Ajdabiya, Libya (CNN) -- After days of fierce battle for control of Ajdabiya, Moammar Gadhafi's forces retreated Saturday and opposition fighters claimed success in retaking control of the strategically located eastern Libyan city.
Gadhafi's forces have withdrawn from Ajdabiya, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said shortly after rebels touted victory in Ajdabiya, considered a gateway to Libya's oil fields and a key stopping point on route to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
It was a key win for the opposition, which intends to take the fight all the way to the capital, and evidence of the impact of coalition airstrikes.
Opposition fighters took control of Ajdabiya overnight after coalition fighter jets again bombed Libyan tanks that have been entrenched at the city's northern and western gates for days, opposition spokesman Jalal al-Gallal said.
At the northern entrance, damaged tanks lay strewn across the rolling desert. The buildings around the city entrances were riddled with bullet holes.
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