggled militarily.

Reuters