The anti-Gaddafi fighters said they had to respond to loyalist attacks
Anti-Gaddafi forces in Libya say they have begun the battle for Bani Walid, one of the last remaining loyalist strongholds.
Commanders said they had cleared outlying areas and were within two kilometres of the centre.They said they hoped to have full control in the next few hours.
Bani Walid and three other loyalist-held towns had been given till Saturday to surrender but the anti-Gaddafi forces said they had come under attack.
Fierce fighting has also been reported close to the Gaddafi-held city of Sirte.
'Snipers'
The BBC's Richard Galpin, near Bani Walid, says the anti-Gaddafi forces had given a briefing in which they said they had had no choice but to respond to the loyalist attacks.
They said they had made quick progress so far but that they were not engaging in a full military assault as they still wanted to minimise casualties.
Click to play
Anti-Gaddafi forces have been preparing for an attack on Sirte, Col Gaddafi's birthplace
Our correspondent says there have been reports of hand-to-hand combat with what have been described as professional fighters on the Gaddafi side, but also reports that some had been throwing away their weapons as the anti-Gaddafi forces approached.
Continue reading the main story
A stretcher carrying a moaning, semi-conscious anti-Gaddafi fighter is hurriedly loaded on to an ambulance. As the rebels get closer to Sirte the casualties are mounting. But though their deadline for the loyalists to surrender runs out on Saturday they're still a long way from the town - 45 miles on the eastern approach.
We're at the anti-Gaddafi fighters' most forward position. They've just taken a lot of incoming Grad and mortar fire. The Grads have paused for the moment... heavy anti-aircraft guns are being used to fire back.
The anti-Gaddafi forces are having to fight very hard for every mile of territory. Their threatened assault won't begin immediately on Sirte, partly because they're so far away and partly to give tribal talks more time to succeed.
Analysis
We're at the anti-Gaddafi fighters' most forward position. They've just taken a lot of incoming Grad and mortar fire. The Grads have paused for the moment... heavy anti-aircraft guns are being used to fire back.
The anti-Gaddafi forces are having to fight very hard for every mile of territory. Their threatened assault won't begin immediately on Sirte, partly because they're so far away and partly to give tribal talks more time to succeed.
Abdallah Kanshil, a senior official from the interim Libyan leadership, the National Transitional Council (NTC), told Reuters: "[Anti-Gaddafi] fighters are in the north of the city fighting snipers, we have also entered from the east."
Earlier in the day, there were reports of a barrage of Grad missiles being fired from the town by pro-Gaddafi forces.The NTC says it has been trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution to stand-offs in Gaddafi-held Bani Walid, Jufra, Sabha and Sirte but interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril had warned NTC troops would respond if attacked.
NTC forces have also been preparing munitions near Sirte.
There was a heavy exchange of fire about 60km east of the city, in the Red Valley region which the NTC announced it had captured on Thursday.
The BBC's Paul Wood, with the anti-Gaddafi forces near Sirte, witnessed the incoming rocket and mortar fire from loyalist forces.
He says the rebels fired back with anti-aircraft guns but they are still a long way from the city.
The anti-Gaddafi forces told him they will keep pushing forward and although Sirte may not fall according to their leaders' timetable, they are sure that it will fall.
Agence France-Presse said the arrival of 10 pro-Gaddafi vehicles on the frontline had sparked two hours of heavy fighting, but that the NTC troops held their position.
Meanwhile in Tripoli, tens of thousands of people took part in a march to remember those who were killed by Col Gaddafi's forces near the eastern district of Tajoura on 25 February during the early phase of the Libyan uprising.
The BBC's Peter Biles in the Libyan capital says it turned into a huge victory parade, with residents all waving the red, black and green flag of the new Libya and clogging both sides of the main road with their vehicles.
'ICC commitments'
Separately on Friday, Ali Kana, a senior general in Col Gaddafi's forces who commanded troops in the south, was reported to have fled to Niger.
Tens of thousands celebrated the removal of Gaddafi in Tripoli Several convoys of former loyalists are said to have streamed over the border with Niger over the past few weeks.
A number of Col Gaddafi's aides - including his chief of security Mansour Daw - have reached the capital, Niamey.
Officials in Niger, which recently installed democracy after decades of authoritarianism, said they were letting in many sub-Saharan Africans from Libya on humanitarian grounds.
However, the head of President Mahamadou Issoufou's cabinet, Massaoudou Hassoumi, said on Friday it would respect its commitments to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if Col Gaddafi or his sons entered the country.
The ICC has issued a warrant for crimes against humanity against Col Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and spy chief Abdullah al-Sanussi.
Interpol on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the three.
Source: BBC News, 9 September 2011 Last updated at 18:26 GMT
No comments:
Post a Comment