Some 1 500 protesters rallied in the Tajoura district of Libya's capital Tripoli after the Friday prayer against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi before they were tackled with tear gas and then with live ammunition.

"Gaddafi – enemy of God," chanted the rally Friday afternoon in Tripoli, which still remains somewhat of a stronghold of the Gaddafi regime as much of the rest of the country, in the east, has been taken over by anti-regime forces.

"The people want to bring the regime down" chanted the daring protesters waved the red, black and green flag of Libya's pre-Gadhafi monarchy, adopted as the banner of the uprising, RIA Novosti reported.

The Gaddafi loyalists have already crushed brutally protests in the Libyan capital a week ago, including by using fighter jets to bomb protesters in the outskirts of the city.

Control of the capital is crucial to the Libyan dictator since it remains his strongest remaining bastion amid the uprising that began on February15.

A large force from a brigade led by one of Gadhafi's sons, Khamis, led a new attack Friday on Zawiya, the closest opposition-held city to Tripoli, a resident said.

The civil war-like situation in Libya appears to be a stalemate for the time being as Gaddafi's forces have been unable to beat back the rebellion. At the same time, the rebels including citizen militias and renegade army units are unable to launch a powerful assault on Gaddafi-held territory, and appear to be relying on uprisings there and on desertions from the loyalist military.

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