Liberia’s Doe Expels U.S. Military Aide : West Africa: Beleaguered president accuses him of providing support to rebels seeking to overthrow government.

Liberian President Samuel K. Doe expelled the U.S. military attache Saturday, accusing him of providing support to rebels seeking to overthrow the government.

Also Saturday, the rebel troops fought pitched battles with government soldiers close to the center of Monrovia, Liberia’s capital. Witnesses reported heavy government casualties but gave no figures.

In Washington, the State Department confirmed that Col. David Staley had been expelled from Liberia but said the charges against him are unfounded.

“Col. Staley departed Monrovia today,” State Department spokesman Adam Shub said. “Our embassy has protested vigorously to the government of Liberia. In accordance with the normal diplomatic practice, we withdrew Col. Staley.”

Shub said the charges are “entirely without foundation.”

Doe, in a news release received by the British Broadcasting Corp. in London, accused Staley of having regular contacts with the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, of using abusive language in reference to Doe and of giving the rebels military supplies.

The rebels, who began their offensive in December, overran most of northern Monrovia on Friday. They advanced toward the two bridges linking suburban Bushrod Island to the center of the city, where Doe was believed to be holed up in his executive mansion with about 500 soldiers of his minority Krahn tribe.

Many fear a Krahn massacre at the hands of the Gio and Mano tribesmen who make up the bulk of the rebel NPFL force led by former civil servant Charles Taylor. Fifteen government soldiers were reportedly executed after being captured by the rebels Friday, one unconfirmed report said. Diplomatic sources said the report of executions was contrary to previous indications that Taylor’s troops were carefully observing the basic rights of Liberians.

It was not immediately clear how Staley left the city.

Rebels took control of all access routes into the capital Friday. Staley may have been evacuated by helicopters based on U.S. warships off Liberia. The ships were sent in case an emergency evacuation of Americans became necessary.

On Friday, the State Department said the United States had no plans to dispatch a U.S. peacekeeping force to Monrovia to stop the fighting as requested by some Liberian officials.

A State Department official said Saturday that U.S. officials could not say whether Doe has left Liberia.

“We’ve heard various rumors, but I’m not in a position to tell you it’s true,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “There are a lot of rumors coming out of Liberia.”

Representatives of the government and the rebels have met intermittently for peace talks in neighboring Sierra Leone, but little progress has been made. The rebels have refused to compromise on their demand that Doe resign before any cease-fire is implemented.

The rebels have accused Doe, who took power in a 1980 coup, of corruption, mismanagement and human rights abuses. Taylor has promised to maintain close U.S. ties if he comes to power, but he has ruled out immediate elections.