GADDIFI TOPPLED!!!!!TRIPOLI CELEBRATING!!!!!!!!

Stories are starting to come through that Gaddafi's press spokesman/PR has been captured in the Sirte area - anyone heard anything definite?

Al Jazeera Live Blog:

40 min 58 sec ago

AFP reports: Libya's interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril said Thursday that he will not be a part of the new government, the formation of which has been postponed until the end of the country's conflict.

Asked at a news conference in Tripoli about the timetable for the government's announcement, Jibril said: "I hope that soon we will free Sirte and Bani Walid to begin negotiations on the formation of the transitional government, of which I will not be a part."

1 hour 51 min ago

Muammar Gaddafi's spokesman Moussa Ibrahim was captured on Thursday outside of the former Libyan strongman's hometown of Sirte, National Transitional Council's [NTC] field commanders told AFP.

"Misrata fighters contacted us and gave us the information that Mussa Ibrahim has been captured," said Mustafa bin Dardef, of the NTC's Zintan Brigade.

Another commander, Mohammed al-Marimi, said: "Mussa Ibrahim was captured while driving outside Sirte by fighters from Misrata."

Piccie:



Well, I think Moussa has a problem, personally - Comical Ali pulled it off because he was so OTT, George Bush became a fan and he survived the fall of Saddam very nicely, thank you.

Whereas Moussa, by getting caught in Sirte, is giving every sign that he actually meant it; he should really have been captured when the press and the rebel army drove into the middle of Tripoli, babbling away about Gaddafi being invincible....

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Giving birth on the frontline
By Sue Turton Thu, 2011-09-29 10:48.

The impact of the drawn out conflict on ordinary people in Sirte was brought into sharp focus for us last night. We had swung by the field hospital on the way back from the fighting on the frontline to ask the surgeon about casualty figures.

We had seen and heard ambulances rushing backwards and forwards all day so feared the toll was high. The doctor shook his head and said it had been a bad day.

Two of the commanders fighting on the northern flank close to the port had been killed by sniper bullets and he had treated many shrapnel injuries.

Then he added that they had also had a labour to deal with. I thought I'd misheard him.

A labour? As in a birth? Yes, he said. A pregnant woman had escaped the fighting in Sirte and was staying in one of the houses behind the field hospital. She was three days overdue and was suffering complications.

I asked if he was up for delivering a baby. He turned as white as a sheet. He had dug out countless bullets and dealt with the most horrific battlefield injuries for months now but the idea of delivering a baby scared the life out of him.

Thankfully there was a local midwife on hand. He was hopeful she could manage without his services. I asked if I could see her.

I am lucky enough to have a camerawoman with me, so talking to women is a much easier prospect, than trying to allow a male crew in - because of cultural sensitivities.

The doctor said he thought he should be ok and sent us off with the ambulance chosen to pick her up and rush her down the road to Ras Lanuf, the nearest hospital an hour and a half away. We followed the ambulance to the house.

The driver and fighters on board, still carrying their AK47s, saw this mission as urgent as any they had dealt with in the past six months of conflict. By the time we got to the house it was pitch black.

The male members of the family came out. They explained how the hospital in Sirte had no electricity, little water and was low on medical supplies.

They were reluctant to allow us in. Understandable, given what they had been through and their concerns for a safe delivery.

The brother eventually said we were welcome to film as she was transferred to the ambulance that was to rush her to hospital. Moments later a scream rang out through the darkness. She was already in labour.

We retreated not wanting to be a burden at such a sensitive time. The next morning we were at the hospital getting fuel from the tank stationed to keep the ambulances on the road.

We asked the gaggle of doctors and staff hanging around reception if she had made it to the hospital. They all smiled broadly. Mother and baby were doing fine.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Libyans flee raging battles in Sirte
Aid agencies say humanitarian crisis looms as NTC forces launch offensive to take control of Gaddafi stronghold.
Last Modified: 30 Sep 2011 14:11

Libya's interim government forces have launched an assault on the coastal city of Sirte in an effort to dislodge fighters loyal to the country's deposed leader.

The prolonged battle for Muammar Gaddafi's hometown, besieged from three fronts, has raised mounting concern for civilians trapped inside the city of about 100,000 people, with each side accusing the other of endangering them.

Cars drove out of Sirte from the early hours of Friday, while shelling and tank fire continued from both sides on the eastern and western fronts.

Black smoke rose from the centre of the city and NATO jets flew overhead.

Gaddafi loyalists and some civilians have accused NATO air raids and shelling by the forces of the National Transitional Council (NTC) of killing civilians.

Both NATO and the NTC deny the accusations. Civilians coming out of Sirte say pro-Gaddafi fighters are executing people they believe to be NTC sympathisers.

More than a month after NTC fighters captured Tripoli, Gaddafi remains on the run, trying to rally resistance to those who ended his 42-year rule.

Humanitarian crisis

Aid agencies said this week that a humanitarian disaster loomed in Sirte amid rising casualties and shrinking supplies of water, electricity and food.

Doctors at a field hospital near the eastern front line said an elderly woman died from malnutrition on Friday morning and they had seen other cases.

Reports say families have not eaten for days and the wounded are unable to be transported to hospitals for treatment.

Medical sources say even if the wounded do reach hospitals, doctors are unable to tend to their injuries due to lack of power and limited supplies.

The NTC has asked the UN for fuel for ambulances to evacuate its wounded fighters from Sirte, a UN source in Libya told the Reuters news agency on Thursday.

The UN is sending trucks of drinking water for the civilians crammed into vehicles on the road from Sirte, heading either towards Benghazi to the east or Misrata to the west, he added.

But fighting around the city and continuing insecurity around Bani Walid, the other Gaddafi bastion, are preventing the world body from deploying aid workers inside, he said.

"There are two places we'd really like access to, Sirte and Bani Walid, because of concern on the impact of conflict on the civilian population," the UN source in Tripoli said

Balancing act

The NTC is under pressure to strike a balance between a prolonged fight that would delay its efforts to govern and a quick victory which, if too bloody, could worsen regional divisions and embarrass the fledgeling government and its foreign backers.

The NTC says efforts to form a new interim government have been suspended until after the capture of Sirte and Bani Walid.

"There are no negotiations at the moment to form a transitional government after the NTC decided to keep the current formation to facilitate the [country's] affairs until the land is liberated," Mahmoud Jibril, Libya's de facto prime minister, said in Tripoli on Thursday.

"There are two fronts, Sirte and Bani Walid. I hope those two areas would be liberated soon so that we can start forming a new interim government."

Jibril ruled out any role for himself in a future government.

There has been speculation that divisions are preventing the formation of a more inclusive interim government.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Red Cross sends medical aid to Sirte

Red Cross team delivers urgent supplies to Sirte's main hospital amid heavy fighting in Gaddafi's besieged hometown.
Last Modified: 02 Oct 2011 04:35

Aid workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have delivered medical supplies to Sirte amid growing fears of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in the besieged hometown of Muammar Gaddafi, the ousted Libyan leader.

Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC), said on Friday that its forces had called a two-day truce to allow civilians to leave as people streamed out of Sirte by the hundreds.

But heavy rocket and mortar fire continued from both sides on Saturday, even though NTC commanders outside the town said they were trying to let civilians out.

NTC fighters in Sirte told the Reuters news agency that NATO planes had dropped flyers urging civilians to flee the fighting.

The prolonged battle for Sirte, encircled by anti-Gaddafi fighters and hit by regular NATO air strikes, has trapped people inside the town of about 100,000 through several fierce assaults over two weeks.

Fighting continued to the west and east of the town on Saturday. Loud thuds were heard coming from the town centre, and white smoke billowed into the sky while NATO planes roared overhead.

A truck carrying supplies and a car carrying European ICRC workers were allowed to pass checkpoints manned by fighters loyal to the NTC.

The ICRC delivered medical kits for treating up to 200 people wounded in the fighting to Sirte hospital, as well as fuel to run its generators, the organisation said.

However, a team of four aid workers, who also had security clearance from pro-Gaddafi forces, were not able to go inside the hospital due to heavy gunfire, the spokesman said.

"They went to the hospital but were not able to see patients, they didn't go into the wards," Marcal Izard said.

Doctors at the hospital - which has no power - told the aid workers there were 200 patients inside.

"The conditions under which medical personnel have had to work over the past weeks have been extremely difficult," said Hichem Khadraoui, who headed the operation.

"The hospital is facing a huge influx of patients, medical supplies are running out and there is a desperate need for oxygen. On top of that, the water reservoir has been damaged."

In a statement, the ICRC reminded all parties of their "obligation under international humanitarian law to take all possible measures of precaution in order to spare civilian lives and allow safe access for medical personnel".

Heavy clashes

Libyan fighters say they have completely surrounded the coastal city and are engaged in heavy clashes with his loyalists in the city's streets.

Last week, the NTC's defence ministry said that Sirte's port, airport and military base were all under the control of its forces.

On Saturday, NTC forces in Sirte said they have captured the headquarters of the Saadi Gaddafi brigades, an army unit led by Gaddafi's third son.

Musatafa al-Rubaie, an NTC commander, told the Associated Press news agency that even though his fighters had surrounded Sirte from all sides, a path out had been left for civilians who still wanted to leave.

After weeks of fighting Gaddafi's loyalists inside Sirte, the fighters now hold positions about 5km from the city centre, he said.

'Mission largely complete'

The top US commander for Africa said on Saturday that the military mission in Libya was largely complete and NATO's involvement could begin to wrap up as soon as next week when allied leaders meet in Brussels.

Army General Carter Ham, head of US Africa Command, told AP that NATO ministers would review the situation and could decide to end the mission.

He said that US intelligence and surveillance assets, such as drones, would probably stay in the region for some time once the NATO mission ended, particularly to help the Libyan government with key issues such as border security and non-proliferation of weapons.

But he said air strikes would end, unless specifically requested by the Libyan transitional government.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Civilians flee worsening situation in Sirte

NTC announces 48-hour suspension in fighting, allowing many to escape shortages and insecurity in Gaddafi's hometown.
Last Modified: 03 Oct 2011 05:40

Hundreds of residents of Sirte are fleeing the coastal town after the National Transitional Council (NTC) announced a 48-hour suspension in fighting to capture toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi's hometown.

A long queue of cars jammed the roads leading out of Sirte on Sunday as civilians sought to escape a worsening humanitarian situation in the town.

Residents fleeing the town of around 100,000 say that those still trapped inside are running low on food and supplies, enduring NTC and NATO shelling as well as intimidation from forces loyal to Gaddafi who are trying to prevent some people from leaving.

NTC fighters in Sirte told the Reuters news agency that NATO planes had dropped flyers urging civilians to flee the fighting.

Fighting has continued in Sirte, despite NTC commanders claiming for more than two weeks that they are on the verge of wresting control of one of Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds.

Last week, the NTC's defence ministry said that Sirte's port, airport and military base were all under the control of its forces.

On Saturday, aid workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who entered the town to deliver supplies could not visit the main Ibn Sina Hospital because of shooting.

One family of four was killed by a rocket strike on Saturday while trying to leave, Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reported on Sunday.

"One nurse escaping with her family this morning said that medical staff couldn't reach [Ibn Sina] hospital and couldn't perform operations," she said. "Residents say conditions are dire and people are dying simply because they don't have any basic medical supplies."

Red Cross aid

A truck carrying supplies and a car carrying European ICRC workers were allowed to pass checkpoints manned by NTC fighters on Saturday.

The ICRC delivered medical kits for treating up to 200 people wounded in the fighting for Sirte, as well as 400 litres of fuel to run hospital generators, the organisation said.

However, a team of four aid workers, who also had security clearance from pro-Gaddafi forces, were not able to go inside the hospital due to heavy gunfire, the spokesman said.

"They went to the hospital but were not able to see patients, they didn't go into the wards," Marcal Izard said.

Doctors at the hospital - which has no power - told the aid workers there were 200 patients inside.

"The conditions under which medical personnel have had to work over the past weeks have been extremely difficult," said Hichem Khadraoui, who headed the operation.

"The hospital is facing a huge influx of patients, medical supplies are running out and there is a desperate need for oxygen. On top of that, the water reservoir has been damaged."

'New interim cabinet'

In a statement, the ICRC reminded all parties of their "obligation under international humanitarian law to take all possible measures of precaution in order to spare civilian lives and allow safe access for medical personnel".


Musatafa al-Rubaie, an NTC commander, told the Associated Press news agency that even though his fighters had surrounded Sirte from all sides, a path out had been left for civilians who wanted to leave.

After weeks of fighting Gaddafi's loyalists inside Sirte, the fighters now hold positions about 5km from the city centre, he said.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has learned that at least three positions have now been assigned in Libya's interim cabinet.

Mahmoud Jibril, the chairman of the NTC's executive committee, is expected to be confirmed as the head of the new interim government.

Ali Tarhouni, the interim oil and finance minister, will be Jibril's deputy prime minister.

And Salem Joha, an NTC commander in Misrata, is most likely to be appointed as the new defence minister.

Al Jazeera Live Blog:

9 hours 26 min ago

Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saadi, has denied allegations of corruption and intimidation and has called Interpol's decision to put him on the equivalent of its most-wanted list as political, according to an email sent to the AP news agency.

Saadi, has taken refuge in the west African nation, where he fled after Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces.

Saadi "regrets the issue of a red notice by Interpol and strenuously denies the charges made against him," an email forwarded to the AP news agency said.

In the email, Saadi called the Interpol notice a "clear political decision to recognize the de jure authority of the National Transitional Council taken without appropriate regard to the current absence of a functioning, effective and fair system of justice in Libya."

15 hours 56 min ago

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Tripoli, says the names of some members of the new interim cabinet have begun to emerge late on Sunday evening.

Libya's new defence minister will be a man named Salem Joha, reportedly a military commander from Misrata. It is hoped that his appointment will please Islamist factions, our correspondent said. Misratis have become a powerful political force in post-Gaddafi Libya, thanks to their fierce resistance during months of siege and perceived military prowess.

Mahmoud Jibril, the NTC prime minister, will keep his position, while Ali Tarhouni, the former oil minister, will be elevated to deputy prime minister, Ahelbarra reported.

16 hours 56 min ago

A group of journalists summoned by the NTC to a hanger on the outskirts of Benghazi on Saturday were shown about 200 recently discovered SAM-7 anti-aircraft missiles, a small slice of a much larger and potentially deadly stockpile that remains unaccounted for since the uprising against Gaddafi.

Gaddafi's regime is thought to have purchased some 20,000 SAM-7 missiles, developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, which are capable of downing civilian aircraft at certain altitudes.

The NTC believes that 5,000 such missiles are loose in Libya, though NATO has privately put that number at 10,000, according to the Sunday issue of Der Spiegel.

17 hours 58 min ago

Sources have told AJE that Libya's National Transitional Council could announce a new cabinet as early as today, though the position of defence minister remains an obstacle. Mahmoud Jibril, the head of the NTC's executive board, wants to appoint a new figure to that position, though Islamist factions are apparently opposed.

18 hours 10 min ago

Soaade Messoudi of the Red Cross tells AJE that Sirte's main Ibn Sina Hospital has seen a "huge influx" of patients in recent days, as it endures a siege by NTC forces.

Red Cross workers delivered fuel and medical kits to doctors in Sirte on Saturday but because of ongoing fighting could not visit the hospital themselves.

21 hours 55 sec ago

East of Sirte on Sunday, NTC fighters returning from the front said they had captured a neighbourhood in the southwest of the city which was home to many Gaddafi supporters.

"Ninety-five percent of Buhadi is under our control," fighter Drisi Mayar said.

"This was a stronghold of Gaddafi. A lot of his relatives and clan members lived there. There was a small military base. We took control yesterday. We had small clashes but it is under our control."

Hundreds of vehicles also streamed out of Sirte on the eastern front during a lull in fighting on Sunday.

One man leaving with his family who gave his name only as Muftah said: "The situation is absolutely pathetic, especially in the hospitals. We have no oxygen, no medicines. Wounded people die even before reaching the hospital.

"Many people have broken open the pharmacies in the city to bring medicines to the hospital but even that is exhausted now."

1 day 1 hour ago

The ICRC delivered medical kits for treating up to 200 people wounded in the fighting to Sirte hospital, as well as fuel to run its generators, the organisation said.

However, a team of four aid workers, who also had security clearance from pro-Gaddafi forces, were not able to go inside the hospital due to heavy gunfire, the spokesman said.

"They went to the hospital but were not able to see patients, they didn't go into the wards," Marcal Izard said.

Doctors at the hospital - which has no power - told the aid workers there were 200 patients inside.

"The conditions under which medical personnel have had to work over the past weeks have been extremely difficult," said Hichem Khadraoui, who headed the operation.

"The hospital is facing a huge influx of patients, medical supplies are running out and there is a desperate need for oxygen. On top of that, the water reservoir has been damaged."

In a statement, the ICRC reminded all parties of their "obligation under international humanitarian law to take all possible measures of precaution in order to spare civilian lives and allow safe access for medical personnel".

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16081815

Lockerbie Bomber: 'My Role Was Exaggerated'

6:49pm UK, Monday October 03, 2011

The man convicted of carrying out the attack on a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie in 1988 says his role in the bombing has been "exaggerated".

Abdul Basset al Megrahi is believed to be close to death, two years after being released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds as he had terminal cancer.
Speaking from a bed at his home in Tripoli, Megrahi said: "The facts will become clear one day and hopefully in the near future.
"In a few months from now, you will see new facts that will be announced.
"The West exaggerated my name. Please leave me alone. I only have a few more days, weeks or months."
Sky's Alex Rossi, reporting from Misratah in Libya, said Megrahi appeared extremely frail and medical equipment could be heard beeping in the background.
"Perhaps the most interesting thing is that he is still alive," he said.
"The only previous pictures we've seen since the fall of Tripoli we some television pictures that emerged on August 30 in which he didn't speak."

All 259 people aboard Pan Am flight 103 and 11 others on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie were killed after the aircraft exploded in mid-air en route from London to New York.
Megrahi is the only person to be convicted over the mass killing but questions have repeatedly been raised over his role.
In 2007 the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission granted him leave to appeal after uncovering evidence that suggested there might have been a miscarriage of justice.
His appeal stalled as it emerged it may be a barrier to him being released as part of a deal with Libya.
During his latest interview, Megrahi attacked the legal process in The Hague that convicted him.
"Camp Zeist Court is the smallest place on earth that contains the largest number of liars," he said.
"I suffered from the liars at Camp Zeist Court more than you can imagine."

---------------------------------

Not quite as bad as being blown up at 30,000 feet, or having a burning airplane crash on your home, though, was it?

Now might be a good time for him to speak, as he will be meeting his Maker before much longer.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Jibril vows to quit after Libya 'liberation'

Prime minister of interim government says he will step down once NTC fighters seize control of Gaddafi stronghold Sirte.
Last Modified: 04 Oct 2011 06:55

Mahmoud Jibril, the prime minister and often the foreign face of Libya's National Transitional Council, has pledged to resign from government once the country is liberated.

That moment will occur when Sirte, the contested coastal hometown of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi, is taken by NTC fighters, Jibril said on Monday.

Jibril's announcement came after news of a potential cabinet reshuffle began to emerge on Sunday evening.

More than a month after the fall of Tripoli, the NTC appeared to have finalised a new cabinet that reportedly aimed to be more representative and take into account the desires of Islamist factions.

Salem Joha, a military commander from Misrata, was set to take over the much-discussed office of defence minister. But on Monday, NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil announced that the current minister, Jalal Dghaili, would maintain his position.
Dghaili is said to be well-respected by Islamists.

The reshuffled cabinet may have a short life. According to the NTC's draft interim constitution, the NTC will form a new interim government in Tripoli after the "announcement of liberation," which Jibril and others have said will come after the capture of Sirte.

The draft constitution lays out a timeline whereby Libya would see legislative and presidential elections within a year after liberation, though NTC politicians have said they could come sooner.

Many ministers held onto their portfolios in the new interim cabinet. Jibril remains, temporarily, as prime minister but also assumes the role of foreign minister. Ali Tarhouni remains as oil and finance minister, and Ahmad Darrat stays on as interior minister.

Libya's Cabinet
Prime and Foreign Minister Mahmoud Jibril

Defence Minister Jalal Dghaili

Oil and Finance Minister Ali Tarhouni

Interior Minister Ahmad Darrat

Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam

Minister for Libyans Killed or Wounded Ali Essawy (New)

Islamic Affairs Minister Hamza Abu Fas (New)

Under the terms of the interim constitution, no member of the NTC will be allowed to serve in Libya's elected post-revolution government. By speaking out on Monday, Jibril became the first NTC member to publicly declare he would not do so.

Jibril's announcement appeared to reflect growing dissatisfaction with him among influential members of the revolution.

"I think Mr. Jibril has realised that he has lost the confidence of people on the ground," Anis Sharif, a member of the Tripoli military council, told Al Jazeera. "I think most Libyans, after 40 years of a one-man show of Libyan dictatorship, they don't want another one man show. It's the right time for him to leave."

Jibril himself acknowledged his drop in popular esteem but framed it as a personal attack.

"No man is infallible, and we cannot be perfect until we listen to criticism, however what I heard was a personal smear campaign and the matter is completely different," Jibril said. "If my response would be to reciprocate I would fall to very inferior levels. This would push the revolution astray from the main course."

Waheed Burshan, a member of the NTC stabilisation team that crafted the opposition's post-Gaddafi logistics, said Jibril had "obviously" been pressured to make the statement promising his resignation.

"I think the decision is correct, in terms of choosing him [to remain as interim prime minister], continuing as is pretty much until they resolve all internal politics," Burshan told Al Jazeera.

Fighters' advance

As political wrangling continued in Tripoli, NTC fighters appeared to gain ground around Sirte on Monday, seizing the town of Abu Hadi, around five kilometres south of the town.

Fighting also continued on the west side of town, where NTC fighters breached a perimeter wall in an effort to reach the city centre, Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reported.

The offensive there began in afternoon, and heavy explosion could be heard from the town.

Nearly three weeks into the siege of Sirte, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that the humanitarian situation there is grave. Citizens fleeing the town say they are running out of food and water, unable to access medical care, enduring bombardments from both NTC and loyalist fighters, and suffering intimidation from loyalists if they try to leave.

NTC fighters are unhappy with the ICRC for delivering supplies to the town rather than evacuating wounded people and searching for disappeared residents, our correspondent reported.

The fighters want the ICRC to help wounded civilians who took up arms in support of the NTC and to search for men said to be "holed up" inside a prison in town, Khodr said.

Monday's combat came despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by the NTC on Sunday in order to allow civilians to leave.

The Red Cross reached Sirte on Saturday, delivering medical kits and fuel for the main Ibn Sina Hospital. The aid team said they could not reach the hospital itself due to fighting.

NTC fighters told Al Jazeera they believe it is only a "matter of days" before they take Sirte.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

NATO air raids to continue in Libya
US defence chief says NATO campaign will go on as long as ground fighting continues, as residents flee city of Sirte.
Last Modified: 04 Oct 2011 18:52

Libyan residents flee Sirte as NATO bombing looks to continue [Reuters]
Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, says NATO air raids in Libya will continue as long as there is heavy ground combat between supporters of former leader Muammar Gaddafi and fighters loyal to the country's new leaders.

Speaking during a visit to Cairo, the Egyptian capital, on Tuesday, Panetta said he could not predict when the air campaign would be concluded.

"As long as there is fighting that continues in Libya, I suspect that the NATO mission will continue," he told reporters.

When asked how long NATO's air campaign would last, he said, "I think fighting has to end."

The Pentagon chief said he expected to have a better sense after discussions in Brussels this week with fellow NATO defence ministers.

Allied air strikes began in March and helped tipped the balance in favour of anti-government fighters who overran the capital, Tripoli, in August.

The poorly trained but now battle-hardened fighters of the National Transitional Council (NTC) have surrounded Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte, east of Tripoli, and Bani Walid southeast of the capital, with limited success so far in dislodging them.

NATO planes struck targets in Sirte on Sunday, but Gaddafi loyalists were still in the fight, retaliating with rockets and rocket-propelled grenades the following day.

"Obviously there continues to be fighting by Sirte", Panetta said, adding, "We still don't know where Gaddafi is. And so there still are some question marks with regards to the situation."

Panetta, however, said the conflict "certainly is moving in the right direction" and "a lot of progress has been made" since the operation was launched in March.

Hundreds of residents flee

In Sirte, hundreds of residents have been fleeing in packed vehicles, with some sitting on top of possessions piled high in the rear of vehicles.

Farak Mussa, whose blue minivan was carrying his family of eight jammed in beside mattresses and suitcases, said he had held out for days for fear of the NTC fighters but the ferocity of the clashes finally made him take the chance, the AFP news agency reported.

"We were afraid to come out because they (Gaddafi loyalists) told us that the NTC would cut our throats. But we couldn't stay because of the bombing - we had to take the risk. Why is NATO bombing us?" he asked.

There was fierce fighting on the front line on the western side of Sirte on Monday after what NTC forces said was a rocket and rocket-propelled grenade barrage against their positions by Gaddafi forces inside the city.

NTC fighter Mohammed Shahomi had little sympathy for the long line of people waiting to leave the town.

"They are all Gaddafi loyalists," he said. "You think they are leaving because they believe in the revolution? They are just scared."

Supplies running out

Fleeing civilians spoke of an increasingly desperate situation inside Sirte as food supplies ran out.

An International Committee of the Red Cross team managed to deliver some desperately needed medical supplies on Monday.

But the persistent exchanges prevented it from carrying out a more detailed assessment of the needs, the ICRC said.

"ICRC staff crossed the front line with a fully loaded truck from the west side of Sirte," it said in a statement.

"Fifty oxygen cylinders and other items required for hospital care were handed over to medical staff and representatives of civil society."

Hichem Khadraoui, the ICRC delegate in charge of the operation, said the situation on the ground was very tense with ongoing fighting. But he said the organisation hoped to return to the town soon.

Reuters:

Libya back to school, but without Gaddafi teachings

By Emad Omar | Reuters – 1 hour 5 minutes ago

BENGHAZI The Libyan schoolgirl can't hide her giddiness as she sings a song with lyrics that would have been unthinkable just months ago. "Oh, Muammar the crazy," she lilts, to applause from her classmates in the Al-Amir school in Benghazi. "How much he destroyed, how much he destroyed."

The school break has been longer than usual for many Libyan children this year. When the war against Gaddafi started, lessons stopped.

Now, with the rebels victorious and a new government installed, the schools are gradually reopening. Security and funding are a worry, but a bigger task is reforming an education system dominated for decades by the teachings and the theories of an eccentric leader.

Required reading in Gaddafi-era schools was his "Green Book," containing the ousted ruler's musings on politics, economics and everyday life. On their way to class pupils filed past portraits of the man they were instructed to call "our dear brother leader."
One of the first things the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) did after taking up arms against Gaddafi was set up a committee to expunge his "teachings" from the curriculum.

"We have many changes this year, including even the names of the schools," Fawzia Bouzeriba, a headteacher for 30 years, told Reuters.

"The course of Al-Mujtama Al-Jamahiri (Society of the masses) inspired by the Green Book was abolished," she said.

Another Benghazi headmaster, Khadiga Al-Mismary, said many history lessons had been scrapped in their entirety -- and for good.

SOME CHILDREN STILL AT HOME

Opening the schools on time has been difficult, with some badly damaged and others serving as makeshift prisons and hospitals.

Safety is a concern, families have been displaced and many pupils have lost months of work.

"We're not beginning a new year yet, we're going to complete the second semester of the last year and then we'll start a new year," Bouzeriba said.

Some parents fear a return to violence and are still keeping their children at home, teachers said.

"The number of students is increasing steadily and we expect all the students to show up at the beginning of the second week," said Al-Mismary, who runs a 520-pupil school.

She said she has asked NTC soldiers to drop by a few times a day to reassure the parents.

The Benghazi teachers are re-opening the schools even though they have not been paid for months. But most say they understand the new government is struggling for cash as it tries to get the country running again.

"This is not a big issue for us and we expect it to be settled soon," said Al-Mismary.
The bigger issue, the teachers said, will be finding lessons to replace some of the teachings of Gaddafi, though much of it will just be scrapped and the time allocated to other subjects like mathematics.

"It was marginal and political material, so no need to replace it with an alternative," said Abdel kafi Al-Kawafi, head of the NTC committee drawing up the new curriculum in Benghazi.

History will take some work, however, he admitted, Gaddafi having ensured he was portrayed as the great hero of Libya. "We have committees working on that now but time will be our biggest challenge," Al-Kawafi said.
(Editing by Barry Malone and Sonya Hepinstall)

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

NTC forces push for 'final Sirte fight'

Anti-Gaddafi fighters stream into centre of Sirte as battle enters decisive phase amid impending humanitarian crisis.
Last Modified: 06 Oct 2011 00:45

Civilians have been hard-hit as supplies of food, water and medical facilities dwindled due to the fighting.

Fighters belonging to Libya's ruling National Transitional Council [NTC] have fought their way, street by street, into the centre of toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace, Sirte, after their commanders said the battle for the city was entering its final hours.

On Wednesday, heavy artillery and rocket fire from Gaddafi loyalists that had been keeping NTC fighters pinned down on the outskirts of the city subsided, allowing them to move in.

"More than half the city is under the control of the (anti-Gaddafi) rebels," Adel Al-Hasi, a local NTC commander, said.

"God willing, we will be entering on Friday," Mohammed Ramadan Abul-Kassem, another NTC commander, said.

"You will watch us enter the city of Sirte and we will liberate it from those who are endangering our future state."

Medical workers at a field hospital outside the besieged city said three NTC fighters were killed and 20 others were wounded on Wednesday.

A Reuters reporter near the centre of the city said she could hear the occasional thump of mortars landing near NTC positions, but that pro-Gaddafi forces had now resorted to using small arms as they switched to close-quarter fighting.

The NTC advance took them towards Sirte's government quarter, a grid of expensively built hotels, villas and conference centres where Gaddafi used to host foreign leaders.

Taking Sirte would be of huge importance to Libya's new rulers: dispensing with the biggest pocket of pro-Gaddafi resistance and allowing the interim government to switch its focus on rebuilding works and electoral process.

Humanitarian catastrophe

Civilians have been hard-hit as they had been trapped by the fighting with dwindling supplies of food and water and no proper medical facilities to treat the wounded.

International aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding inside Sirte.

They say people are dying from wounds in the hospital because they cannot be treated properly, while residents are falling ill from malnutrition and drinking tainted water.

Robert Lanknau, an aid worker with the International Medical Corps, said he was working at a field hospital near Sirte that was treating up to 100 civilians a day who had fled the bombardment.

On the Western edge of Sirte, a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was waiting for a break in the fighting, and agreement from the two sides, to send in two trucks with supplies.

"We are concerned about the civilian population. Our priority concern is care of the wounded and sick. We want to make sure they have proper care," Hishem Khadrawy, an ICRC official, said.

Anger at NATO

Some people have directed their anger at NATO, saying the alliance's aircraft were striking residential areas.

A NATO spokesman said no strikes were carried on Sirte since the weekend and were sticking to their mandate to protect civilians.

"The situation is very difficult and potentially confusing for the civilian people in Sirte at the moment," Roland Lavoie, the spokesman, said in a statement.

"NATO aircraft overhead, while not striking during the close fighting in the city, are continuously conducting surveillance and reconnaissance missions to monitor the situation," he said.

Residents of the city also voiced anger and resentment at the anti-Gaddafi forces, saying they have shelled indiscriminately.

"Let them look for Muammar, but do not kill 50,000 people to change the regime," said a resident who gave his name as al-Fatouri. "It is not worth it that thousands die in Sirte for Muammar. This is what saddens us."

Many people in Sirte are members of Gaddafi's tribe and still support him, testing the commitment by Libya's new rulers to seek reconciliation with all sections of Libyan society, including those that backed Gaddafi.

In another development, a military unit allied to the NTC said it had discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of more than 200 people in Tripoli.

More than a dozen sites have been identified as mass graves since the fall of Gaddafi regime in August.

Gaddafi's surfaced:

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16084193

Gaddafi Calls For Resistance To New Leaders
0Comments
Colonel Gaddafi has called on Libyans to protest peacefully in their "millions" in an apparently new audio message aired on a Syria-based TV channel.

He also says "conditions in Libya are unbearable now" in the speech.
Col Gaddafi claims the National Transitional Council, which has assumed leadership of the country since then-rebel forces swept into Tripoli in late August, has no legitimacy.
The last time the outside world heard from Gaddafi was in a broadcast on September 20 on the same channel - Arrai TV.
More follows...

Oh, somebody shoot him, please. (In a humane and politically correct way, of course.)

Good early evening (been out for the day!)

Al Jazeera:

Libya fighters launch assault on Sirte

At least nine people killed in "final push" by NTC fighters to take stronghold of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2011 14:48

Medics at a field hospital near Sirte say they have been treating many rebel fighters in recent days .

The latest assault in the ongoing battle for Sirte, the hometown of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, is currently under way, with Libyan fighters undertaking a major operation to try to end a three-week standoff.

Commanders for the National Transitional Council said on Friday that the operation marked the final push to take the coastal city from Gaddafi loyalists.

"There are strong strikes in all directions. Today we will finish it. God willing, today we will capture Sirte," Colonel Ahmed El-Obeidi, an NTC commander, said.

Medics said at least nine anti-Gaddafi fighters had been killed and more than 100 others injured in the assault.

Ahmed Mohammed Abu Oud, the administrator of a nearby field hospital, said four ambulances had been destroyed by fire from Gaddafi forces, and two ambulance workers wounded.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from the frontline, said NTC fighters were trying to advance into the city centre, targeting the Ouagadougou conference hall where Gaddafi used to receive world leaders.

"Anti-Gaddafi fighters are at the perimeter of the hall, which is a stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists," she said. "But the loyalists holed up inside are putting up a fierce fight. It seems they will rather die than surrender.

"According to [NTC] fighters, most of the men inside are 'wanted criminals' so it's not in their interest to lay down their arms."

There were also particularly violent clashes around and inside the university, near the city centre, and in the Mauritanian Quarter.

Sirte, 400km southeast of Tripoli, is the most important of the pro-Gaddafi cities that are still holding out against Libya's new rulers. The two sides have been trading artillery, tank and mortar shelling.

Civilians trapped

Plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing up from several points in the city, amid the sound of machinegun fire and explosions.

NATO planes flew overhead, but there were no reports of air strikes.

Our correspondent said that while thousands of civilians had left over the past three weeks, some were still trapped inside.

"We spoke to civilians as they left and while some said they had been trapped inside the city or even prevented from leaving by Gaddafi loyalists, there are some that did not want to leave.

"This is a Gaddafi stronghold and many of the civilians who have left expressed resentment against anti-Gaddafi fighters and NATO as well."

NTC forces have besieged Sirte since September 15, but have not managed to penetrate the heart of the city because of fierce resistance.

NTC field commander Salah al-Jabo said his men were trying to evacuate the Ibn Sina hospital near the Ouagadougou centre.

Jabo estimated there were only about 800 pro-Gaddafi fighters left in the entire city, and that the area under their control had been reduced to roughly 20 square kilometres.

At the same time, he said there were only about 400 civilians left in Sirte.

That figure was impossible to confirm, but an AFP reporter said that only a trickle of refugees had come out on Thursday and the previous day, compared with dozens if not hundreds of cars in previous days.

Many among the thousands of residents who have escaped complained that the biggest danger was not Gaddafi loyalists but the bombs that drop from the sky and the ones the NTC fighters lob into their Mediterranean port city.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera, latest on the battle for Sirte:

Libya fighting rages in 'final push' on Sirte

At least 12 people killed in what NTC officials say is final assault to take stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi.
Last Modified: 08 Oct 2011 05:28

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from the frontline - link as this is not yet on you tube: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110783935223881.html

The latest assault in the ongoing battle for Sirte, the hometown of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, is currently under way, with Libyan fighters undertaking a major operation to try to end a three-week standoff.

Commanders for the National Transitional Council said on Friday that the operation marked the final push to take the coastal city from Gaddafi loyalists.

Colonel Ahmed El-Obeidi, an NTC commander, said that NTC forces were advancing on Sirte from all directions and hoped to soon capture the city.

Medics said at least 12 anti-Gaddafi fighters had been killed and more than 125 others injured in the assault. Ahmed Mohammed Abu Oud, the administrator of a nearby field hospital, said four ambulances had been destroyed by fire from Gaddafi forces, and two ambulance workers wounded.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from the frontline, said NTC fighters were trying to advance into the city centre, targeting the Ouagadougou conference hall where Gaddafi used to receive world leaders.

"Anti-Gaddafi fighters are at the perimeter of the hall, which is a stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists," she said.

"But the loyalists holed up inside are putting up a fierce fight. According to [NTC] fighters, most of the men inside are 'wanted criminals' so it's not in their interest to lay down their arms."

There were also particularly violent clashes around and inside the university, near the city centre, and in the Mauritanian Quarter.

Sirte, 400km southeast of Tripoli, is the most important of the pro-Gaddafi cities that are still holding out against Libya's new rulers. The two sides have been trading artillery, tank and mortar shelling.

Civilians trapped

Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising from several points in the city, amid the sound of machine gun fire and explosions.

NATO fighter jets flew overhead, but there were no reports of air strikes.

Our correspondent said that while thousands of civilians had left over the past three weeks, some were still trapped inside.

"We spoke to civilians as they left and while some said they had been trapped inside the city or even prevented from leaving by Gaddafi loyalists, there are some that did not want to leave.

"This is a Gaddafi stronghold and many of the civilians who have left expressed resentment against anti-Gaddafi fighters and NATO as well."

NTC forces have besieged Sirte since September 15, but have not managed to penetrate the heart of the city because of fierce resistance.

Salah al-Jabo, an NTC field commander, said his men were trying to evacuate the Ibn Sina hospital near the Ouagadougou centre.

Jabo estimated there were only about 800 pro-Gaddafi fighters left in the entire city, and that the area under their control had been reduced to roughly 20sq km. At the same time, he said there were only about 400 civilians left in Sirte.

That figure was impossible to confirm, but an AFP reporter said that only a trickle of refugees had come out on Thursday and the previous day, compared with dozens if not hundreds of cars in previous days.

Many among the thousands of residents who have escaped complained that the biggest danger was not Gaddafi loyalists but the bombs that drop from the sky and the ones the NTC fighters lob into their Mediterranean port city.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

Libyan fighters make limited gains in Sirte

Anti-Gaddafi forces capture residential area but face stiff resistance in battle for toppled leader's home city.
Last Modified: 09 Oct 2011 04:13

Libyan fighters are continuing their push to capture Sirte, the home city of toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi.

National Transitional Council (NTC) forces managed to take control of a central neighbourhood as well as a main road on Saturday, but faced stiff resistance from Gaddafi loyalists.

Fighting was raging for the Ouagadougou conference centre, which is believed to house the command centre of Gaddafi's forces, Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reported from the outskirts of the city.

"Loyalists are not only using small arms fire and snipers to slow the advance, they're also firing mortars to prevent anti-Gaddafi forces from taking control of this strategic complex," she said.

But NTC fighters made progress elsewhere, capturing the nearby Sabamiyah neighbourhood.

"Most of the people living here were commanders and officers in Gaddafi's army," Khodr said.

"You can see green flags hoisted on top of the villas, and when you go inside the homes, you'll see posters of Gaddafi and army certificates".

The fighters also wrested control of the four-lane avenue that links the centre of the city to the Ouagadougou conference complex, the AFP news agency reported.

NTC forces bombarded the city with artillery shells fired from hundreds of vehicles carrying rocket launchers.

Bloody battle

Fighters overlooking the Ouagadougou centre said its concrete bunkers were proving tougher than they originally thought.

"It has been hit for days by tank guns and rockets, but it hasn't budged. Its paint has hardly been scratched," one of them said.

Abdel-Basit Haroun, an NTC field commander, said 32 people had been killed since anti-Gaddafi fighters began the "final push" operation on Friday. Hundreds more were reported wounded.

Poor visibility caused by a sandstorm on Saturday delayed the prospect of ending a three-week standoff, during which thousands of residents have fled from the coastal city.

Our correspondent spotted a few families managing to escape on Saturday, but she said it was difficult to tell how many more civilians were trapped inside the city as a result of the fighting.

Sirte residents who oppose Gaddafi said his loyalists were preventing residents from leaving the town despite the lack of food, water and electricity.

International organisations allowed into the embattled town to visit the hospitals said conditions were "dire", with patients sitting in corridors of buildings that got shelled.

NATO operations 'to continue'

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the head of the NTC, called on the international community to help treat the wounded in Sirte, saying they could deduct the cost from Libyan assets that were frozen under Gaddafi's regime.

He held a news conference in the capital, Tripoli, with Liam Fox and Ignazio La Russa, the defence ministers of the UK and Italy respectively, the latest in a string of foreign dignitaries to visit the country.

Liam Fox pledged to keep up NATO airstrikes even after Sirte's fall, saying the international military action would continue as long as the remnants of the Gaddafi regime posed a risk to the people of Libya.

"We have a message for those who are still fighting for Gaddafi that the game is over, you have been rejected by the people of Libya,'' he said.

Gaddafi forces remain entrenched in the central city of Bani Walid, but transitional leaders say they will declare "liberation" without it because Sirte's fall will give them control over all seaports and harbours.

Officials with the new government, which has ruled most of the country since its forces overran Tripoli on August 23, say Gaddafi is probably being sheltered by nomadic Tuareg tribesman far to the south, in the Sahara desert.

Some NTC officials said his son Motassim, who used to be the national security adviser, was hiding somewhere in Sirte. Gaddafi's most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, is rumoured to be in Bani Walid.


Gaddafi loyalists continue to fight
Published 07 October 2011 23:56

Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi are being hemmed into an ever decreasing area of the ousted Libyan leader's home town of Sirte. They are surrounded in the heart of the city, being pounded by rockets, mortar shells and tank fire as National Transitional Council fighters press forward from the west, east and south. But still, the loyalists continue to fiercely defend the seat of Gaddafi's family and tribe. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from the frontline.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:


Libyan fighters push deeper into Sirte

NTC forces say they are preparing to fight street by street in the face of stubborn resistance from Gaddafi loyalists.
Last Modified: 10 Oct 2011 05:17

Libyan fighters have made major progress into Sirte, the home city of toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi.

National Transitional Council (NTC) forces said on Sunday they had managed to take control of Al Giza district, where a large number of pro-Gaddafi forces were based, as well as the city's university, and Ibn Sina hospital.

Some 15 Gaddafi loyalists were captured from the hospital, a witness told the Reuters news agency.

Despite stiff resistance from Gaddafi loyalists, NTC fighters also captured the Ouagadougou conference centre, which is believed to have housed the command centre of Gaddafi's forces and was protected by a large number of snipers.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Sirte, said: "They have taken the Ouagadougou conference centre, the university, and the hospital. But there has been intense fighting for a third day.

"The NTC fighters now say they have something like 70 per cent of Sirte under their control. But the remaining 30 per cent poses a problem, because it is going to entail street fighting.

"Gaddafi's fighters, who are said to number about 2,000, are putting up a tough resistance. We are in a situation where NATO can't help. They are up close and personal, fighting street by street."

The NTC fighters also launched a major offensive on Bani Walid, another town southeast of the capital Tripoli still controlled by Gaddafi forces.

According to an Al Jazeera correspondent near the desert town, NTC forces have reached the first mosque on the outskirts of Bani Walid.

Abdullah Khansheel of the Bani Walid military council said NTC fighters were also in control of the airport, approximately 75km from the city centre.

'Liberation in days'

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council, said both Sirte and Bani Walid would be liberated within days.

"I will reassure all Libyans that the liberation will be done in the coming few days. The city of Bani Walid is under siege from five directions," Jalil told reporters.

"As for Sirte, after the heavy fighting yesterday and the day before, the fighters reached the city centre and they are combing the residential neighbourhoods where there are some snipers. I think and I hope with the help of God the liberation of these two towns will be completed by the end of this week," he added.

The fight to seize control of the Ouagadougou centre proved particularly tough with Gaddafi loyalists entrenched in concrete bunkers.

"It has been hit for days by tank guns and rockets, but it hasn't budged. Its paint has hardly been scratched," one NTC fighter said.

Abdel-Basit Haroun, an NTC field commander, said 32 people had been killed in Sirte since anti-Gaddafi fighters began the "final push" operation on Friday. Hundreds more were reported wounded.

It is unclear how many civilians are still inside the city. Thousands of residents have fled since the standoff began three weeks ago.

International organisations allowed into the embattled town last week to visit the hospitals said conditions were "dire", with patients sitting in corridors of buildings that got shelled.

Libyan fighters have made major progress into Sirte, the home city of toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi.

National Transitional Council (NTC) forces said on Sunday they had managed to take control of Al Giza district, where a large number of pro-Gaddafi forces were based, as well as the city's university, and Ibn Sina hospital.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley sent this update from the front-line in Sirte.

Good morning!

Al Jazeera:

NTC: Gaddafi fighters cornered in Sirte

Battles continue in toppled Libyan leader's hometown as his loyalists put up resistance despite suffering setbacks.
Last Modified: 11 Oct 2011 04:44

National Transitional Council (NTC) forces say they have cornered loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi in a small area in the centre of Sirte, the hometown of the deposed Libyan leader whose whereabouts remain unknown more than six weeks after he was driven out of the capital Tripoli.

"Gaddafi's forces are cornered in two neighbourhoods near the sea, an area of about 2km square, but there is still resistance," Abdul Salam Javallah, commander of NTC units from eastern Libya, told the Reuters news agency from the frontline on Monday.
"We are dealing with them now with light weapons because there are still families inside," he said.

There are fears the fighting could breed long-term hostility, making it hard for the NTC to unite the vast North African state once the conflict is over.

'Tightening noose'

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Sirte, said the "noose has tightened around" pro-Gaddafi fighters but he added that they had "a lot of ammunitions and a lot of resolve".

NTC forces in Sirte took three important landmark buildings on Sunday - the main hospital, the university and the opulent Ouagadougou conference centre, built to host the summits of foreign dignitaries that Gaddafi was fond of staging.

"Eighty per cent of Sirte is now under our control," said Omar Abu Lifa, a commander of government forces attacking Sirte from the west.

NTC forces have repeatedly claimed to be on the point of victory in Sirte, only to suffer sudden reversals at the hands of a tenacious enemy fighting for its life, surrounded on three sides and with its back to the sea.
The protracted battle for Sirte, a showpiece Mediterranean coastal city largely loyal to Gaddafi, has raised concerns about many civilian casualties.

Desperate civilians were still trying to flee the fierce street clashes as fighting continued.

Shortly after NTC commander Javallah spoke, a group of three women, three small children and two male civilians emerged from a house on the front line. They were searched by NTC fighters and hurriedly got into a car and drove off waving the V-for-victory sign.

Another family of three women and one man, stopping at a checkpoint as they fled Sirte, said they had been trapped in their house by the fighting.

"We didn't know where the strikes were coming from. Everyone is being hit all day and all night. There is no electricity and no water. There's nothing. There's not one neighbourhood that hasn't been hit," said one of the women, who gave her name as Umm Ismail.

Battle for Bani Walid

Gaddafi supporters also still hold the inland enclave of Bani Walid, where NTC forces also reported key gains after weeks of faltering advances that resulted in part from the challenging terrain of desert hills and steep valleys.

Bani Walid is believed to be harbouring high-level figures from the old regime.

Meanwhile, a group of more than 200 gunmen attacked a mosque in Tripoli and ransacked the tombs of two imams, witnesses said on Monday.

"They arrived shortly after 10pm (2000 GMT, Sunday night), between 200 and 300 of them, in pickup trucks fitted with heavy machineguns. They took off at about 1am," said Mahmud Rahman, a resident of Tripoli's northeastern Al-Masri district.

"They forced open the mosque's door and then started to dig up the tombs of imams Abdel Rahman el-Masri and Salem Abu Seif, and made off with their relics," said Rahman.

An AFP journalist, visiting the mosque and its adjoining Quranic school, said Muslim holy books had been burnt.

The NTC forces have been trying for a month to gain control of Bani Walid, an oasis in rugged terrain where Gaddafi loyalists have been putting up fierce resistance.

NTC commanders are convinced that Gaddafi's most prominent son, Seif al-Islam, is in the town, as well as possibly the deposed strongman himself.

Libyan hospital under pressure as battles rage

Libyan hospitals near the frontline are struggling to treat an ever-increasing number of patients.

Ibn Sina hospital in Sirte - a town that is now almost entirely in the hands of anti-Gaddafi fighters - has even become part of the battleground as fighting continues between the two sides.

Wounded patients line the corridors and halls; on one side injured anti Gadaffi fighters, and on the other, supporters of the former Libyan leader.

Fighters who faced each other in combat just hours before, are now being treated in the same barely-functioning medical facility.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Sirte.

Grim, LL. I wish the pro-Gaddafis would see the futility of carrying on defending that despot,

Al Jazeera:

Libya fighters 'punch through Sirte defences'

Al Jazeera's frontline correspondent says NTC fighters have made a major breakthrough in battle for Gaddafi's hometown.
Last Modified: 11 Oct 2011 16:47

National Transitional Council (NTC) forces have made a breakthrough in their campaign to capture Sirte, the hometown of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi that has become the key battleground in their final push to control the country.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from close to the frontline on Tuesday afternoon, said that fighters had "punched through the last line of defence", a wall surrounding the heart of the city, and were within 200 metres of the city centre.

The fighters had so far encountered light resistance and suffered no casualties but the fighting ahead was much more intense, our correspondent said.

The remaining Gaddafi loyalists were staging a fierce rearguard action and had "a lot of ammunition and a lot of resolve", Birtley said.

The advancing fighters had found a lot of discarded weapons and uniforms and had captured a number of black Libyans. They said they were civilians, but NTC fighters said they were Gaddafi soldiers, our correspondent said.

"This is a heartland of Gaddafi's support but that now is crumbling. The hold they have on Sirte is crumbling by the minute."

Earlier, Abdul Salam Javallah, commander of NTC units from eastern Libya, told the Reuters news agency that Gaddafi forces were cornered in two neighbourhoods near the sea.

"We are dealing with them now with light weapons because there are still families inside," he said.

There are fears the fighting could breed long-term hostility, making it hard for the NTC to unite the vast North African state once the conflict is over.

NTC forces in Sirte took three important landmark buildings on Sunday - the main hospital, the university and the Ouagadougou conference centre, built to host the summits of foreign dignitaries that Gaddafi was fond of staging.

"Eighty per cent of Sirte is now under our control," said Omar Abu Lifa, a commander of government forces attacking Sirte from the west.

NTC forces have repeatedly claimed to be on the point of victory in Sirte, only to suffer sudden reversals at the hands of tenacious opponents fighting for their lives, surrounded on three sides and with their backs to the sea.

The protracted battle for Sirte, a showpiece Mediterranean coastal city largely loyal to Gaddafi, has raised concerns about many civilian casualties.

Desperate civilians were still trying to flee the fierce street clashes as fighting continued but “made it hard for fighters to positively identify civilians from renegade fighters”, Birtley said.

Shortly after NTC commander Javallah spoke, a group of three women, three small children and two male civilians emerged from a house on the frontline. They were searched by NTC fighters and hurriedly got into a car and drove off waving the V-for-victory sign.

Another family of three women and one man, stopping at a checkpoint as they fled Sirte, said they had been trapped in their house by the fighting.

"We didn't know where the strikes were coming from. Everyone is being hit all day and all night. There is no electricity and no water. There's nothing. There's not one neighbourhood that hasn't been hit," said one of the women, who gave her name as Umm Ismail.

Diplomatic moves

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the NTC chairman, visited Sirte on Tuesday in a show of support and strength.

He appeared standing on the back of a truck as loyalists shouted "Libya, Libya!" and fired their weapons into the air in celebration.

Al Jazeera has the latest on the fight for Bani Walid
Jalil had earlier met Canada's top diplomat in Tripoli to reopen its embassy and announce funding to help the council secure weapons stockpiles.

John Baird, the foreign affairs minister, traveled in an armored convoy to meetings in Libya's capital, accompanied by fellow officials and business leaders seeking to restore trade ties with the oil-rich nation.

"Our government remains committed to protecting the Libyan people and supporting their efforts to build a brighter future for themselves," Baird said in a statement.

NATO said the fall of Gaddafi’s hometown would mark an "iconic" moment in Libya but it will not spell the end of its air campaign according to the alliance's top military officer.

Giampaolo Di Paola, the chairman of the NATO military committee, told AFP Gaddafi loyalists were like a "cornered beast".

"When the ferocious beast is cornered, she will fight until the end," Di Paola said in an interview at NATO headquarters. "On the one hand, yes, I am surprised by their capacity to resist but, on the other hand, they have no other choice."

Sirte has become one of the final bastions, along with the desert city of Bani Walid for Gadddfi forces, two months after the NTC took control of Tripoli.

Gaddafi has not been seen since the fall of his capital, and the location of many of his inner circle including several of his sons remain unknown.

Some excellent photos on the Sky site, too:

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/media-gallery/16086094


Including this one:



I have absolutely no idea why that man is apparently serenading the fighters....

Good morning!

Al Jazeera Live Blog:

Capturing Bani Walid 'at any cost'

After what is being described as "a fierce battle", National Transitional Council fighters have advanced to the southern gate of Bani Walid, the stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi loyalists.

However, a lack of co-ordination led to a heavy toll, as many of the fighters were killed or seriously injured by those still loyal to deposed Libyan leader.

Now based out of the nearby town of Shameekh, the anti-Gaddafi forces say they will capture the northern Libyan city at any cost.

Al Jazeera's Anu Nathan explains.

Good morning:

Al Jazeera:

Reports claim the capture of Gaddafi's son
Conflicting reports emerge on detention of Motassim Gaddafi, one of the deposed Libyan leader's sons.


Conflicting reports have emerged on the capture of Motassim Gaddafi, one of Muammar Gaddafi's sons, in the Libyan city of Sirte.

A National Transitional Council (NTC) official told the Reuters news agency that Motassim is currently being held in Benghazi, the Council's eastern power base, after being arrested on Wednesday.

Colonel Abdullah Naker of the Tripoli Revolutionary Council was quoted as saying: "[Mutassim] was arrested today in Sirte."

Reacting to the reports of Motassim's capture, Jalal el-Gallal, a spokesman for the NTC in Benghazi, told the Associated Press news agency that he called commanders in Sirte and that "so far as we are concerned, there is no confirmation that Mutassim Gaddafi has been captured".

El-Gallal said that the NTC forces have captured some fighters close to one of Muammar Gaddafi's sons in the fugitive leader's home town.

Fighters in Sirte were celebrating the news of his arrest on Wednesday night, while citizens in the capital Tripoli took the streets to sound their car horns and fire guns into the sky.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Tripoli, said he had spoken with several high-level NTC officials who had heard the news but could not confirm it.

A spokesman for the military said he had not spoken with anyone who had seen Motassim in custody.

The NTC claimed in August to have captured Gaddafi's highest-profile son, Saif al-Islam, during the final battle for the capital, but that claim turned out to be false, and Saif appeared in public hours later.

If Motassim was captured, the NTC will be eager to question him regarding the whereabouts of his father and brothers, who are thought to have fled Tripoli as it fell into opposition hands in late August.

Motassim served as his father's national security adviser while the regime was still in power, but was not seen as being as prominent as his brothers Saif, Saadi or Khamis.

Saif was considered Gaddafi's likely successor, Saadi was known for his failed Italian football career, and Khamis controlled the country's most powerful military unit, which was named after him.

All four, particularly Motassim, Saif and Khamis, are loathed by many Libyans for the role they played in Gaddafi's authoritarian state and in the crackdown against the uprising.

Saif, Saadi and Khamis's whereabouts are unknown.