VOA News
25 Jun 2003, 19:32 UTC
Liberian rebels who have fought their way into the capital, Monrovia, say they will not stop their offensive until they have won control of the city.
The statement Wednesday came as the insurgents were battling forces loyal to President Charles Taylor in the city's western port area, within five kilometers of Mr. Taylor's mansion.
U.S. officials said explosives landed within a U.S. residential compound, causing casualties among thousands of refugees who had sought shelter from the fighting. An embassy official told the French News Agency, AFP, seven people were killed and three injured in the attack.
In a radio address, Mr. Taylor called the rebel advance a blatant act of terror and said his forces will fight it to the end. He denied reports he had fled the city, telling citizens his life is not more important than theirs.
The latest rebel advance began Tuesday, ending a week-old cease-fire agreement.
That agreement called for an interim government that will not include Mr. Taylor. But last week, the president said he would serve until the end of his term in January and may run again whenever elections are held. Liberia's latest civil war is now in its fifth year.
The Liberian president is also under sanctions and an international indictment for his alleged role in financing civil wars in West Africa.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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