A Libyan military aircraft has reportedly crashed near the city of Benghazi after pilots refused to bomb peaceful pro-democracy protesters, reports say.

The pilot and co-pilot had refused bombing orders and parachuted out of their aircraft in an uninhabited area. 

A Libyan daily says the plane had orders to bomb the city but the crew refused to carry out the deadly mission. 

This comes after Libyan tyrant Colonel Muammar Gaddafi pledged to crush the popular revolution in the oil-rich country. The government has even used air raids to suppress persisting mass demonstrations. 

This is while government forces are losing grip on the country amid the ongoing revolution in Libya 

Soldiers in the coastal town of Tobruk, which lies close to the Egyptian border, say Gaddafi's forces have lost control of the region. 

They say they no longer back the Libyan ruler. Protesters have over-run the eastern province of Cyrenaica. 

Meanwhile, military defectors in eastern Libya are reported to be mobilizing to defend the people against possible attacks by Gaddafi's forces. 

The dictator's military forces have even used air raids to suppress demonstrations. 

Many governments and international bodies across the world have reacted strongly to the crisis in Libya. 

Reports widely indicate that government-led violence in the country has left at least one thousand protesters dead over the past several days. source