Libyan fighters are continuing their push to capture Sirte, the home city of toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi.
National Transitional Council (NTC) forces said they had managed to take control of a central neighbourhood and Sirte university on Sunday, but faced stiff resistance from Gaddafi loyalists.
Fighting was raging for the Ouagadougou conference centre on Sunday, which is believed to house the command centre of Gaddafi's forces, Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reported from the outskirts of the city.
"They (NTC) are making further gains into Sirte," Khodr said.
"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.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011108152630537373.html
No comments:
Post a Comment