Libyan rebel fighters caught 17 soldiers of the troops loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi on Saturday in a battle in the western town of Zawiyah, a rebel's spokesman told Xinhua.

There has been fierce fighting since Saturday morning between the rebel fighters and Gaddafi's troops. The reports of casualties would be available later Saturday, said Jalal al-Gallal, an information official in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

Heavy explosions were heard in the downtown of Zawiyah, which has witnessed seesaw games in the recent months. Airplanes were hovering above the town, residents said on the rebel's TV website.

The TV also said the Gaddafi forces were deploying small warships from the seaside, trying to free the troops surrounded by the opposition fighters in Zawiyah.

The fighting has reportedly cut the coastal highway that links the capital Tripoli with Tunisia.

Gaddafi's forces also shelled for the first time the city of Gadamis, about 600 km southwest of Tripoli on the Tunisian and Algerian border, the rebel's TV said.

In the coastal city of Misurata in the east of Tripoli, Gaddafi 's troops stopped shelling the rebel-held downtown on Saturday after suffering serious damages on their military vehicles and killing at least 30 rebel fighters, Gallal said.

Another 150 opposition soldiers were wounded, some seriously, he said, adding that the tolls were feared to rise as more reports were coming from the front line.